2016 Subaru?

[basinbeater]

Quoting people notifies them somehow?

Care to weigh in on the Kia vs Hyundai debate?

Yes, I get a little notification icon at the top of my phone, and a properly placed swipe on the lock screen will take me straight to the thread and the post where I was quoted. Doesn't happen very often.

As for the Hyundai Kia debate, yawn, they are all boring as shit. Cheap though, so they got that going for them....

[Sirshredalot]

Agreed, this thread is boring as fuck. Subaru has really dropped the ball IMO. No more turbos in the lineup except for the WRX and STI, and you can't even get those in the hatchback anymore. No manual transmissions except in the WRX and STI, I guess that's just about every manufacturer any more though. The current and last generations of Outbacks are hideous and huge. The Crosstrek looks cool and has decent clearance but is gutless as fuck. Meh.

The cross trek can be had with the 6mt and the '15 and newer out backs don't seem so big and boat like. But point taken. I wish I had found a decent wrx hatch instead of our current 2011 6mt outback. I like driving our Mazda CX-5 better than the suby and it is also easier on gas.

I ultimately want to either cut down to one car or have one legit 4x4 and a used leaf or something.

[uglymoney]

Forester also still available with 6mt though rare in areas outside of Denver. Really the Outback is much nicer from 15 on but no manual available. Such bullshit. The new fj engine has separate cooling circuits for the head and block and a closed deck so no more head gasket issues though some of them burned more oil than they should have...updated oil rings have been grandfathered in to hopefully fix that issue. Outback has great reliability ratings on CU now. Thank you Toyota!

6MT still available in Canook Outbacks. They get all the good stuff. We get the shaft because we are fat lazy fucks down here. Meantime my 02 is still going strong with a shortblock refresh because oil rings went to hell. Old heads (183k) on new block sipping about a quart every 5k. Road warrior. Fuck the haters. Buy a Subaru and drive it into the ground. You can't go wrong unless the CVT blows.

[adrenalated]

183k is hardly high mileage, especially when it required work on engine internals to get there and still drinks oil despite the work.

[uglymoney]

I completely agree. Still I blew a shortblock and replaced it for not much money. Good cars that can be maintained by an average person on an average income.

[axebiker]

Traded my 2013 Crosstrek for a 2016 - wow - night and day! Mrs AB traded her 2013 Outback for a 2016 - big upgrade in every way.

[gravitylover]

I traded my 13 Crosstrek for a BRZ. That XV was one of the most boring cars I've owned in the last 30 years. I will say that it was a high value, utilitarian and economical awd rig though. Even after working the suspension and upgrading the tires to keep up with that it was still exceedingly boring and the drivers seat sucked.

The BRZ puts a grin on my face every time I wiggle in behind the wheel. Granted it misses on the utility side but I can take two fat bikes on a hitch rack and it hasn't gotten stuck in the snow yet. Really, what else can a silly old guy ask for? I did have to buy an suv for family and rotten weather duty though...

[bodywhomper]

183k is hardly high mileage, especially when it required work on engine internals to get there and still drinks oil despite the work.

I agree. My 2001 subi legacy is on its last legs at under 140k. Following all regular maintenance. Newly leaking differential, newly leaking head gasket, pin-slap, and occasion cylinder misfire. It's a $7k fix. Reliability my ass.

That said, ive put 8k since these problems (except for the pin-slap) were identified and its still getting from point a to point b successfully. Two different mechanics jave told me that it could go in the next month or in 3 years....

[frorider]

Traded my 2013 Crosstrek for a 2016 - wow - night and day! Mrs AB traded her 2013 Outback for a 2016 - big upgrade in every way.

?? The 2016 crosstrek is pretty much unchanged. What do you mean by 'night and day'?

For 2016, Subaru drops the XV from the Crosstrek's name and adds a revised front end, grille and headlights. All models add LED illumination to the center console, and models with push-button starting gain PIN code access. The Limited trim is fitted with a blind spot monitoring system and rear cross-traffic alert, while the Hybrid models receive a new gloss black grille. Subaru's Starlink Safety and Security services are now available on Premium and Limited trims.

[oldblue]

?? The 2016 crosstrek is pretty much unchanged. What do you mean by 'night and day'?

New car smell?

[Phall]

Thanks for all the input. She found a 2016 Premium 2.5 with 4400 miles on it at the local dealer (demo/lot loaner). Managed to get it for about 1500 less than retail for a new one. She gets the remainder of the 3 year/36000 bumper to bumper, and the 7 year/100000 mile powertrain. I'm planning a rear camping platform build out for our trips this summer.

[Jack Burton]

Good thread , mrs also needs a new car. headgasket on '02 outback went at ~ 100,000.01 miles. had it replaced and is about to go again at ~ 170,000. will check on mazda thanks. read up on AWD VW enough to see that it's more than we can spend, honda info good to know, leaves the mazda, Crosstreck and rav 4 as likely boring candidates.
I'll tend to buy new as long as I'm buying a ~ base model as there are very few with under 100k miles so I'll take the base model with 0 miles rather than the loaded with 15 - 20k miles.

[axebiker]

?? The 2016 crosstrek is pretty much unchanged. What do you mean by 'night and day'?

New car smell?

Nailed it!!!

The new Crosstrek has improved the ride to be very similar to the Outback. The 13 was a rattle trap - the ride was pretty "sporty", and not in a good way. The 16 is more plush. It feels like a bigger car, which is nice in my eyes. The steering has been improved - seems a little less sluggish. Overall, it is much quieter too. Like noticeably so. The tranny has been "adjusted" to make the shift points "feel" a bit more, so you feel a bit more connected to the car's engine, and it consequently gets better mileage as well.

Overall, I'm very happy with the upgrades. It's a better car.

And the new Outback...wow! The Flying Couch just gets better!

[encore]

Meh, snow/ice driving is mostly skill and experience anyway. Never had a problem with mine.

+1. How do you really tell the difference between one AWD versus another? I have driven my wife's CX5 and my 2002 WRX and honestly I can't really notice the difference. Yeah, they drive differently, well becasue they are different kind of vehicles, but how can you tell the difference in the AWD, especially since it's tires that really make the difference.

[irul&ublo]

+1. How do you really tell the difference between one AWD versus another? I have driven my wife's CX5 and my 2002 WRX and honestly I can't really notice the difference. Yeah, they drive differently, well becasue they are different kind of vehicles, but how can you tell the difference in the AWD, especially since it's tires that really make the difference.

Consumer Reports did a test of a Forester, Rav4 and CRV, all on all season tires, on a snow course. Forester 4WD, braking and stability control much better than the other two. They did note that real snow tires still make a huge difference.

[Dantheman]

+1. How do you really tell the difference between one AWD versus another? I have driven my wife's CX5 and my 2002 WRX and honestly I can't really notice the difference. Yeah, they drive differently, well becasue they are different kind of vehicles, but how can you tell the difference in the AWD, especially since it's tires that really make the difference.

Depends on the system, i.e. systems that are FWD until slip occurs or 50/50 F/R split type systems. The difference between the 03 WRX and 04 Element we owned was night and day.