What else should I consider before I purchase a Subaru?

plumber mike

Adventurer
Just like the title states. I'm ready to throw down some coin for a brand new subaru for my wife (and kids, and dog, and me)

Why, you ask? Your sig is a pretty impressive fleet if your a fan of domestic gas guzzlers. The 98 was given to a good home. The 90 rarely leaves the driveway unless the snow is a foot or better, and the ford is plumbered out. The tahoe is our road tripper expedition vehicle if you will. We are planning a big expedition....errr road trip for the holidays. Denver, Wichita and everywhere in between back to the hills. We will hit snow for sure, we always do.

My wife drives about 400 miles a week, and the Tahoe at only 70000 miles needs about $2500 worth of stuff done to it. I love old Chevys but the Tahoe I don't. The V4/V8 mode scares me in terms of reliability and our lifetime average with the truck is 16mpg. Not great. We had talked about a new suburban, but that just not going to happen between fuel costs and our Tahoe experience.

We live down a dirt road that leads to a trail like driveway. I don't think a CRV would make it, or a Nissan Rogue, or a Toyota Sienna AWD.

Enter the 2014 Forester with a four banger and the only one we found with a manual transmission. The Tiguan and Mazda CX5 take away the manual if you want AWD.

Should I consider anything else to safely and economically transport my family in harsh winter conditions( mud when it's not ice) should I look at an outback? And why? The cross trek seems too small for our 100# lab to ride behind two adults and two small children! same with the imprezza, or a WRX might already be in the drive.

I talked my wife into the manual. We drove them yesterday, and they sold it today. No offer to locate or order another from the local dealer....so....We will be picking it up in Denver where the selection is better as are the prices. It's a good opportunity to do more research as cars are always a large purchase. I just want to hear the opinions of other somewhat like minded individuals on the portal. I have owned two subarus in my day, a $100 wagon and a $200 legacy so I won't judge the brand by the beater.

Wanting 25-30 mpg. Station wagon/tahoe/suburban/van like vehicle. AWD or 4wd. Does anything else fit the bill?

Thanks everyone
 

grahamfitter

Expedition Leader
Gas mileage might be less than you're looking for: The average for the first 10k miles on my manual 2012 Forester with roof bars was 24 mpg. Maybe the 2014 is better but 30 mpg is unlikely.

The car is great though. Does everything well all year.

Sent from my GT-P3113 using Tapatalk
 

EMrider

Explorer
I would encourage you to give the CVT a try.

I was a skeptic, but it has been great in my 2010 outback. Very well matched with the 2.5l motor and it really helps boost MPG.

R
 

Kmrtnsn

Explorer
I've had three Subarus. I'll also never own a manual transission ever again. They suck in stop-and-go city traffic. They suck on ice. Technology has passed the stick by and to that I say good riddance. I'd also recommend that you take a long hard look at the Outback before dropping down on a Forrester. The Outback is roomier, as the Forrester is based off of the smaller Impreza structure.
 

plumber mike

Adventurer
Thanks for the replies so far. I am really trying to wrap my head around the CVT transmission, as it seems to be a bone of contention between my wife and I. Plus, there are about 10x more to choose from if I settle on that. I'm not real keen on spending another grand on a tranny I don't really want or know anything about. I just feel more comfortable and in control with a manual. Plus, I must admit I coast neutral or pick a taller gear than what most automatics decide I should be doing. The redesigned for 2014 forester is claimed to have a significant increase in fuel economy over the previous model. The CVT is also claimed to get another mile out of a gallon of gas, even over the manual.

The outback felt smaller and more car like actually to both of us. It is more money, and I just don't know for sure what that buys us. Lack of knowledge on my part really. Do the forester and outback both have a good aftermarket following? Skid plates and the like?

Does a rocket box on the roof really effect the fuel mileage considerably with such a small engine? Do they whistle or any other negatives, as this will likely be a must have to give us the cargo room we need.

And thanks again for taking the time to answer what may seem like silly questions. 24k is a lot of money, even though it seems cheap for a brand new car.
 

plumber mike

Adventurer
The new Cherokee looks nice, but I guess it's a 9 speed auto or nothing. It won't be long and we won't even be able to pick the colors we want. Grrr.
 

EMrider

Explorer
Thanks for the replies so far. I am really trying to wrap my head around the CVT transmission, as it seems to be a bone of contention between my wife and I. Plus, there are about 10x more to choose from if I settle on that. I'm not real keen on spending another grand on a tranny I don't really want or know anything about. I just feel more comfortable and in control with a manual. Plus, I must admit I coast neutral or pick a taller gear than what most automatics decide I should be doing. The redesigned for 2014 forester is claimed to have a significant increase in fuel economy over the previous model. The CVT is also claimed to get another mile out of a gallon of gas, even over the manual.

The outback felt smaller and more car like actually to both of us. It is more money, and I just don't know for sure what that buys us. Lack of knowledge on my part really. Do the forester and outback both have a good aftermarket following? Skid plates and the like?

Does a rocket box on the roof really effect the fuel mileage considerably with such a small engine? Do they whistle or any other negatives, as this will likely be a must have to give us the cargo room we need.

And thanks again for taking the time to answer what may seem like silly questions. 24k is a lot of money, even though it seems cheap for a brand new car.

Not 100% sure, but I think that 2014 is the first model year where the forester comes with the CVT.

I have two outbacks. My 09 has the old 4 speed auto and the 2010 has the first gen CVT. Same engine in both cars.

The 2010 is bigger and weighs more, yet it still regularly gets 15-20% better mileage on average. At highway speeds, the difference is easily 20%, maybe more. I think the CVT accounts for most of the claimed MPG boost in the 2014 forester.

Some of the design improvements on the 2014 forester are very appealing. When my daughter takes our 09 outback, it will likely be replaced by the new forester.

Good luck.

R
 

plumber mike

Adventurer
I would look at the new Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. I know it seems like an odd choice but they are the real deal.

Totally forgot about these. The neighbor has one. I thought they were crazy, as they live down a few more miles of bad road. I have not heard them complain at all about it. Their jeep, not so much.

Off to check em out. Thanks
 

plumber mike

Adventurer
Frustration sets in. The outlander sport looked awesome until I started to build it. As soon as I clicked on AWD as an option they took my manual trans away.

The battery on our Tahoe went dead at the Nissan dealer the other day. The boys were watching the DVD and the doors were open while we checked out the fuglymobiles. I told her if we got a manual we could just pop start it, but I'm not sure you can do that anymore. My BMW m/c cannot be pop started due to the fuel injection needing electricity. A new manny tranny car might be the same way, which is sad.

The more I shop, the more I want to put a 4bt and over/under drive unit in the old suburban. I want to stay married more, however.

So after reviewing all with an open mind, I think we are going to head down to Denver for an outback or forester with a 6 speed. I'll let the wife pick between the two so she feels like I gave her some options.

Thank you guys for pointing out a few vehicles I missed in my search so that I can now feel confident I checked out all my options.
 

plumber mike

Adventurer
Also FYI.....actually probably just FMI

Suzuki is no longer in the states I hear.

The Chevrolet Captiva is not available to the general public unless they reside in Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. Does anyone else think that's weird?

Audi has nothing affordable with no local support. I think I'm not affluent enough for a Bimmer or Merc either.

Land Rover? Kinda scares me even if they did.

And another big thanks to all who contributed. Hopefully I can return the favor in the future.
 

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