Let's focus on Suburus for a second.

[danny p]

Q5 Personal choice. I like the Outback better. More ground clearance, not by much (8.4 vs. 8.1), but you never know. Also quiter ride due to higher insulation qualities

that's interesting, both salespeople i have asked have told me the forester had more ground clearance by a little.

 

[campgottagopee]

that's interesting, both salespeople i have asked have told me the forester had more ground clearance by a little.

If that's the case they're not trained properly----look it up in fact it's in the brochures ifin you have those layin around.

 

[campgottagopee]

One thing I'll mention is the 09 Forester is due to be released in March----way different car than what Forester drivers have now. may be worth the wait for some..............

 

[BeanoNYC]

One thing I'll mention is the 09 Forester is due to be released in March----way different car than what Forester drivers have now. may be worth the wait for some..............

I noticed that. What are the main differences? May be a good time to jump on Feb sales, though.

 

[campgottagopee]

I noticed that. What are the main differences? May be a good time to jump on Feb sales, though.

Biggest differences are bigger, quieter, nicer interior and VDC standard. I haven't seen one yet but will this weekend.

 

[wa-loaf]

I noticed that. What are the main differences? May be a good time to jump on Feb sales, though.

Funny I just got an email from Subaru about it this morning. http://www.subaru.com/sub/misc/2009/forester/index.html?cid=tr_2009_Forester_owner

 

[tree_skier]

The outback and legecy are on the same frame and the forrester/impressa are on the same also. so the outback gives longer and wider wheelbase. The engine/transmissions are the same unless you go to the 6 cyl outback and then the milage drops. So the basic differences are the outback is bigger but the forrester is higher, thus you can see over the base drum and trim levels

 

[ctenidae]

Subaru- 3rd most popular topic on AlpineZone.

(Hunter and Helmets being 1 and 2)

 

[ski_resort_observer]

I drive a 2000 Outback and it works well. They do go thru brakes pretty fast although that might be just me in that I drive up and down the Sugarbush Access Rd at least 6 times a week. Never noticed until I bought one that everyother car around seems to be a Subie Outback. Alot easier to park than my Silverado.

 

[danny p]

I drive a 2000 Outback and it works well. They do go thru brakes pretty fast although that might be just me in that I drive up and down the Sugarbush Access Rd at least 6 times a week. Never noticed until I bought one that everyother car around seems to be a Subie Outback. Alot easier to park than my Silverado.

sro, which engine/transmission do you have? if it is a 4 cylinder, is it still peppy/powerful enough to drive up hills, etc.? I'm really not lookin to race an outback if I buy one, but want power when I need it. thanks for any input.

 

[danny p]

The outback and legecy are on the same frame and the forrester/impressa are on the same also. so the outback gives longer and wider wheelbase. The engine/transmissions are the same unless you go to the 6 cyl outback and then the milage drops. So the basic differences are the outback is bigger but the forrester is higher, thus you can see over the base drum and trim levels

ok, so are you saying the forester has more ground clearance?

 

[campgottagopee]

Here you go for ground clearance

http://autos.msn.com/research/compa...0&ph1=t0&ph2=t0&tb=0&dt=0&v=t105351&v=t105204

 

[wa-loaf]

ok, so are you saying the forester has more ground clearance?

Outback has more ground clearance, but you sit up higher (or at least it feels like it) in the Forrester because it has more upright SUV like seating while the outback is more car like.

 

[danny p]

Here you go for ground clearance

http://autos.msn.com/research/compa...0&ph1=t0&ph2=t0&tb=0&dt=0&v=t105351&v=t105204

Outback has more ground clearance, but you sit up higher (or at least it feels like it) in the Forrester because it has more upright SUV like seating while the outback is more car like.

thank you both, got it now.

 

[MichaelJ]

As to 4cyl vs. 4cyl turbo ... a friend of mine has last year's Outback with the 4cyl with turbo. 5-speed. Has the SI control for throttle sensitivity. He pinned me to my seat getting on the highway, then said that if he'd changed the throttle setting from sport to sport sharp my teeth would have been in the back seat.

 

[RISkier]

sro, which engine/transmission do you have? if it is a 4 cylinder, is it still peppy/powerful enough to drive up hills, etc.? I'm really not lookin to race an outback if I buy one, but want power when I need it. thanks for any input.

I'm responding out of turn but earlier I mentioned that the standard 4 with automatic felt fairly sluggish to me. We were skiing in UT when we rented an Outback (standard 4 with automatic). Didn't really have trouble going up mountain roads and it was fine when cruising on the highway. It's not so underpowered that you'll have trouble making it up hills or anything like that. But my impression was that if you're trying to accelerate quickly to merge or pass it took a while. I also test drove Outbacks on two occassions this fall and had the same impression both times. If you look at something like consumer reports you'll find their test numbers in terms of acceleration are slower than vehicles like a 4 cylinder Rav4 or Honda CR-V -- and these are not vehicles that are going to put you back in your seat. I think the 5-speed manual tranny will give much better responsiveness. If the standard outback drive train had 20+ lbs more torque and a 5-speed automatic I'm almost sure I would've bought it. Because I spend a lot of time in heavy traffic I didn't want to deal with the 5-speed. For me, my perception of the lack of responsive acceleration when driving in heavy traffic was the only thing that kept me out of an Outback. Lots of folks are very happy with the performance of the basic Outback, so maybe it's just me. I'd say go give em a good test drive.

 

[mlctvt]

We've got two Subarus. We're both sports car nuts so we have a 2005 WRX wagon and a 2005 Legacy GT Limited Wagon. Of course both are turbos with manual transmission. With snow tires these are unstoppable in snow. We regularly go where SUVs get stuck. Last year after a 16-18" storm, my wifes WRX was the only car in our condo complex that could make it out of the lot. Yes she was basically plowing snow but she was able to go several hundred yards and get to the road no problem. A Mercedes 300E 4 matic and several vans and suvs just sat there spinning their wheels and watched in awe we drove out of the lot. This probably had more to do with the crappy all season tires most of them had on their cars and not the cars themselves. I don't think ground clearance is an issue in new england unless you do a lot of driving on back country roads that don't get plowed. As a mater of fact I'll be lowering my Legacy soon with a stiffer suspension, springs and shocks so it will handle better. Subarus are extremely reliable and inexpensive compared to Audis, BMWs etc. So far neither car has need any repairs at all.

 

[BeanoNYC]

Wow...lots of positive opinions. Thanks. Spoke to my mechanic today about my truck. I seems that a cylinder has seized and the head gasket blew. The outlook is poor. He's talking with Geico as I have 100K mile mechanical breakdown insurance with them but he said we're looking at a real expensive job. I'm thinking I'll get the work done, drive a bit on it to get the wrench marks off and some dirt back on the engine and get rid of the thing. ...obviously I won't be selling it on here.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

Mine is a 4cyl automatic, plenty of power for the hill although I do shift down manually if it's steep as the auto downshift is not very smooth and when I have to pass a slowpoke on Rt 100 plenty of power when the passing gear kicks in.

 

[Marc]

They call em a "slushbox" for a reason.