Hardware Purchased and the harness made. Pioneer App Radio 4, compact 600 watt Kenwood amp for the door speakers and a compact powered Pioneer subwoofer. Total RMS power is 50w for each door and 50w for the sub. Looking for a good, clean powerful sound without a lot of distortion all in a discreet package.

Hardware list
Pioneer App Radio 4 - Capacitive flush glass screen, HDMI - Slick radio if you have an iPhone for Car play, unfortunately doesn't have android auto.
Kenwood KAC-M3004 4-channel Amp - Powers the door speakers with 50w RMS Power - I have the Kicker Upgrade which are rated for the power
Pioneer TS-WX102A Compact powered Sub - Compact underseat Sub and amp to help fill in some of the lows

Metra 40-LX11 Antenna Adaptor Cable - Required for Radio functionality
Metra 95-8907HG Double DIN Dash Kit - Required
Metra 70-1761 Radio Wiring Harness - Required
Axxess AX-CAM6V 12 Volt DC to 6 Volt DC Step-Down Converter for Backup Cameras - Optional - to keep OEM backup camera
Axxess AX-SUB28SWC Prewired Steering Wheel Control Harness - Optional - Retains factory AUX port as well as the backup camera wiring
Metra Axxess ASWC-1 Universal Steering Wheel Control Interface - Optional - Keeps Factory steering wheel buttons
Axxess AX-SUBUSB2 USB Retention Harness - Optional - Keeps factory USB port
MicroBypass Parking Brake Switch - Optional - Allows full radio functionality when not parked

Also added/wired in was a hardware kit for my radar detector

 

Hey I'm about to do an audio upgrade on my 14 and was initially just thinking of doing a speaker upgrade as you did earlier. Was that still not enough extra sound then the stock speakers? Just wondering if I should do a complete upgrade as you've now done.

 

The Kicker upgrade Tweeters made the most positive difference, but my base '16 didn't have any Tweeters to start. The upgrade speakers made a moderate difference, but the stock head unit just doesn't put out much power. When you remove the factory speakers you will see just how laughably small the drivers are.

I've never ran an amp before, generally I've only ran the speakers off the head unit. In my F350 I put in a very similar pioneer head unit in and it drove the aftermarket kicker speakers very well and with decent bass from the 4-6.5" speakers in the cab, so overall a very comparable comparison.

But as this is my daily driver, I wanted to take it up a notch and go amplified. The Subaru kicker replacements have a top RMS of 50w which is pretty moderate, so the required amp didn't have to be gigantic, not would it strain the existing wiring in the car. That and with the small sub I added I didn't want to be drowning in bass, with insufficient mids and highs.

But to answer your question, go and get the OEM kicker replacements. They cost a bit more than the comparable generic fit Kickers, but makes it seriously a 5minute swap and perfect fit. From there, it may satisfy your needs, but I'm guessing you will want to go this route. It's not 18year old head banging loud, but a more "adult" sound with a good bass punch and plenty of sound at even low volume to drown out road noise without distortion. That was one of the most impressive things for me, it drowns out road noise at moderate levels, almost as if there was sound deadening mats put in. The factory head unit never had the power to do that.

 

Finally got around to taking some pics.

Overall it functions quite well, and I am still very pleased with the punch it added to my music. Everything is completely tucked away under the seats, and all the wiring was hidden under the carpets, so it has a very clean appearance. There is a couple "looms" of wire coiled up, but I preferred to have extra lengths of wire sop I can adjust and remove it from under the seats to tune it. But even with the extra wire, it all fits neatly under the seat, Velcroed to the carpets.

 

Had a great Snow Day today. So much fun rallying through snow. Had an absolute blast and could not be more impressed by its handling and performance mucking about. Almost buried it a couple times, but give it the beans and let out the clutch and the tires grab, and the engine pulls strong.

But lets get on with the pics!

Seat covers and floor lines doing the trick and keeping most of the mud and snow in check.

 

Lighting Mods!!

http://www.subaruxvforum.com/forum/...get-psx24-fog-light-swap-h11-drl-mod-using-ford-oem-fog-lights.html#post1527473

Also 23K miles so far
Upcoming Oil change - Cabin filter replaced with a Bosch HEPA model. Less airflow, but does filter out particulates exceptionally.

 

Summarized my mod list on the first post of the thread. I've not listed it out before. I did way more than I had thought. Clearly I got bitten by the mod bug.

Once the weather warms up some and quits raining, I plan on doing a commentary walkthrough video of my mods.

Mods to date. Will keep updated on 1st thread post

Interior
Outback Leather Steering Wheel Swap
5sp STI Leather and Aluminum Shift Knob
STI pedal set
3d MAXPider Floor mats
Auto Dimming Mirror with Compass
Dog grate for cargo area
Stereo Upgrade – Speakers, tweeters, Head unit, Amp, Subwoofer
LED Interior lights
RedLine Goods Leather shifter and e-brake boots
Cargo nets
STI Leather E-brake handle
STI brushed aluminum Door sills


Exterior
DIY Window tint kit
Hood Deflector
Roof Aero Crossbars
LED Headlights – Morimoto 2 Stroke
LED Reverse Lights
LED Exteror Lighting
Sport Mesh Grille
Rooftop Basket
Curt Hitch
Rocker Panel Paint Protection Film
OEM Knockpoff Splash Guards
H11 Fog Light upgrade
WRX "Butt plug"


Suspension/Driveline
Method 502 VT Spec
BFG KO2 - 215/75 15
Anderson Design Fabrication 1" Strut Spacers and 2" Subframe Drop Kit
Mann Engineering 1" Lift Coil Springs
Primitive Racing 2" Brake line spacer extensions
Primitive Racing 1" Rear shock extensions
Mann Engineering SS Brake lines
Hawk HPS 5.0 pads

 

DK_XV,

Dude, I totally respect your mod game. I have none of the skills for doing anything beyond an oil change. I don't think I can even change a flat tire, TBH. LOL!!! Anyway, I noticed that your CrossTrek has the silver bezel around the HVAC controls... Did you upgrade it?

 

Thanks! You know, I'm not formally trained at all. Lots of youtube and a willingness to give it a try. I just dont like other people touching my car, nor did I have the funds for a mechanic, so for years, I've just had to roll up my sleeves and get dirty! Cars are pretty simple machines, and way harder to mess up than you'd think.

But anyway, yes the HVAC bezel has been changed because I swapped the radio out. It was the base matte black, but the new piece only comes in gloss black/silver. If you have the desire, it can be swapped. Just look on you favorite internet auction site for an OEM one. Its a bit of a pain as its screwed down with the head unit. Pre '15, models it was removable with the vents and left the radio in place. Removing the '15+ radio is a PITB.

 

Out at Moses Lake

 

Had to take Scout into the dealer today for a checkup/repair. Noticed that the clutch had a funny feeling and was making intermittently odd noises. And as it's at 30k wanted to get in before the warranty expires or at least documented.
The service guy said they would likely open it up and grease it, and while there, go and replace the throwout bearing as a precaution. Service manager wasn't in today to confirm in so they will let me know in the morning.
Until then I'm in a Quartz blue pearl 2015 Forester. Interesting to have an extended time with the CVT transmission. It's a pretty nice transmission. Very smooth and pretty quick to get to the right RPMs. The tip in throttle is way too sharp and I leave corners with a chirp. But also the AWD is different and feels a bit more FWD biased than the viscous 50:50 system in my manual Crosstrek.

 

30K Update.

Clutch was found to be "normal." It's documented so if anything happens it is noted.

Got it back and then did the front and rear gear/diff fluids at 30k. Felt a little better in the gear changes overall. Used the OEM stuff.

I recently added a Borla axle back muffler I got used on the local FB group. Polished the tip, replaced the bolts with SS ones. Fit mostly fine with the lift and the Curt hitch. The exit pipe just contacts the hitch, so I added a bit of steel wool between the two to cushon it some.

Overall it sounds awesome! It's quite subtle which is really what I was after. Nice and audable under 3k under throttle, then slowly quiets down so it's not at all raunchy on the highway. I'm quite happy. I could put the tunes on low and just hear the burble coming through the cabin in the background cruzing up the pass.

It also seems like it might actually offer slightly better economy, considering I thought I was being harder on the throttle. Will see as I go the next few tanks. That would be an awesome bonus. But I'm not expecting anything, might have just been a good tailwind!

Overall I'm generally thrilled with the little Crosstrek. I tend to be one to swap out cars quite frequently, just because I enjoy a variety of cars, and it's a fun hobby for me. But this one, I've never been bored by it. It's a genuinely good car. It's hardworking and willing, and yet remains entertaining and fun. It's been easy to wrench on, simple to maintain, and a lot of support for modifications of a wide variety.

It has a couple squeaks and rattles, but it had them since new, and never gotten worse. I'm actually most disappointed in the paint. I've never seen such destruction by road debris. The hood, the bumper, the headlamps. It's quite awful. But I'm going to have a talk with my neighbor. They bought a Chevy Trax about the same time as me and drives the same route, so should have equivalent mileage and exposure. I'm curious to see if it's just the mountain pass or the paint. If it's the pass, well, I guess that is the cost of living up here. But if it's the paint, I'll have to make a stink at the dealer. But ultimately, probably not much that can be done. On the plus side, I no longer feel as guilty about thinking of cutting the front bumper






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Saw pictures of your crosstrek all over the internet and loved it. Just now stumbled upon this thread. Absolutely love all of the mods youve done, and am definitely using your subaru as a model for mine in the future. Amazing job, keep it up!

 

Forever loyal. Love definitely defines a subie.

 

Looks great Butch..you did a nice install too.:happy:

Seems you installed that back in December of 2016. How has it held up ?

 

The side door trim actually held up really well. It did peel back a bit in the middle top of both the passenger and driver front doors. But I also ran it through a car wash a couple times a week, and didn't do a Fantastic job applying it, and it was winter. So all things considered it is really good tough stuff. And was pretty cheap so redoing it isn't a terrible cost.

 

Gotcha - thanks for the update. It's on my maybe list (-: