Just One Complaint

[JesseJames1826]

I thought I would share a few observations I have made about my time with my 2015 Legacy 3.6R Limited since I purchased it back in 2018.  I have been on this forum since then but the old forum format wouldn't let me post.  I couldn't even figure out how to PM any other member for help.  (Gimme a break, I'm 86 years old).  My car had 45,000 kms on the odometer when I bought it, and it now has 67,000, so it is obvious I don't drive much. (Being retired is wonderful).  I love this car and won't hesitate to tell everybody it is probably the best car I have ever owned.  It looks good, handles beautifully, is comfortable and powerful, and surprisingly economical.  A recent vacation trip gave me 31.8 mpg, (Imp. gal.)  I have only one nagging complaint, somewhat trivial I suppose but annoying never the less.  The dashboard display which shows the HVAC settings and the clock and outside temperature is impossible to read in the daylight, and it has resisted all my attempts to improve it.  The brightness control for the instrument lights is at maximum.  The readability of the infotainment display above it is perfect.  I have mentioned this to the service advisor at the local dealership several times and all I get is a shrug of the shoulders with the comment, "they are all like that".   Anyway, that's all from this O.F., thanks for indulging me.

 

[silverton]

I just picked up a '17 3.6R, glad to hear you like it!  I've noticed on the freeway the carputer shows 30-35mpg, which is just crazy impressive for a big 6!  I haven't noticed readability issues with the HVAC display but I haven't owned it over a summer yet.

[DougKelly20]

14 hours ago, silverton said:

I just picked up a '17 3.6R, glad to hear you like it!  I've noticed on the freeway the carputer shows 30-35mpg, which is just crazy impressive for a big 6!  I haven't noticed readability issues with the HVAC display but I haven't owned it over a summer yet.

Wow, even before I was tuned I never saw over 29mpg on the highway for any length of time. That's crazy!!

[ammcinnis]

21 hours ago, silverton said:

... on the freeway the carputer shows 30-35mpg, which is just crazy impressive for a big 6!

Impressive ... but if your Legacy is typical, expect that onboard mpg estimate to be about 5-7% optimistic. There is a calibration constant (that only a dealer can access) that will allow you to fine tune the mpg estimate (up to +/- 10%); it's documented in the FSM.

MET(diag)-19_User_Customizing.pdf

[silverton]

Mine is a Legacy so maybe a hair more aerodynamic.  I have a 2.1 mile commute and my avg mpg got down to 16, but a 40 mile trip on the freeway got me back up to 20.  I do expect the carputer to be off a little bit and will do the math when I fill up

[ammcinnis]

On 10/25/2022 at 10:25 AM, JesseJames1826 said:

The dashboard display which shows the HVAC settings and the clock and outside temperature is impossible to read in the daylight ... I have mentioned this to the service advisor at the local dealership several times and all I get is a shrug of the shoulders with the comment, "they are all like that".

This is one case where indeed "they are all like that." Subaru enlarged the display size slightly for 2016 and later model years, and others have reported that you can easily retrofit a 2016 HVAC control/display panel into a MY 2015 Legacy or Outback for slightly improved readability.

[JesseJames1826]

18 hours ago, ammcinnis said:

This is one case where indeed "they are all like that." Subaru enlarged the display size slightly for 2016 and later model years, and others have reported that you can easily retrofit a 2016 HVAC control/display panel into a MY 2015 Legacy or Outback for slightly improved readability.

Thank you ammcinnis for that. I will look into this, but I think this procedure may be beyond my skill level. We'll see how it goes. Thanks again.