Subaru-Any good?

[Pop_Rivit]

Our 2006 Outback has around 145,000 trouble free miles on it. It's gotten my wife through some serious snow, it's completely dependable, and after 8 Iowa winters it doesn't have any rust.

The only work done has been routine maintenance.

If she wanted a new vehicle today she'd choose another Subaru and I would have no concerns buying one.

 

[horse123]

My 2012 Impreza 2.0i rated at 28/36 can get anywhere from like 21mpg with 90% cold city driving in the winter to 42mpg if I drive a constant ~55-60mph in the summer on a very flat road.

 

[stephen9666]

Originally Posted By: rjundi


Old school thinking.

The AWD penalty is quite small, typically 1 sometimes 2mpg.

Case in point the 2015 Legacy AWD with 4cylinder(26/36) bests the 2014 Camry 4 cylinder(25/35) by 1 mpg.

However the H6 is an old school Subie motor and burns a bit more fuel on highway.


Eh, sometimes the AWD penalty is small, and sometimes it isn't quite as small. It's somewhat worse in the manual trans versions, since they still use the old 50:50 split differential.

For example, the 2014 Imprezza with a manual is rated at 28 combined (25/34). I picked some other models off the top of my head to compare. I specifically didn't choose the high fuel economy models like the Cruze Eco.

Similarly sized 2014 cars with a manual stack up like this:
Imprezza 28 (25/34)
Mazda3 33 (29/40)
Focus 30 (26/36)
Civic 31 (28/36)
Cruze 1.4 turbo non-Eco 30 (26/38)
Cruze 1.8 29 (25/36)
Elantra 1.8 31 (27/37)/ 2.0 28 (24/34)
Forte 1.8 29 (25/37)/ 2.0 28 (24/35)
Corolla 31 (28/37)

I like Subarus, but I prefer to drive manuals. In my area, we don't get enough winter to justify the AWD penalty when compared to some of the better models in the class. If I were buying new, fuel economy would be one of my top concerns, so Subaru would be at a disadvantage for me.

 

[rjundi]

Originally Posted By: Trav


V6 versions use the Gen 2 iVTEC with their infamous VCM, and a 9 spd Honda automatic.
This company cant build a decent 5 spd auto never mind a 9 spd. Not opinion but fact! Honda automatic horror stories are stuff of legend.

9 speed automatic ZF sourced for v6 op is interested in. The SH-AWD is not known to have any real failure rate. I know german stuff turns you giddy.

No clue on Honda transmissions problems but when looking its seemed a 2003/2004 problem. I have only known one person out of 20+ who own Honda/Acura to actually replace the transmission and Honda paid for it well out of warranty(100k ish). The 5 speed auto/120k in mine is extremely well sorted and beyond responsive for what it is but its coupled to 300HP

 

[Trav]

Oh i like a lot of cars and not all German ones, i have no time for Opel.
Subaru is a good car as are some Toyota's and Nissa/Infiniti. Some of the old Honda's were great but now they have gone down a little.

You dodged VCM 2 altogether, you know the one they are being sued for. LOL
I see these cars from inside out and am not impressed by the quality of their parts of methods of doing things.

I owned a few Subaru and have to say they have been very good, strong, durable, easy to work on, great in snow. The boxer is a wonderful engine with a unique smoothness to it.

 

[NO2]

You can get a fully loaded Subaru 2.5 for around $28K with very advanced safety electronics, moonroof, leather memory seats, heated rear seats, AWD, etc. The Acura is almost 10K more. That's 5 years of fuel for the average driver and you'd struggle to find much of a difference beyond better audio and more power in the Honda.

That being said, the Legacy has only standard ground clearance. That's great for light snow and dirt roads but if you routinely get snow in the foot range or travel 2 tracks, I'd look at the Outback. The Legacy is great to get our of your snowed-in neighborhood.

Mileage is about the same as a Honda accord 4 cyl, which is pretty impressive for an AWD car.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

They make a station wagon with a manual transmission (Imprza, Crozztrek, Forester). Those are the only things I'd buy from Subaru.


Originally Posted By: jrustles

"Sedan. Subaru style."


Wow! Looks like they copied the Taurus!

 

[zzyzzx]

No! Subarus have poor gas mileage and higher maintenance costs due to 4WD and their cars are really hard to repair, and the parts are more expensive than other cars. They are not particularly reliable either.

 

[glock19]

Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
No! Subarus have poor gas mileage and higher maintenance costs due to 4WD and their cars are really hard to repair, and the parts are more expensive than other cars. They are not particularly reliable either.


That's ill-informed.

 

[wsar10]

Originally Posted By: glock19
Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
No! Subarus have poor gas mileage and higher maintenance costs due to 4WD and their cars are really hard to repair, and the parts are more expensive than other cars. They are not particularly reliable either.


That's ill-informed.


X2........
a 1970-80's mentality...

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
No! Subarus have poor gas mileage and higher maintenance costs due to 4WD and their cars are really hard to repair, and the parts are more expensive than other cars. They are not particularly reliable either.


While I am sure that the overwhelming majority of Scoobie owners love their cars, I can easily see where zzyzzx got his opinion. I see wrx's all over the place up on blocks. Blown turbos, etc, and tons of repeat failures.

But these are turbo engines, and the tuner boyz are always ramping up the boost a few more psi. Thus you get Kaboom.

Since I live in a climate where AWD is not necessary I do not desire a vehicle that has to carry a whole extra set of running gear with it. The extra weight and complexity does not give enough pluses to go with the minuses of weight and drag...

 

[Hollow]

Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
No! Subarus have poor gas mileage and higher maintenance costs due to 4WD and their cars are really hard to repair, and the parts are more expensive than other cars. They are not particularly reliable either.


That's just plain false.

Granted the turbo's don't handle neglect or abuse well, but that should not surprise anyone.

Like most AWD platforms, you have to be carefule about tires matching in wear (can't replace just 1 or 2), but if you have AWD or 4WD, you should know that.m Or maybe read the bloody owner's manual which makes it very explicit.

Our OB has 141,000 on it. Outside of routine maintenance (including the timing belt job, which has been replaced by a chain on newer models), I have had the following repairs since I purchased the car at 63,000: replaced 2 CV axles due to split CV boot.

That's it.

Things I can easily do myself with a basic socket set:
oil and filter
air filter
fuel filter
plugs and wires
front and rear differentials
ATF
brake job
cabin air filter
replace burned out lights


tl;dr
Your statement is wrong.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8

Since I live in a climate where AWD is not necessary I do not desire a vehicle that has to carry a whole extra set of running gear with it. The extra weight and complexity does not give enough pluses to go with the minuses of weight and drag...


Agreed.

IMO, the two things Subaru has going for them is a great AWD system, on a relatively low cost vehicle. I've never seen the point of a typical Subaru vehicle in a climate where winter driving is not a concern or there's no need for light off-road traction.

There's plenty of other choices in this price point with the same or better reliability and resale, if that's a factor.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

The STI crowd tends to ruin their reliability ratings. They can easily up the power, cheaply. Then things go pop.

 

[glock19]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
The STI crowd tends to ruin their reliability ratings. They can easily up the power, cheaply. Then things go pop.


Exactly. The NA models and even the turbos if left unmolested are plenty reliable, better than average I would say. Also, you won't find a better AWD system for the money. Parts cost similar to other Japanese makes and are easy to find. You do pay a gas mileage penalty for having AWD, but compared to other AWD vehicles Subaru is near the top in MPG. Finally, every model they make is an IIHS top safety pick.

Subarus are fantastic cars and the only fault I find with them is also their greatest quality, they are very utilitarian. They lack some refinement and the interiors aren't the greatest but they get the job done, reliably, and at a reasonable price.

 

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: Dually
How is Subaru quality.


Not sure. But I can tell you this, my sister and brother-in-law are at the 900,000 mile mark on 5 Subarus collectively, and they still own 2 of the 5.

 

[gofast182]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
No! Subarus have poor gas mileage and higher maintenance costs due to 4WD and their cars are really hard to repair, and the parts are more expensive than other cars. They are not particularly reliable either.


While I am sure that the overwhelming majority of Scoobie owners love their cars, I can easily see where zzyzzx got his opinion. I see wrx's all over the place up on blocks. Blown turbos, etc, and tons of repeat failures.

But these are turbo engines, and the tuner boyz are always ramping up the boost a few more psi. Thus you get Kaboom.

Since I live in a climate where AWD is not necessary I do not desire a vehicle that has to carry a whole extra set of running gear with it. The extra weight and complexity does not give enough pluses to go with the minuses of weight and drag...

Buddy of mine just dumped his Forester...130k miles...valvetrain issue that sounded like the engine was going to explode (reason he dumped it)...leaking head gasket since 90k...and a left front suspension component failure at around 110k. He went out and bought a XV Crosstrek after all the problems with the piece of garbage Forester, some people don't learn.

 

[gofast182]

The new Legacy seems to be a nice car in several respects but TLX is a different class of car than it is. Read the reviews and what TLX gets compared to and you'll quickly begin to see that. Drive a V6 and you'll know (I have). Even though the SH-AWD isn't on lots yet, even the FWD V6 is astonishingly quiet, refined, and a decent amount of fun for a FWD car, noticeably better than TL in every respect. To correct an earlier uninformed poster, structurally the only part of any other Honda it shares is the floor pan of the Accord. Everything else is unique to the car so the generic argument doesn't really apply here. As the same poster was already corrected, the 9AT is a 9HP sourced from ZF utilizing dog clutches and planetary gears for size/weight reduction. The box is being used by Jeep, Acura, and Land Rover with more takers soon to adopt it. While we're on the subject of transmissions, I also drove the I4 with DCT. It is awesome. Honda fitting the torque converter was simple genius as it smooths it out perfectly at low speeds and shifts are lightning quick. As far as AWD systems go, it's pretty hard to fault SH-AWD its engineered well, executed well, and produces great results including dry road performance benefits as well. If you can hold out for the SH-AWD TLX' to hit lots around October you'd be doing yourself a disservice not to try it.

 

[zzyzzx]

Originally Posted By: glock19
Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
No! Subarus have poor gas mileage and higher maintenance costs due to 4WD and their cars are really hard to repair, and the parts are more expensive than other cars. They are not particularly reliable either.


That's ill-informed.


I maintain a 2000 Forester, and of the 5 cars I maintain, it's the only one I really really hate to work on. It's absolutely nothing special, and you are WAY better off with a Ford or Toyota.

And IMO, only an fool buys a car with an interference engine.

 

[Hollow]

Funny, my Subaru is light years easier to work on than my previous Ford or my family Toyota.

And interference designs are common, and not a concern if the vehicle is properly maintained.

So, again, I find my experience exactly the opposite of yours and continue to disagree with your entire position and reasons.

Also, insulting people who make decisions different than you by calling them fools, well that really shows you have no actual argument.