The driver assist technologies vary by manufacturer, and you can turn off some features if you don't like them. The Subaru system is called EyeSight.

https://www.subaru.com/engineering/eyesight.html

I have to do some research on the lane assist. I've never had the problem that Lisa described about trying to pass a bicyclist. The car beeps if you drift over the lane marker, but I've never had it adjust my steering.

The collision prevention feature will reduce speed, or brake if necessary, if it senses that you're going to hit an object in front of you.

Adaptive cruise control is nice for those who use cruise control a lot.

Subarus have heated cloth seats. And fog lights that move when you turn the wheel. That's kind of cool.

Consumer Reports has an overview of various lane keep assist systems.

https://www.consumerreports.or...eeping-assist-guide/

thanks for the link!

The lane change thing in Sharon's van isn't like the ones I'm hearing about here. All it does is make a sound and turn on a little light in the mirror if you turn on a turn signal to change lanes and there is a car in the blind spot.

I don't think I would want anything that takes over the steering.

Kim's Kia has Apple Car play and I really like it. It integrates seamlessly with the phone including whatever navigation app you use. The little map on the phone is much easier to see on the integrated screen on the dash.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Miller:
Kim's Kia has Apple Car play and I really like it. It integrates seamlessly with the phone including whatever navigation app you use. The little map on the phone is much easier to see on the integrated screen on the dash.

I love Apple Car Play! And the little thumb button on my steering wheel so I can tell it what I want via voice command. I can send messages, make calls, tell it to play podcasts, ask for navigation directions, and on and on.

I had a Forester with the adaptive cruise control and lane yanker for one day as a loaner from the dealer when my car was in for the airbag recall.

I didn't get it all figured out, but it seemed that it had default settings and if you didn't want the features you had to turn them off every time you started the car. I never figured out if or how to change the defaults.

Skip the hassle. Just get an Outback.

Jf

quote:

Originally posted by Jack Frost:
Skip the hassle. Just get an Outback.

Jf

Thinking of swapping the Wrangler for an Outback.
Will get heated seats and a heated steering wheel.
The wheels stay cold long after the cabin is warm.
Leery of the cruise controls that can brake the car.
My Volvo's would note a car well ahead in a curve and put the brakes on.

Has Subaru resolved the head gasket at 80,000 - 100,000 issue?

Mine has the 6-cylinder so it reportedly does not have that issue and also has a timing chain, not a belt.

everyone has good suggestions. i would like to underscore the value of the seat memory feature. my 2004 ltd truck has it and i love it! driver 1 and driver 2 buttons automatically adjust all the seat positions and lumbar support, plus side view and rear view mirrors. marriage saver!

in addition to the leather heated seats, which i adore, in my next car i would also get a seat cooling feature for summer.

cruise control is an ironclad requirement for me. i would be interested in trying out a vehicle that slows you down automatically when you get within a certain distance of the car ahead. but what i really want is cruise control that will operate at 10 mph. my neuropathy goes crazy on dirt forest service roads because i can't use the cruise control.

don't know if that exists.

Check the 2021 Consumers Reports New Car Buying Guide.

Drive a fully loaded version of the vehicle that you’re considering buying. Try ALL the car’s features and see which ones you want and which ones you can do without. You’ll probably have to rent it for a day because test driving a vehicle at the dealership won’t give you enough time. Usually it’s a 20 minute ride with the salesperson sitting next to you.

Most car options are not offered individually any more but are bundled together into packages and trim levels.

In order to get an individual feature that you want, you might have to get a bundled package and get features that you don’t want and are part of the package/trim level. And vice versa: If there’s a feature that you don’t want that’s part of a package that includes a feature that you do want, then foregoing the package means foregoing that individual feature you do want.

Panorama roof, sun roof, moon roof: DEFINITELY NOT. The most common problem with sun roofs is that over time they can start to leak and rattle.

Convertible soft top: DEFINITELY NOT. They like to slash convertibles if you live/work in high crime areas. The soft top will not save you in the event of a roll over accident.

Heated steering wheel: Yes.

Compass: YES. My car has a built-in oem compass on the dashboard. It’s invaluable. Nowadays, it comes with a GPS package.

Turbo: No, because it’s one very expensive engine part to rebuild or replace. I’m an original owner of a 1984 Nissan 300ZX turbo and I can fill this screen up talking about turbos.

Digital dashboard: Yes, I like it better than analog gauges.

Premium stereo system: No. I’d rather put my money into a premium home stereo, not a car stereo.

Gauges instead of idiot lamps: Yes. It’s better to have too much information than not enough. For example, my car has oem gauges that you don’t usually find in cars for example, voltmeter, coolant temperature, and oil pressure.

Here's my 2 cents worth. Bought a 2020 about a year ago by the way, so my opinions have changed recently.

- Heated seats: Yes!!!! Love 'em
- Heated steering wheel: Yes
- Lane assist: Yes. It does try to nudge you back into your lane if you drift out of it, BUT it does not take over the steering. There are 3 ways to overcome the nudge. 1) Just hold the steering wheel and your input will overcome the nudge. 2) Use your blinker before changing lanes or moving over to pass a bike. The blinker temporarily turns off the lane assist. 3) When you decide to move out of your lane, do so with what I think of as "clear intent". I.e. guide with enough force that it's clear to the software that you mean to be crossing the lane line.
- Backup camera: Absolutely.
- Surround cameras: Yes if it's available. I drive a truck, and it's nice to know where my bumpers are compared to other objects as I park or maneuver.
- Keyless start, stop: Didn't think I would like this, but it is convenient once you're used to it.
- Remote start: Nice for those cold snowy days if you've had to park outside.
- USB ports: Yeah man.
- 120 V ac ports: Yeah. They only provide 400 Watts, but that's enough to power up a laptop.
- Android or Apple Car play: Absolutely. You don't need a GPS for the vehicle, but putting google maps on the dash display is super convenient. It's even better if you can get a wireless version.
- Blind spot indicator on side mirrors: Again, very convenient and I'd recommend it.

Guess that's it. Clearly I've been totally taken over by all the tech on new cars. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

quote:

Originally posted by pianojuggler:
Has Subaru resolved the head gasket at 80,000 - 100,000 issue?

Mine has the 6-cylinder so it reportedly does not have that issue and also has a timing chain, not a belt.

Long ago. My Outback is 2012 with more than 200k miles. I have had a brake job and a new muffler. That’s it.

Jf

Interesting. I haven’t had to replace a muffler since the 80’s.

Is this a climate thing?