I had a lezbaru. 2011 Forester with a manual transmission. That thing was awesome in snow and ice. Eventually replaced it with a Nissan Xterra 4WD. The Forester just couldn't go sone of the place I wanted to go. Need a low-range 4x4. The Subie was reliable except that it burned a quart of oil about every 3000 miles. Subaru said that was 'normal'. I bought it new and it burned that oil from day one.
The Xterra is much better than the Forester in extreme off road situations but the Forester was better on snow/ice.
I have a 2nd gen X that gets dedicated snow tires put on each winter. Thing is literally unstoppable.
That's possible with dedicated snow tires but with all-terrains I'll take the Subie in snow every time.
How ya doing X brutha? As I type this I am in Utah getting ready to hit some trails - goin out Hole In The Rock trail to Lake Powell. Will hike two slot canyons along the way.
They seem to have lost touch though. You don't see Foresters out on the road as much anymore. They used to be everywhere before Covid. I think it's the generation thing. A lot of middle class folks thought it made they outdoorsy or whatever. I don't think they're very reliable. I see some not so old ones on the road and often making noises. Stick to Toyota or Honda for the same money. They're all boring but at least these two are very reliable.
You obviously don't live in Colorado...
Love my Subie (Forester). Never had issues in years (and I got it with over 100,000 miles on it). All wheel drive is awesome on snow/ice (also given you have good tires of course). Decent enough fuel efficiency, ground clearance, pretty high safety ratings and plenty of cargo space for all our camping gear, skis, bikes etc. Before that I drove an old Rav 4.....which I'd say is also pretty good nowadays. We drive on 4WD dirt roads in the mountains quite often to access certain trails.
What I don't understand is the people that live in the cities (who don't work in construction or farming) who would get a giant monster truck?
Or you are a yuppie like everyone else in Boulder and wear patagonia, cotopaxi, arteryck and drive a subaru because it's trendie not because they are actually good cars. Be original, bro.
That's possible with dedicated snow tires but with all-terrains I'll take the Subie in snow every time.
How ya doing X brutha? As I type this I am in Utah getting ready to hit some trails - goin out Hole In The Rock trail to Lake Powell. Will hike two slot canyons along the way.
Sounds fun bro.The X is sitting at 150k miles still running perfect. Have an airbag flashing light from a corroded impact sensor that needs fixing.
The Outback station wagon is just about the perfect form factor for a lot of suburban purposes. It's not a gigantic SUV so is easy (but a bit boring) to drive and park. It's got plenty of room for a big dog or a Costco trip. It's got decent capabilities for driving on jeep roads, and a tall person can sleep in the back when the seats are folded down. Basically it's a solid utilitarian vehicle for outdoorsy people.
The Outback station wagon is just about the perfect form factor for a lot of suburban purposes. It's not a gigantic SUV so is easy (but a bit boring) to drive and park. It's got plenty of room for a big dog or a Costco trip. It's got decent capabilities for driving on jeep roads, and a tall person can sleep in the back when the seats are folded down. Basically it's a solid utilitarian vehicle for outdoorsy people.
Yup. Bought a 2024 Subaru Outback Limited in June and I love it. Can easily carry two kids’ hockey gear and my coaching bag plus four of us. But mostly I’m a suburban commuter and it’s dependable and has great features. Huge improvement on my 2012 Accord!
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The Outback station wagon is just about the perfect form factor for a lot of suburban purposes. It's not a gigantic SUV so is easy (but a bit boring) to drive and park. It's got plenty of room for a big dog or a Costco trip. It's got decent capabilities for driving on jeep roads, and a tall person can sleep in the back when the seats are folded down. Basically it's a solid utilitarian vehicle for outdoorsy people.
I'm sure you and your male friend take it when you go to Whole Foods.
When you say "Monster Truck" I assume you mean any truck larger than a small pickup? So a F-150, Tundra, Silverado...? If you have ever hauled the gear you mention and even one kid you'd understand why people buy large trucks.
What I don't undertand is those who own a Subaru and then put a rooftop camping tent on the top... Kills your fuel efficiemcy and would bet $$ that the tent is used fewer than 2-3 times a year.
According to Subaru's own web site the all are "an outstanding value"
We gotta wonder how could people of even lived last century with so few awd/fwd vehicles.
Had a Subaru for barely 5 years then the dreaded head went to s***. Look, the biggest advantage to an awd or fwd is Getting Started from a dead stop when traction is iffy. Once you get moving there is less advantage. Some on this thread make is sound like they commute in 18 inches of virgin snow. Having driven a variety of vehicles on icy roads, beside driving sanely, is a small, light car is best. Trucks and suv's, including Subaru have too much weight and if it starts to goose it is a lot easier to loose control. It is most often trucks and suvs that end up in the ditch whether there is a little or a lot of snow and ice
Honda and Toyota are no longer "cheap" vehicles, in case you haven't noticed. Even Mazda has moved upmarket. Subaru has been fairly stable against inflation for like 20 years. Yes you can spend $40k + on a fully loaded new Outback, but the Crosstrek (the vehicle my wife and I share) remains rock solid for $28-32k. With a lease, we're right around $450/month, with full warranties on everything during the 3 years we'll have the car.
How much better can anyone do for $450/month, $0 down, leased for 3 years?
Yes we would have preferred a Toyota Rav4, Volvo XC50, or Honda HRV for similar size and specs to our Crosstrek, but all of those were coming in at closer to $600/month or even more for the same specs and $0 down. Just wasn't compelling for us. VW has a couple sorta-compact SUV options but even those were more $$ for fewer bells and whistles, and Subaru owns the "outdoorsy New Englander" market, which is my wife and me to a T. Other than the idiotic touchscreens and brutally bad user interfaces/menu setups in our Crosstrek (why do car companies keep doing this? there are practically no cars in the $30k range with good dash setups anymore) we really have zero complaints.
Would I buy a new one?.... nah. Would rather spend the same amount of $$ for a low-mileage Lexus GX or similar, since those things really DO go forever — they're just outrageously expensive when they're new. One day though.
According to Subaru's own web site the all are "an outstanding value"
We gotta wonder how could people of even lived last century with so few awd/fwd vehicles.
Had a Subaru for barely 5 years then the dreaded head went to s***. Look, the biggest advantage to an awd or fwd is Getting Started from a dead stop when traction is iffy. Once you get moving there is less advantage. Some on this thread make is sound like they commute in 18 inches of virgin snow. Having driven a variety of vehicles on icy roads, beside driving sanely, is a small, light car is best. Trucks and suv's, including Subaru have too much weight and if it starts to goose it is a lot easier to loose control. It is most often trucks and suvs that end up in the ditch whether there is a little or a lot of snow and ice
I am not sure why some people claim Subaru's are affordable because they are not a 'value' brand car manufacturer any longer. Like has been stated a few times, they were the first to heavily market their AWD as standard and they made some quirky but relatively utilitarian cars that garnered a reputation for practicality over style and became the must have car for couples and small families that ski in the winter and camp/hike in the summer. A more affordable Volvo targeting the same demographic.
That being said, the brand is still riding that wave but I don't think it is anything more than marketing. AWD is nice but the claims of it being safer, in my opinion/fact, is dubious at best. As has been said, AWD will help you get out of deep snow, mud, etc but when it comes to handling and stopping the thing that is most important is what kind of tires you are using. All seasons simply do not cut it in snow/ice conditions. But, a FWD car with good snow tires will work 99% of the time just as well as an AWD car with snow tires and much better than an AWD with standard all seasons.
Better still are winter tires with studs. However, if you are interested in off-roading or very rugged roads than the added ground clearance/awd will come into play.
Love my Subie (Forester). Never had issues in years (and I got it with over 100,000 miles on it). All wheel drive is awesome on snow/ice (also given you have good tires of course). Decent enough fuel efficiency, ground clearance, pretty high safety ratings and plenty of cargo space for all our camping gear, skis, bikes etc. Before that I drove an old Rav 4.....which I'd say is also pretty good nowadays. We drive on 4WD dirt roads in the mountains quite often to access certain trails.
What I don't understand is the people that live in the cities (who don't work in construction or farming) who would get a giant monster truck?
Or you are a yuppie like everyone else in Boulder and wear patagonia, cotopaxi, arteryck and drive a subaru because it's trendie not because they are actually good cars. Be original, bro.
It is really sad that people have so much hate that just the mention of brands, a celebrities, etc. cause them to spew hate about political beliefs. Reading a lot of the positive Subaru posts, it is clear that people chose them for reasons that fit their car use. It is just a car that works for some, doesn't work for others. Rage political posting about non political things just makes them sound bitter and sad.
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