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Re: also... Posted by Snowmobile [Email]  (#686)  [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Snowmobile) on Thu, 14 Feb 2013 10:01:09
In Reply to: also..., STICKMAN, Thu, 14 Feb 2013 07:17:40 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
it probably depends on the model etc. on the reliability front. They now have significant Toyota input, so perhaps that helps... The engine design/layout is actually quite nice, and very standardized throughout the range, and the AWD system has been out there for ages and is pretty solid... that said, there have been many hg issues with the engines, and it is very costly to fix... what the Subie-evangelists do is they go out and buy another one at that point without even test driving other cars... (many of my friends own subarus - it is like a cult... not unlike Saab ownership, but without the benefits of driving a Saab ;-)...
We drove a (really old now) outback rental (2002), and it was quite decent except the autobox shifting was highly delayed... The AWD was reassuring driving 4 hours in a blizzard, but braking and handling were not as good as the c900... We also rented a Legacy wagon the last year when they still had those and it handled alright (not raised like an outback), but gas mileage was so-so, and the automatic was just as bad as the one we drove in 2002, except with 4 cyls instead of 6, it needed to shift all over the place all the time... frustrating...
But maybe the new ones are better. They sure aren't cheap here - when there were new Saabs to buy here, Outbacks cost about the same as a comparable Saab. That doesn't seem to be the same in the USA. My advice if you get a Subaru is definitely get a stick!!! The non-turbos just do not have the low end torque of a Saab, and the gearing is typically Asian, and it means they are ghastly highway cars in automatic form.
In terms of safety... safety ratings are only part of it (everybody advertises "5 star safety" now, yet there are still significant differences), check the real world numbers also. I would still buy a Saab or Volvo for safety, but iirc, the Outbacks are not too far off the mark even in real-world terms.
We did a number of long distance Subie rentals when we only had a c900, and were considering a second car. We wanted to like Subies, and while there was some good in them, those rentals very firmly convinced us we needed to buy a 9-5 instead. So we did!
->Posting last edited on Thu, 14 Feb 2013 10:01:53.
, Fri, 15 Feb 2013 09:54:36, Fri, 15 Feb 2013 08:55:36, Thu, 14 Feb 2013 09:44:39, Fri, 15 Feb 2013 09:06:55, Fri, 15 Feb 2013 08:23:57, Thu, 14 Feb 2013 10:01:09 <-- Viewing This Message, Thu, 14 Feb 2013 08:24:24, Fri, 15 Feb 2013 08:45:23, Thu, 14 Feb 2013 06:26:10
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