What brand new Subaru would you think would be best for overlanding when considering cost, mpg, wheelbase, storage, and stock ride height?
What brand new Subaru would you think would be best for overlanding when considering cost, mpg, wheelbase, storage, and stock ride height?
I spent 12yrs camping and hauling Triatholon crap all over the west and towing a small racing sailboat with the Legacy GT Limited 5spd. Today we have a 2010 Outback 2.5 CVT replaced the Legacy at 180,000 miles.
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The new OB more or less has the same off road ability in stock form as the Forester and XV however you get a larger platform with a higher load capacity. In my case two parents two kids, roof box and road trip 700 miles to Grandma's house we are packed heavier than I would want to be if I were doing Overlanding efforts given I loose some critical ground clearance with that packed weight. Solo and packing smart I can see making the OB work without loosing too much to weight gain vs suspension compression and ground clearance. Also the OB is much easier to sleep in the back of than the above two choices.
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I rented an OB for a 2 week mountain bike trip we did in the Northwest, there were only two of us....I was so sick of that car by the end of the trip...wanted to be back in my Tacoma in bad way. Even my Extra Cab Tacoma feels tight at times with only two of us.
I like the Suby...be ok for commuting and running around town. I couldn't travel in it.
Yes the Forester and the Impreza wagon XV are narrow and fairly tight for extended trips. The OB the new one Subaru worked on the departure angle alot, its better than my 93 Landcruiser on 34inch tires regarding departure angles. The front end they worked on it some its better than the prior 09 and earlier models and has more or less the same limitations regarding soft spots as the XV and the Forester. The OB comes with the 3.6 and Xdrive that would be the best combo for high mountain passes and off roading at altitude. For lower elevation stuff the 2.5 which is what I have does a decent job. Its no Tacoma but it can cover major ground regarding pavement and dirt road at a level of comfort and mileage that the Tacoma can't touch. I really like the Tacoma by the way. I have a 07 Sequoia limited 4x4 right now which replaced my really nice 93 Land Cruiser < big mistake selling that old LC should have kept it. The Sequoia works great for the family needs and is basically just a big 4runner no lockers on it but a rear locker would make it as capable as I would ever need.
I like the Subies...was seriously considering on getting one...they just aren't useful "enough" if you know what I mean. So I have to take a nick on mileage with the Taco...wish it achieved better fuel economy, but oh well. Thought of getting a Forester and lifting it...kinda to "make it work". Where as a bone stock Taco...can go a lot of places right off the dealer lot.
You made the right call
The Subaru has been a great family wagon and pavement road tripper and the light duty camping rig primarily due to its comfort and mileage and ability to handle the lousy weather vs road conditions etc. But its not hard to pack it heavy and basically end up with a fairly limited capability if you wander off to more challenging dirt roads. Empty they can do some surprising rough stuff but as aways especially with the long trips to remote spots that payload capacity factor comes into play.
By design my shopping for a camping rig was 1200lbs or under empty given I had lots of experience towing with the Subarus mainly our 1800lb racing sailboat that was trailer and boat all up that was near the max limits on the Subarus suspension and cooling system for any sort of hot temp location. Our Life Time 4x6 trailer 900lbs empty and probably about 1200lbs packed is about perfect we run between 21-26mpg averages pending speeds and climbs etc. Also our suspension still has some compression left on the Subaru to avoid dragging the car through rough spots. For sure not a trail wagon! But works great for the logging road dirt road stuff. The Sequoia works well for the Trail bashing but its right at the outer limits on SIZE even just an extra inch here or there and the Sequoia is just too damn big for trail stuff.