HB_Dad

Well... if I'm not mistaken, Subaru's SUV would be the only one out of the vehicles you mentioned, other than the fugly Volvo, to have all-wheel-drive AND have 7 seats!! Being based on the H6 engine is another plus!! Sounds good enough for me...

I got the LL Bean wagon brand new. It is a good car, but it goes through brakes like a bitch! I have 30,000 miles on the car now and have replaced the front brake pads TWICE and the rears once. I've been told that at my next service, I will need new front brake pads AGAIN!! As for the used VDC Sedan, it sounds like a good deal! VDC usually goes about $2000-$3000 more than an LLBean, so given depreciation etc, you seem to be saving $2000 or so! However, I personally always found Outback Sedans to look kind of ugly and unfinished like they were more of an afterthought (that rear end is UUUUUgly!). To each his own though...

I REALLY want that car! However, my needs are for the 7-seater SUV (any day now!!). Currently, dragging the wife and 2 young kids with me to pick up "grandma" from the airport is nearly impossible! As for the design vision of B11S, I like the new direction Subaru is going because, although I am ultimately devoted to Subaru, I always thought the cars were very unimaginitive in styling. For example, I like the "rugged" concept of Outback (being a third time owner of one and all), but H2 and Landrover do the "rugged and tough" thing so much better (at least visually!). Hopefully the B11S IS the new Impreza design (as has been rumored) since I currently find the current compact sedan look to be a bit generic, boring, and wimpy-looking (I know wimpy is not the actual case with that car)...

From Irvine Subaru: We've put together a page with information on the B11s with tons of pictures and a survey at the bottom. We will be sending all of the survey's to SOA. Please help us help SOA help you by sending your opinions in. Also, if you have any comments about other Subaru products, please feel free to comment on those as well. http://www.irvinesubaru.com/newcust/b11s_opinion.htm

Apparently, this is the 7-seater sketch that appeared in a japanese auto magazine. The original picture was HUGE and spread across two images. i went ahead and shrunk it down and photoshopped the car together into one image. Anyway, I posted this in another thread, but had a lot of problems trying to get this image up correctly. I figure that this warrants a new thread. So, what are YOUR thoughts on the design of this new vehicle?

Holy crap, it finally worked (see attachment on previous post)!!! Anyway, I think the SUV is pretty sharp looking and i am planning to be on the waiting list the moment it becomes available!

Lets try one more time...

Actually, here's an artist's sketch from the magazine mentioned in the linked article. The pic was really big, so I had to Photoshop the front and rear ends together to fit into one image. I've never had an image work on a Message Board before, so hopefully this is accessible to you all...

Actually, here's an artist's sketch from the magazine mentioned in the linked article. The pic was really big, so I had to Photoshop the front and rear ends together to fit into one image. I've never had an image work on a Message Board before, so hopefully this is accessible to you all... http://us.f148.mail.yahoo.com/ym/ShowLetter/SubaruSUV.jpg?box=Inbox&MsgId=3872_1294112_17710_933_401784_0_7069_521881_170937758&bodyPart=2&filename=SubaruSUV.jpg&tnef=&YY=18066&order=down&sort=date&pos=0

Here is a new tidbit on the new 7-seat SUV... http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/?http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/ae_news_story.php?id=38174 Buzz on other boards claim that the SUV may be called anything from "9" to "Surveyor". Expect its debut at the January auto show... I'm sold!!!

I would NEVER want a diesel due to the fact diesel stations are nowhere near as plentiful as regular gas stations, at least here in California!

Well, I mentioned seeing this thing in the flesh at a Subaru sponsored survey. Well, here are the first photos and a brief writeup about it: http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=6096&n=158,178&sid=178

According to my Subaru dealer, recent surveys by Subaru call for a redsign of the front end of the B11S concept car, which in my opinion was the only thing that needed changing. Supposedly, Subaru is shooting for a 2006 year model year release! Can anyone else confirm any of this for sure?

Hopefully, it is not as bland looking as the Lexus or Acura. I am hoping for a rougher Landrover or Hummer look, but well see...