AWDfreak

Yes, the blue Honeywell/FRAM Subaru OEM oil filters are structurally similar to a FRAM Toughguard with cardboard endcaps, but they are still different in that the OEM one has that different bypass valve. In addition, although FRAM gets a lot of flak for using cardboard endcaps, I am unaware of any direct engine failures as a direct result of the cardboard end caps used in FRAM oil filters. As I mentioned, some aftermarket alternatives include Purolator and Wix oil filters as they use metal end caps. And then there's the "Six Star" brand of oil filters produced for Subaru by Northeast Imported Parts and "Killer Filters" brand of oil filters who also produce a variant of the H6 OEM oil filter which both meet OEM specs, though I'm not sure if both of them use metal end caps.

20 months of driving my 2014 Subaru XV w/ 5-speed manual around and its accumulated 68,000 miles so far... It's seen a bit of action... Seen a lot of twisty fun mountain passes and canyon roads like these... http://imgur.com/Q13A8Zs aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand a little bit of off-road action http://imgur.com/if6JqrL http://imgur.com/lhRj8DG http://imgur.com/VgWpX3f http://i.imgur.com/5YCp9tMl.jpg http://imgur.com/vVIo5U8 http://imgur.com/JJ2vCYj http://imgur.com/X23lLaR http://imgur.com/g9MGgas http://imgur.com/Gjtc7vU http://imgur.com/HzzMmkY

Ahhh, VDC with Symmetrical AWD = surprisingly off-road capable. Of course, VDC is like a band aid compared to actual clutch-type LSD"s or full-on lockers. Thanks for posting, I need to get my Crosstrek dirty again!

Unfortunately, Crosstreks with the 5-speed manual will inevitably be noisier than a Lineatronic CVT Crosstrek as there is less sound deadening. From the 2015 model year onwards, a thicker windshield as well as thicker side glass were used to further enhance the cabin quietness. The factory non-Hybrid tires are also unusually noisy. I found my test drive with the XV Crosstrek Hybrid quite pleasant, as I felt that the suspension and steering were sportier, as well as the cabin being noticeably quieter than my 5-speed Crosstrek.

I'd also vouch for the Subaru OEM pads like grossgary said. However, if you're totally set on getting an aftermarket set of brake pads that don't make much noise, I've heard great things about Akebono brake pads. In fact, they are one of a list of Subaru's OEM suppliers of brake pads, though the aftermarket ones aren't the Akebono brake pads made in Japan, the aftermarket Akebono brake pads are manufactured in the USA.

Subaru uses hard-to-find parts because it's engineered quite differently from other vehicles. My personal recommendation is to use a Subaru OEM engine oil filter. Brands such as Purolator and Wix do offer oil filters that meet the Subaru-spec bypass valve setting, due to the high-flow oil pumps used on Subaru's boxer engines.

The Khaki reminded me too much of the tactical vehicles I work with in my service, but I can see the appeal of it since it seems like such a rare color in general for a passenger CUV. Are you gonna get a 2015 or a 2016 model year?

Wow, that means you've been through three different XV Crosstreks! No wonder I noticed your pictures look familiar, I think you're on both the other XV forums! Is your next color gonna be Hyper Blue or something even more toned-down?

A lot of this simply sounds like reception issues with the antenna. Today's antennas are so small and insignificant that reception of radio waves is probably not nearly as good as the old-fashioned ones that stuck out straight up rather than being slim and unnoticeable. Anyone considering changing their antenna to an old-style one? I personally don't use the radio except for road/weather condition advisories.

I've gotten about 480 miles out of my 15.9 gallon fuel tank, running on fumes, in my 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek w/ 5-speed manual (for whatever reason, we North Americans get the FB20 engine with the 5MT rather than the rest of the world, in which the FB20 is normally paired with a CVT or 6MT). Taming my leadfoot is a true challenge of patience to attempt that feat again. As for running the fuel tank low, it is not advised, as far as I'm aware, the fuel pump is cooled off by the fuel itself so it would be best to avoid your fuel tank getting any lower than a 1/4 tank.

As Fairtax4me mentioned, this is normal and is part of the warning lamp test before starting the engine. I would suggest using your parking brake every time you park. Assuming you have an automatic, the parking pawl on automatics is not intended to be the sole member holding a vehicle stationary. Also, the electronic parking brake is still a typical drum-in-hat parking brake, but instead of being manually actuated by the traditional parking brake lever, an electric motor actuates the application of the parking brake. These parts diagrams show that, although the cable is actuated by an electric motor, the action is still mechanical. The actual components stopping the vehicle from moving don't really look any different than a manually-actuated parking brake system. http://parts.subaru.com/a/Subaru_2011_Legacy25L-CVT-4WDPremium-Sedan/_54106_6028085/PARKING-BRAKE-SYSTEM/B14-260-01.html http://parts.subaru.com/a/Subaru_2011_Legacy25L-CVT-4WDPremium-Sedan/_54106_6028688/REAR-BRAKE-PARKING-BRAKE-10MY-12MY/B14-263-02.html

I had Mann Engineering in Santa Clara do the job. They specialize in Subaru vehicles, so they aren't some generic shop. Also, they're the ones that advertised the lines for the Crosstrek.

Are you referring to the stop/start system that's on the XV Hybrid?

The XV is surprisingly capable. However, without the center LSD and VDC to band-aid the open front and rear diffs, it wouldn't be so capable. It has the shortest wheelbase compared to its other off-road Subaru siblings (Forester, Outback, Tribeca, etc), but somehow the Forester has a better breakover angle. The Forester also has better approach angle, departure angle, and with X-MODE, VDC is better-tuned to take on rough terrain and loose conditions. It's great that someone else is gonna post some XV off-road pics! Please post them when you get around to it! Speaking of which... Once wasn't enough, so I went to Prairie City, AGAIN!

I went off-roading at Prairie City SVRA near Rancho Cordova, California. Got the XV plenty dirty

Old as hell topic, but I will chime in. I upgraded my stock brake lines to stainless steel brake lines. This is what I got: Goodridge Stainless Steel Brake Line Kit P/N 24218-CL The stainless steel brake lines combined with DOT4 brake fluid fix most of the brake feel problems. The brake pedal is just so much stiffer than the stock mushy rubber hoses. However, it will be completely solved with some high-performance street brake pads such as Hawk Performance HPS pads.

VDC can be fully disabled, but it takes a bit of work: http://www.dirtyimpreza.com/forums/showthread.php?29443-DIY-Disable-VDC-in-2012-Impreza-XV And my question is, any other XV drivers who have the manual transmission notice the tachometer acts a little odd around 1000RPM and below? Whenever I slow down to a stop, it's like it doesn't go down to idle speed until around 5 seconds later. I don't think the engine is staying at those revs because it sounds like it's idling when I come to a stop out of gear.

To all you owners here on USMB, as an all-around vehicle (on and off-road use, urban and adventure vehicle in one), how well has it met your expectations? The XV is car I am seriously considering with it's all-around attitude.

For those that think the XV is simply a 4th generation Impreza hatch, it does share the same unibody (same chassis designation as a 4th generation Impreza hatch), BUT there are differences! Subaru XV differences from Subaru Impreza hatch Differences between Impreza hatch and XV Crosstrek, the XV Crosstrek has: * Increased ground clearance due to suspension changes (8.7 inches versus 5.7 for regular Impreza, 5.9 for Impreza Sport), also results in improved approach, departure, and breakover angles for off-road use. * Larger wheels and tires (17 x 7.0 inch wheels for XV, Sport/Limited Impreza hatch use same-size, lower trim levels use smaller; 225/55R17 tires XV, 205/50R17 tires Sport/Limited Impreza hatch), results in improved overall ground clearance and ability to drive over obstacles. * Shorter wheelbase (103.7 inches versus 104.1 for regular Impreza), results in improved breakover angle compared to simply lifting suspension (and possibly due to packaging concerns). * Revised gear ratios (manual transmission final drive ratio is 4.444 versus 4.111 for regular Impreza, other ratios have been modified as well for the XV's manual transmission; Lineartronic CVT gets lower final drive ratio as well), to compensate for extra weight, and for heavy-duty uses such as towing. * Plastic body cladding protects paint throughout various portions of the body for off-road use. * Length, width, and height have all grown (175.2 inches for XV, 173.8 inches for hatch; 70.1 for XV, 68.5 for hatch; 63.6 inches for XV, 57.7 inches for hatch) * Increased weight (XV is roughly 200 lbs heavier than regular Impreza counterpart) * Larger fuel-tank (15.9 gallons for XV, 14.5 gallons for regular Impreza), likely done for increased weight and for the possibility of heavy-duty use (or should I say heavier use such as towing). * Larger front brakes (XV F/R 11.6/10.8 inches, regular Impreza F/R 10.9/10.8 inches), possibly WRX 2-pot front brake calipers, likely done for increased weight and for the possibility of heavy-duty use (or should I say heavier use such as towing). * Marginally-less cargo space with seats up (22.3 cf XV, 22.4 cf Impreza hatch) * Slightly-larger cargo space with seats down (51.9 cf XV, 49.7 cf Impreza hatch) * Darker window tint in XV, results in improved privacy for changing clothes, especially useful for outdoor adventurers. * Upgraded cooling system (uses 2007MY Subaru Forester radiator as confirmed on NASIOC) * Unconfirmed, but although on the same chassis designation, supposedly the XV has extra welds in the unibody for reinforcement (unibody reinforced in XV over regular Impreza hatch)

I was doing something similar on Forza Motorsport 4... put all the dampening settings to minimum and saw just how bad it is to simulate bad struts... it's downright DANGEROUS!

The larger filter is an older design for the EJ engines. The smaller oil filter was developed to be able to clear the headers on certain EJ engines (more specifically, as far as I know, the turbocharged EJs) Since it's a Purolator (which meets Subaru OEM specifications), and you don't have a turbocharged EJ, you should be good.

Spam? For the United States, it is the 2014 model year that the new-generation Subaru Forester has been released. The X-Mode is quite nice since it is specially caibrated to keep the CVT, VDC, and ABS to keep the vehicle under control as much as possible in slick conditions (such as ice/snow, gravel/dirt, etc) and also has a hill-descent feature. Though VDC-equipped AWD Subaru vehicles could still get through the "diagonal test" on rollers, the X-Mode works even better. I'm kinda stumped though, that the X-Mode isn't on the Subaru XV

What these two said... It just might be the exhaust heat shields. Your description sounds like the same vibration I've experienced on my old 1999 Outback (BG6)

The filters in question are the BLUE OEM Subaru oil filters manufactured for Subaru of America by Honeywell. They own the FRAM brand so they are indeed FRAM, however, they differ from the FRAM oil filters that can be purchased from auto parts stores because of the Subaru spec bypass valve. Oh, and for those who don't have a pdf file reader... the following information is what you need, taken from the article. filter part number affected is 15208AA12A The date code is a six character alpha numeric code. In the above example, the Date Code is A22713. For our purposes, the relevant characters are the first, second, third, fourth and fifth characters. Again, using our example above, the relevant portion of the date code is “A2271.” So long as the first five characters match one of the twenty three (23) date codes below, your filter is an Affected Motor Oil Filter, regardless of the sixth character. Thus, we denote the sixth character as an “X.” The date codes of the Affected Motor Oil Filters are: A2187X A2219X A2255X A2278X A2188X A2220X A2256X A2279X A2191X A2223X A2262X A2282X A2202X A2226X A2263X A2285X A2208X A2240X A2270X A2286X A2212X A2241X A2271X