Subaru Sales up 41% for October 2009

Originally Posted by SLegacy99

Oh, I don't like that. Seems unsafe.

In fact you can still use the ebrake as an emergency brake. Just hold a button for 2 seconds, it will start brake. Release the button to disengage the brake.

Originally Posted by dean2009

In fact you can still use the ebrake as an emergency brake. Just hold a button for 2 seconds, it will start brake. Release the button to disengage the brake.

Hold 2 seconds.

Emergency can wait, no problem.

Kills me people can be so stupid to excuse such a flawed idea as electric parking/emergency brake.

My buddy is a Subie salesman and he told me that he has people walking away from deals because they won't wait a week or two to get a car. He just can't get them in fast enough.

If people want it, but are unwilling to wait for it...

How robust can the demand really be?

Maybe that should be called thin demand, because it sure isn't robust demand. If it were really, and truly being sought out, people would wait to get what they really wanted.

Sure a different thing than me going half way across the country to get a 2005 Legacy when dealers didn't have any, and I spent many weeks looking. Nobody was even interested in ordering me a new car at that point.

Originally Posted by IwannaSportSedan

If people want it, but are unwilling to wait for it...

How robust can the demand really be?

Maybe that should be called thin demand, because it sure isn't robust demand. If it were really, and truly being sought out, people would wait to get what they really wanted.

Sure a different thing than me going half way across the country to get a 2005 Legacy when dealers didn't have any, and I spent many weeks looking. Nobody was even interested in ordering me a new car at that point.

Walking away doesn't necessarily mean walking away from Subaru. It could just be walking to another Subie dealer.

OMFG: Give it a f-ing rest with the ebrake already. The message is heard loud and clear. The electronic ebrake makes the car a royal turd. Nothing can save it now. Except...

When wifey can't release the brake (on the other cars) after I set it and doesn't set it hard enough to hold the car, you will appreciate this and overlook the turdification effect.

Originally Posted by Highway Star

Walking away doesn't necessarily mean walking away from Subaru. It could just be walking to another Subie dealer.

Don't you think that if people are walking away because Dealer A can't get a car in stock for weeks...

That Dealer A would not have already looked into trading with Dealer B, to get the customer into a car, and to get the deal done?

So what good would it do for the customer to cross shop Dealer A and Dealer B, if the stock is that low and vacant across the board...

And if customers are walking away, rather than saying, "OK, I'll wait a couple weeks for the car I want...", that says something about how 'thin' the demand is.

And, BTW... no offense intended... but if your wife can't set or release a manual brake lever, then she might need a little bit of arm strength exercise, and maybe you might want to go easy on setting it so tight before you break the cables.

Honestly, a lever parking/e-brake is not that difficult, and people have been using them for decades just fine. Maybe the problem isn't with the car's brake lever. My wife and I both drive manual gearboxes, and use the brake every time the car is parked, and we have no problems.

However taking two seconds of pulling on an electric switch that is in a less obvious location is not an advancement in crisis situation ergonomics.

Originally Posted by Highway Star

OMFG: Give it a f-ing rest with the ebrake already. The message is heard loud and clear. The electronic ebrake makes the car a royal turd. Nothing can save it now. Except...

When wifey can't release the brake (on the other cars) after I set it and doesn't set it hard enough to hold the car, you will appreciate this and overlook the turdification effect.

Turdification has been achieved in many other ares, but electric parking brake is just plain unsafe. If you pull emergency brake and your wife cannot undo it, perhaps you should leave the car in gear (or park). Or it seems your emergency brake needs adjustment. When it's adjusted properly (has little travel) it should not be a problem to release it even be a weak person.

Bottom line is, the electric parking brake solves a problem that doesn't exist, but creates new ones.

If I am not mistaken the e-brake is on left side of steering column, far from passenger.
In case of emergency passenger might have problems reaching there.

If the details of Lexus crash in CA are true (runaway Lexus with wrong floor mats and push button start [stop is apparently 3 sec push while vehicle is moving, not that obvious while driving runaway car]) there might be retreat by manufacturers from this "solutions".

Krzys

The electronic e-brake I can see as a problem. The push-button start I don't buy. In a crisis situation, how many people have the presence of mind to twist a key counter-clockwise to stop the engine?

Originally Posted by DukeTrout

The electronic e-brake I can see as a problem. The push-button start I don't buy. In a crisis situation, how many people have the presence of mind to twist a key counter-clockwise to stop the engine?

C'mon. Far more than those who would hold a button for 3 seconds. It's a second nature. You do it every time you shut off the car. It does not require different procedure to shut off the engine while being stationary vs. being in motion as it is the case with the evil Toyota suicide button.

Seriously any driver with half brain will try to:

1. Disengage clutch (on manual)
2. Shift into neutral
3. Kill the ignition

None of these options worked for the Lexus's driver. Obviously (1) wasn't availble, (2) apparently failed for some reason, (3) he had no idea about 3 second wait (or it failed as well).

A mechanical means of shutting off the engine would have saved those lives, period.

Originally Posted by dean2009

In fact you can still use the ebrake as an emergency brake. Just hold a button for 2 seconds, it will start brake. Release the button to disengage the brake.

Oops! I mean 2 split seconds because the system will confirm the request before engaging the brake. It probably takes the same amount of time as you reach out for the hand brake handle and pull it.

Originally Posted by IwannaSportSedan

And, BTW... no offense intended... but if your wife can't set or release a manual brake lever, then she might need a little bit of arm strength exercise, and maybe you might want to go easy on setting it so tight before you break the cables.

Honestly, a lever parking/e-brake is not that difficult, and people have been using them for decades just fine. Maybe the problem isn't with the car's brake lever. My wife and I both drive manual gearboxes, and use the brake every time the car is parked, and we have no problems.

However taking two seconds of pulling on an electric switch that is in a less obvious location is not an advancement in crisis situation ergonomics.

None taken. It is what it is. Every car we have owned has had a handbrake and we've always had the same problem. I'm sure I could yank on it less but I want feel that it's set.

It's just the electronification of another element of the car. It's been going on for decades. If I were really worried about this, I would put the electronics determining distribution of power to the wheels or traction control in emergency situation over this. In comparison the ebrake no big deal.

I will say that I will miss having fun with the handbrake in the snow. Hopefully there will be enough AWD fun to make up for it.

I know that lots of Subie loyals hate the handbrake and '10 styling. It might be easier to just put it in your sig than have to repost it every other day.

Shame they didn't market themselves this well with the last gen Legacy, I would've been interested in what the results of that would have been.

Well, we just have to hope that with the increased sales that they put some of the revenue into developing new and fun cars that will appeal to the enthusiast.

Maybe they'll be able to offer a STI version of the Legacy because it wouldn't be the risk today that it was 3 years ago.

Personally, I couldn't care less what the Subaru looks like as long as it's still a Subaru: boxer engine, AWD. I love the engineering.
Okay, if their looks went the direction of the Pontiac Aztec or Chevy Avalanch, I'm out. Maybe.