I'm looking to purchase a small SUV in the coming weeks & I am leaning towards a Subaru Outback,primarily for it's safety rating & the fact that it gets 25 to 32 mpg.I have done a tremendous amount of research online with many of the other SUV's & this one seems to stick out above all the others. Anyone care to chime in with their opinions or personal experience/ Thanks for any & all replies.
I purchased a new outback in 2012. Still have it. Purchased another new one in 2016 for the wife. Best damn cars I ever owned. Safe, reliable, great gas mileage and you can haul a ton of gear. I recommend getting the trailer hitch then you can use a cargo grate on the back for coolers or deer or whatever. I am able to tow my 14 Ft boat as well. The Subaru all wheel drive out preforms all others. I have been told they will "climb a telephone pole". I have not tried that but with the right tires you will have a hard time getting stuck in Ohio. Cant go wrong with an outback in my view.
Just remember that the Subaru is essentially an all wheel drive car with a lot of room. If you’re looking for a body on frame kinda thing and some towing ability you can’t beat a Toyota 4Runner.
Have had three Subaru's.
2005 legacy-still have
2009 outback-car was totaled
2017 forester-still have
All have the 4cyl., non turbo, boxer mtr.
None have lacked for power.
First off, we live in the boonies and in the winter, you either have to have 4wd or all wheel drive to get in/out of our driveway.
I have literally pushed snow with the bumper of both the 05 and 09.
They will simply just go through snow. Wet roads, handling is exceptional.
Have never had any major issues with any of the three. Just basic, normal wear.
The 05 currently has just at 160,000 miles and other than regular maintenance, have replaced hub assemblies on the rear. Still runs like a top.
Far as safety goes, I will let this pics speak for itself. Wife walked away sore(thinking from air bag deployment)but basically unscathed.
She was very lucky !! The crush zones & airbag did their job. My son-in-law is a huge fan of the Subaru Outbacks. Not sure what year his newer one is but he's owned 2 of them, both with the boxster type of engine.....one had an automatic transmission, the other a 5 speed. He lives in Reno, NV but drives up Donner Pass 5-6 days a week to his job @ Squaw Valley Ski Resort. The Sierra Nevada mountains aren't very forgiving in the winter, but he says that the Subaru is a great vehicle. My only concern with the newer models is the CVT transmission durability over time. I looked at the internal components of one earlier this year. They resemble a snowmobile clutch with a special type of 'chain' that rides on the sheaves. That being said, my wife will probably be driving a new Outback in another year or so. We tested one last year & liked it. I just wish the model with the larger engine was available with a manual transmission, but automatic transmission technology & boosted engines are delivering some awesome performance these days. Mike
Yes she was.
Years ago before Subaru's got more popular in these parts, a long time friend and his wife lived in Colorado, Springs up in the mountains. Both were in the military but lived off base.
They were here on vacation and we got together. They had two but were driving their Forester. Got talking to them about Subaru's asking him about them telling him that there just aren't that many around here. And that you surely don't see any used for sale on car lots.
He told me that up in the mountains where they live, all you see there is either 4wd vehicles or Subaru's. Said it snows in feet up there and with both he and his wife's jobs at the base, travel due to snow days and not showing up to work was not an option.
After talking with him, started looking into the Subaru and reading about the boxer engine. It has quit a history being used in Japanese fighter planes and has been a mainstay in Subaru cars for years.
Far as the CVT transmission...it's nothing new. From my understanding, it's been used in the cars in Japan for many years and at one time years ago was available here as well. Then, due to the belt in the transmission not giving enough life service before replacement was needed to satisfy our automotive industry, Subaru's with the CVT were not imported into the states thereafter.
In about 2009, they started showing up here again. From what I understand, the current belt in the CVT transmission is a steel belted belt and is supposed to last much longer than the belt from prior years. Also heard that our automotive industry did extensive testing on the belt upgrade before allowing cars with the CVT to be once again imported.
When we bought the 2009, we could have bought a Subaru with either a reg. automatic or the CVT. We chose the reg. automatic.
Since then, have watched a bit how the CVT's have held up and they seem to be doing well.
Our new Forester has the CVT.
Fastwater, Thanks for sharing your experience & some background on the CVT transmission. We really like the Outback & in speaking with multiple Subaru owners the # of positive comments has been substantial. When my wife & I travel out west to visit our grandkids in the Sierra Nevada mountain region we have noticed that there are a BUNCH of Subaru owners in that region. The Toyota Tacoma has a strong following out there also. Mike
My son just totaled his car. I have been looking for a used SUV with 4WD or AWD. Possibly 2 or 3 years old. Low miles. I have been looking at CRV's and Escapes.....never thought about the Subarus. He cannot go much over 17 grand. If anyone comes across anything shoot me a message. Thanks.
I have a 2015 Mazda CX5 AWD. Performs well in the snow. It has 86k on it and I have had zero problems. Just oil and tires and I am about to put some brakes on it. I would buy it again. It averages 24.7 mpg
Yes, leaning towards a CRV. I have had good luck with Hondas. He drives a lot on his job, too. I just missed out on a nice one. We are waiting for the insurance company to cut him a check.
My wife has a Rav 4 w/a 4 banger, she loves it ... it's been very reliable, only 3 years old and she doesn't put a lot of miles on but it runs like a top so far, gets 23-25 driving around town and over 30+ mpg on the highway ... I have a 2016 Ford Escape for work and my son has a 2011, both 6 bangers ... both have also been very reliable, they get 25+ mpg w/about 50/50 highway/city ... have 2 friends w/Subarus, they like them as well ...the Subaru might be several $K more than those ...
Found a pretty nice CRV. 2012, low miles. Started reading some stuff on the internet about them having a lot of battery problems. Something causes the battery to drain and vehicle won't start. Sounded like a huge problem. Perhaps it was all bullcrap. Anyone ever had any battery problems with your CRV?
Got my wife a 2017 Subaru Forrester about a year ago. Car is ok... I do not like the feel of the drive system. It responds as though there is some slack in the response. I tell her it drives like a gocart in that when i press on the gas from a stop, there is some delay (like the centrifugal belt take-up on a gocart). The 2007 Toyota Highlander it replaced does not have that same "feel" - the Toyota immediately starts forward w/o the slow takeup. We still have the Toyota so it is a recent comparison and not from memory...
I loved my Honda element. Head on crash with a Toyota tundra that lost control and I walked away. Honda was toast.
I then bought a ford escape titanium. So far it's a great SUV. Drove through 8 inches of unplowed snow and a snow storm never slid once. Turbo is nice too.
Just bought a Silverado 2500 and got rid of the wife's car .....gave her the escape.
Wating for snow
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