MY06-07 Autos thin on the ground

^ Maybe you are thinking of the changes from the SF to the series I SG? The SF had the wonderful Heath Robinson mechanical cruise control. Personally, I am amazed that this worked at all ... :iconwink:.

AFAICT, almost none of the electronic systems changed from mechanical to electronic from the series I SG to the series II SG models. Maybe fine tuned? The mechanical systems in the SF (which were very similar to those in my '93 Impreza) were largely changed to electronic in the move from the SF to the series I SG.

Besides, electronic systems are generally far more reliable than their mechanical counterparts IME.

The changes to the series II SG seem to have concentrated on minor body changes; major changes to the heads, valve train, inlet manifold system; improvements in headlights and a raft of minor tweaks over the series I.

Both SG models are excellent cars IMO, but I do think that Subaru implemented many minor improvements to the series II, and the EJ253 is a substantially better engine than the EJ252 AFAICS. However, I am happy to listen to other views about the engine variants from those who know more than I do about their relative merits, or otherwise.

I am pleased that SWMBO's SH has the EJ253 in it. It is an engine that Subaru have had many years to get right, and I think they have got it very right.

Both our cars are a pleasure to drive in all conditions - just different.
I prefer my SG. SWMBO prefers her SH.
All good ... :) :ebiggrin: :biggrin:
 
^ I think that the electronic throttle replaced the cable throttle in the series I SG (but I will have to check). That's why the cruise control works properly in the SG models ...

I know that ABS and EBD were both included in the series I SG. I assume that is what you mean by "brake assisted LSD". BTW, EBD is effective on all four wheels, not just the rear wheels with the vLSD attached to them.

ABS and EBD are taken another step by the integration of stability control on the SH onwards (VDC).

IMHO, these are great advances in vehicle design for most people under most driving conditions. Combined, they will save many, many lives (have ... ). On the way past, they will cost some people their life. This is an inevitable outcome with many things, not just cars.

With cars and driving, one has to work with population statistics, not individual circumstances. Quite apart from the impossibility of using the latter as a car design parameter ...

Personally, I prefer cars not to make decisions for me ...
However, I am also a fairly skilled, experienced driver. The next accident that I have which is my fault in any way will be the first in over 40 years. But I am very well aware that it can still happen to me ... :iconwink: :poke:.

I also had the "luxury" of learning to drive in far less congested, far less complex conditions than are a commonplace today. I am not so stupid as to think that had I learned to drive today, that these improvements would not have been (potentially) life-saving for me also. That first ten years behind the wheel of a car is bloody dangerous - more so today than it was back when I was a kid.

When one looks at the decrease in the road toll today in Victoria compared with 40 years ago; then factor in about 4-5 times as many people, driving probably 10 times as many miles per year (overall total); all these safety improvements have had an effect.

The introduction of compulsory fitting and wearing of seatbelts is one great example. Today, over 25% of all deaths and injuries involving people travelling in cars is contributed by people failing to wear a seatbelt!
Another example is better designed steering and suspension geometry in ordinary, common passenger cars. This increased the roll over angle dramatically for cars such as Valiants, Falcons and Holdens from practically zero to almost un-rollable. As soon as suspension bottoms in a corner, the wheels on that side of the car become a very effective fulcrum around which the body of the car rotates - i.e. rolls over ... Computer Aided Design (CAD) allowed the design of suspension that doesn't bottom out in these circumstances, greatly reducing the risk of roll-over.

The feature in the 2013 range of Subies that really takes my fancy (very little does ... ) is the adaptive cruise control. These sorts of advances are very hard to make foolproof without using electronics.

It's like the aircraft industry. The biggest improvement in flying safety was when all the gauges were oriented such that the "correct" needle position was the same for all of them - straight up. Before that change, the gauges in most aircraft pointed every which way when they were reading values within operating range. Seems so simple in retrospect ... :iconwink:.

Sorry about the rant ... :iconwink: :lol: :biggrin:.
 
Dang it all, you Wascally Wabbit.

Caught me out again ... :lol: :rotfl:.
 
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^ :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:
 
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