TimGinCentralNJ

My understanding is, the block itself and the variable timing/exhaust system (among some other things, I'm sure) are both supposed to be new. I've heard absolutely no reliability issues to date, and that includes no dreaded headgasket issues (apparently, that's new to the '05 model year, too). I don't know too much about the Impreza 2.5 (I'm new to Subarus as a whole), but I did drive few WRXs (and 1 Saab-aru) just before driving an '05 LGT 5MT, I can tell you that you'll notice the difference in HP and in torque, even in spite of the extra weight. The car is really nice, too, overall. It's no rally car, but it is a damn-quick, nice-handling, decently roomy sports sedan. At the last minute, I opted for an OBXT for the added room/versatility (and because we now have 2 dogs). My advice: Don't drive one unless you're planning on buying one! Just my $.02 Tim G. '05 OBXTL-5MT http://home.earthlink.net/~timo1745/_images/subie_images/new%20subie%20pics%20012_small.jpg http://home.earthlink.net/~timo1745/_images/subie_images/subie_first_snow/subie_snow%20002.jpg

Hi George! Actually, I just signed-up to use the forum after reading your post, so I guess that makes me even newer than you Re: the hesitation you speak of, as one of the other members below mentioned, this is a well-talked about issue, at least over at the "Subaru Crew 2005: Legacy/OB" message board on edmunds.com (where I usually frequent). There are a couple individuals there who work for Subaru of America (SoA) and are very knowledgable/helpful. The general concensus about this issue is that it's a shortcoming in the ECU code. Here's a quote from one of the big-time posters there which explains it better: (Craig said:) "The stuttering on my XT (5EAT) pretty much went away after I disconnected the battery when installing the sub, and it definitely mellowed out as I put more miles on the car. So I think it's an ECU mapping issue, and the ECU probably sorts itself out in some cases. Still, it will likely take an ECU reprogramming to fully fix the problem. This would not be uncommon for Subaru; the last Outback required a reflash in its first year, as well as the STi. I think Mazda has released 5-6 reflashes for the RX-8 at this point!" So, it sounds as though this has been a fairly common issue over the years on some Subie turbo motors (not to mention other manufacturers), and my assumption is that SoA will have an ECU re-program or "flash" available to correct this at some point. Hope that helps! Tim G. '05 OBXTL-5MT 7300 miles and counting!