Suggestions for replacing our new Subaru Outback with something not so fragile

[uglymoney]

Agreed. Oem tires always blow. 40k and they are shot. Subaru is no different than any manufacturer. A lot of their oem tires are horrible in the snow.

$500 and an afternoon in the garage to replace the soft springs isn't a big deal to me but $1000 to have someone do it might suck.

I find it interesting that nobody else in this thread mentioned or talked about the Ascent. Seems to me it is a cool minivanish suv with ground clearance and a good price and tons of room. Too bad the back doesn't fold completely flat. 26 highway and plenty of power from the squeezed 2.4 liter.

Tempting.

I love my Subaru but having two Toyotas that just run and run has made me a partial to Yota as well.



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[SumJongGuy]

I'd have to grow a mullet!

Big hit around here and up in the NC mountains..

I traded a 96 Trooper LS for a Forester back in 2009 when the kids graduated from car seats thinking that would be plenty of car for a family of 4. I've also seen some excess rear tire wear when the thing's loaded to the ceiling and ski box packed. I've heard another person say they wore out a completely NEW set of snows over 8 weeks of cruising the west fully loaded. That said, I prefer the Forester to the Trooper for 2-3 person trips. 4 with gear is a bit too much.. At that point the car feels a bit more sketchy and I can tell the back is sagging, maxed out. Not sure what I'm going to get next. Won't be a mini van though.. I don't care how great it handles and hauls gear.. It's still a mini van! I can barely handle driving a station wagon at present. Not going full mini van, nope!

Kids are starting to drive. Might add a mid life crisis 70s or early 80s American 2 door for fun and keep the Forester for the kids to drive and for scout and ski trips. I guess it depends on what we run in to when I take it in for the timing belt around 100K.. That will probably be sometime next year.

[auvgeek]

I love my Subaru but having two Toyotas that just run and run has made me a partial to Yota as well.

Outback concept (wagon with good ground clearance and gas mileage) with Toyota reliability would be a real winner for us. Plus, I know the guys leading the autonomous driving division of TRI, and I would be shocked if their system isn't running laps around Subaru's in the next half decade.

[bodywhomper]

Bring back the Tercel wagon!

[Stonepa]

That's cool that you can share your experience with both! Do you notice that the Highlander is a little beefier in the rear end than the Outback? I'd have to think so as the Outback only has about 900 lb payload vs 1350-1600 lbs on the Highlander. When we put 4 bikes on our Kuat NV the rear end sags on the Outback as we are right at the max tongue weight without taking into consideration the weight being levered way further back than a trailer on the ball so we've been told by the Subaru dealer that we shouldn't put more than 2 bikes on it. If we hit a bump with the bikes and our 500 lb family in it we bottom out the Outback. With 2.5 times the tongue weight on the Highlander I'd hope it would be able to handle bikes and gear a lot better than the Outback. I think for a couple the Outback could work but the payload is just to low for 4 people and their stuff. Almost traded in the Outback for a 2018 Highlander today but am still researching.

I would say that the Highlander could probably take more weight than the Outback but I have to say I haven't really noticed. I haul a family of 4, including 2 teenagers, 4 mountain bikes, and load area + luggage box full of gear with no issues in either vehicle.

[Stonepa]

Bring back the Tercel wagon!

I so wish. Here is my much loved but long gone Tercel back in Homer.

[Wrecked]

Subarus are pieces of shit. cannot understand the love people have for them.

"As long as you change the head gasket every 80k miles they are great!!"

"Just change the suspension and its great!"

"Just buy different tires as soon as you drive it off the lot and its great!"

"Put your third transmission in the car at 102k miles and its great!"

The Subabru obsession is lost on me.

[MakersTeleMark]

I so wish. Here is my much loved but long gone Tercel back in Homer.

I remember when Danno drove one of those. I feel old.

[Stonepa]

Subarus are pieces of shit. cannot understand the love people have for them.

"As long as you change the head gasket every 80k miles they are great!!"

"Just change the suspension and its great!"

"Just buy different tires as soon as you drive it off the lot and its great!"

"Put your third transmission in the car at 102k miles and its great!"

The Subabru obsession is lost on me.

Ha - that's all old news. I've put 115k hard miles on my 2015 Outback and, other than one minor recall, haven't had to do anything other than maintenance. The OEM tires where shit but they were replaced long ago. This baby seems to be bulletproof.

[MakersTeleMark]

Ha - that's all old news. I've put 115k hard miles on my 2015 Outback and, other than one minor recall, haven't had to do anything other than maintenance. The OEM tires where shit but they were replaced long ago. This baby seems to be bulletproof.

#subarujinx

[auvgeek]

Subarus are pieces of shit. cannot understand the love people have for them.

"As long as you change the head gasket every 80k miles they are great!!"

"Just change the suspension and its great!"

"Just buy different tires as soon as you drive it off the lot and its great!"

"Put your third transmission in the car at 102k miles and its great!"

The Subabru obsession is lost on me.

I'm no Subaru fanboi, but selling the Outback because it's a bit undersprung is like selling a pair of skis because you don't like the tune. And the OEM tires on almost every car and SUV suck offroad and in the snow compared to aftermarket options.

If the OP had started this thread saying, "I want to buy a new car to drive my family with all of our gear from FL to CO once a year. My top priorities are good AWD, reliability, and overall driving feel." I would have responded, "the Outback is pretty undersprung and needs stiffer rear springs to carry that load comfortably. The 2.5NA engine is pretty underpowered with that load, especially at CO elevations. And given reliability issues of the past, I would plan to sell it well under 100k miles. Frankly, the AWD Sienna or similar would probably be a better option for you. The good news with the Subaru is you can get the 2.5NA with all the bells and whistles for well under $30k (we paid $27k) so you can upgrade the rear springs and still pay substantially less than a similar Toyota. Whatever you get, plan on on upgrading to studless winter tires or 3PMS-rated 'all-weather' tires for your trip to the mountains."

[GPP33]

That's cool that you can share your experience with both! Do you notice that the Highlander is a little beefier in the rear end than the Outback? I'd have to think so as the Outback only has about 900 lb payload vs 1350-1600 lbs on the Highlander. When we put 4 bikes on our Kuat NV the rear end sags on the Outback as we are right at the max tongue weight without taking into consideration the weight being levered way further back than a trailer on the ball so we've been told by the Subaru dealer that we shouldn't put more than 2 bikes on it. If we hit a bump with the bikes and our 500 lb family in it we bottom out the Outback. With 2.5 times the tongue weight on the Highlander I'd hope it would be able to handle bikes and gear a lot better than the Outback. I think for a couple the Outback could work but the payload is just to low for 4 people and their stuff. Almost traded in the Outback for a 2018 Highlander today but am still researching.

We have a 17 highlander now. It’s overall a much larger, sturdier, and more substantial vehicle. Haven’t compared them side by side but really there’s no point since there’s nowhere they actually compare. The highlander hauls more gear, people, and ass compared to the new na/cvt Subaru’s. The AWD system seems to work well, I couldn’t stand my parents 05 highlander in the snow but the new system is better about getting power to the rear tires before the front just start pushing through corners. I can’t say I’ve pushed the Highlander to it’s load carrying limits because when we go on big trips we take my truck but it’ll be a big step up from a Subaru which I agree with the others is great for 2 plus gear but falls short on 4 plus gear.

[fastfred]

so some guy from the south east part of the usa falls for all the marketing bs from subaru
he's convinced himself and his family that he can over load the thing with every toy and pair of underware he has, drive it to colorado, and fit in perfectly like a local even though his plates say FL
he uses shitty old tires on the thing, even better, is going to store a set of winter tires at his bro's place in denver to swap out before heading up i70
now he's pissed cause he fell for all the marketing bs and the desperate attepts to fit in like a local
what am I missing here
people put too much effort and time into cars? I'd just fly, rent a fwd sedan, rent some fat bikes, crappy low end ski gear, and call it a vacation like everyone else
quit trying to fit in

[LHutz Esq]

Outback concept (wagon with good ground clearance and gas mileage) with Toyota reliability would be a real winner for us. Plus, I know the guys leading the autonomous driving division of TRI, and I would be shocked if their system isn't running laps around Subaru's in the next half decade.

Toyota still make that Camry wagon thing - Versa or something?

Man I wish the wife had bought that instead of the OB. Our ‘08 OB is a colossal piece of shit.

[adrenalated]

Toyota still make that Camry wagon thing - Versa or something?

Venza. They killed it after 2015. Americans want SUVs, yo.

[SumJongGuy]

so some guy from the south east part of the usa falls for all the marketing bs from subaru
he's convinced himself and his family that he can over load the thing with every toy and pair of underware he has, drive it to colorado, and fit in perfectly like a local even though his plates say FL
he uses shitty old tires on the thing, even better, is going to store a set of winter tires at his bro's place in denver to swap out before heading up i70
now he's pissed cause he fell for all the marketing bs and the desperate attepts to fit in like a local
what am I missing here
people put too much effort and time into cars? I'd just fly, rent a fwd sedan, rent some fat bikes, crappy low end ski gear, and call it a vacation like everyone else
quit trying to fit in

Translation... "GET OFF MY LAWN!!!!"

[Red7]

Thanks to those who suggested the Toyota Highlander! I ended up trading in the 2017 Outback for a 2015 Highlander in Destin, Fl on Tuesday. Obviously I'm in the honeymoon phase still so I'll try to be fair here but even though this Highlander had 66k miles on it, it puts the Outback and my Lexus RX to shame on the highway and drives as good as the 2018s HLs we test drove. On Monday I drove the Outback up and it is a much busier vehicle at highways speeds between the unplanted/chattery suspension and lighter feel. Granted, I'm still convinced my suspension was not 100% and was worried I was going to wear out another set of rear tires but it was just me in the car so I kept the speed below 60 and did not have excessive tire wear. Alberto hit Destin about 1pm and I was a couple hours behind it but had plenty of rain and wind to deal with. It actually rained more on my drive back on Tuesday and was still very windy so it was a good opportunity to compare the vehicles. At times it was raining so hard that I had to slow way down to even see and there was zero concern of hydroplaning in the Highlander. I won't bash the Outback but I will say that this Highlander even puts my Lexus to shame in how planted it felt in gusty winds and torrential rain. The roads are really good here but hitting bumps or transitions between asphalt and concrete bridges, the Outback suspension is very busy and would chatter around when unloaded to where it feels slightly out of control momentarily (as in don't even think of removing your hands from the steering wheel) until it recovered and the Highlander would suck up the bump and the steering wheel wouldn't even flinch to where I could have my hands completely off the wheel like it was on auto pilot. It's longer and heavier but it drives even heavier than it really is and is more stable than even the Lexus. I averaged 25.9 on the first tank and 26.0 on the 2nd at 70mph which is about the same as the Outback (granted it was just me in the car) and much better than my Lexus. However, for a V6 with a reliable transmission to compete with a 4 cyl with a CVT, I was very impressed and there wasn't that hard downshifting on the hills like we get in our V6 Lexus or the Subaru.

When I posted this thread, the Highlander wasn't even on our radar but a couple people here and said the Highlander sounded perfect for what we were looking for and that sure appears to be true! I appreciate everyone's input in this car search but especially want to thank whoever it was that recommended the Highlander as it appears to be everything that we had hoped the Outback would be and much more with that 3rd row! Carrying exactly what we took on this year's ski trip, I don't think this thing is even going to flinch on next year's trip! We've put over 1,000 miles on in mixed driving this week and are so happy with this purchase!

[Red7]

Nice try, LOL! Except that it had NC plates on it and I grew up in Tahoe and Mammoth until after College and though I'm in my 40's now, bet I could still smoke your ass on either skis or snowboard so no need to fit in after averaging 100+ days a year for two decades.

But thanks for contributing to the thread!

[Red7]

So true....just no comparison!

[powcom]

We have a 2013 Highlander. Fam of 4. 2 bikes out back and often a bike on the roof and a loaded rocket box. Awesome family rig. Always take it on ski trips all over the Rockies. Yokohama snow tires FTW. 60k on it and no regrets. Probably a 4Runner in our future but may even keep the highlander and lose the pickup.

[cinnepa]

Subarus are pieces of shit. cannot understand the love people have for them.

"As long as you change the head gasket every 80k miles they are great!!"

"Just change the suspension and its great!"

"Just buy different tires as soon as you drive it off the lot and its great!"

"Put your third transmission in the car at 102k miles and its great!"

The Subabru obsession is lost on me.

i hear you....as i'm at the point of dumping my 06 forester. my love is the 5 speed awd that climbs anything with 4 snows. looking for reliabilty, great awd system, and affordabilty. highlander maybe from the concensus in this thread..i'm open though.

[Stonepa]

i hear you....as i'm at the point of dumping my 06 forester. my love is the 5 speed awd that climbs anything with 4 snows. looking for reliabilty, great awd system, and affordabilty. highlander maybe from the concensus in this thread..i'm open though.

We have a 2014 Highlander and we do love it. But I would also look at the newer Subarus. The difference between an old 2006 and a 2015-today is vast. My 2015 Outback has almost 194k miles on it (yes, 194k) and I've never done anything but regular maintenance. It drives a lot better than the Highlander and the interior materials are much more to my liking. I also like the Yakima Landing Pad setup a lot more on the Outback. Mileage is 30% better with the Outback than the Highlander as well.

You can't go wrong with either one. Just depends on what your requirements and tastes are.

[cinnepa]

size-wise i'm all subaru as well........don't need that highlander size.