Subaru Forester or Outback...Which one and why?

[WAStateOverlander]

Been looking within 100 miles of where I live......6cy with standard transmission is like finding a Unicorn! Only found one 2010-2014 with under 60,000 miles and it was Brown.......Don't like brown cars, sorry. And nearly everything I'm finding has white interior! For an off road sometimes vehicle, what were they thinking?

Every car over two or three years old has high mileage. Most upwards of 100K.... Cripe, I'm seeing three year old cars with 188K miles! Where is everybody going!

If I could find a 2014, OB, 6cyl, standard, white exterior with black or tan interior and under 60K miles....I'd buy it!

The Outback was never offered with both a 6-cylinder and a manual transmission. The 6-cylinder was offered with a 4 or 5-speed automatic depending on year, and a 5 or 6-speed manual was offered with a 2.5 4-cylinder, NA or Turbo.


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[Battle]

I think the OP meant standard as in not a CVT.

Almost eerywhere outside of the U.S. you could get a flat six and a manual trans in Legacys/Liberty's. I sometimes think Subaru of America hates enthusiasts.

 

[calicamper]

Been looking within 100 miles of where I live......6cy with standard transmission is like finding a Unicorn! Only found one 2010-2014 with under 60,000 miles and it was Brown.......Don't like brown cars, sorry. And nearly everything I'm finding has white interior! For an off road sometimes vehicle, what were they thinking?

Every car over two or three years old has high mileage. Most upwards of 100K.... Cripe, I'm seeing three year old cars with 188K miles! Where is everybody going!

If I could find a 2014, OB, 6cyl, standard, white exterior with black or tan interior and under 60K miles....I'd buy it!

My 2010 was white/cream interior one before that was black interior. I have two kids and a dog we do messy stuff. My interior looks near new at 10yrs old simple wipe down and it is as good as new. My black interior was like a black exterior car after 10yrs. Scratched up showed lots of wear looked terrible and that was before kids and largely just me. I wasn’t able to find a light interior Expedition late in the 19model yr, those typically sell before the black interior ones. Preferably I won’t buy another black interior vehicle ever again.

 

[Buddha.]

I loved my 2017 2.5 manual. I bought it new and followed the break in procedure and it still burned oil. I got rid of it for other reasons.

 

[calicamper]

I loved my 2017 2.5 manual. I bought it new and followed the break in procedure and it still burned oil. I got rid of it for other reasons.

You must be in Canada? I recall 16-17 was the last manuals only sold outside the US. The FB engine in the OB Arrived in 2013. 2013-16 they had a number of issues all of them were parts quality consistency issues. Some were fine others got garbage batch of parts and had issues. Its become a ongoing issue with Subaru. One car will be flawless the next will have a bunch of bad parts problems. Its a big reason I didn’t buy the Ascent after waiting for it to come out. The others were only 7pass in loaded trim and our exceptionally horrible local dealers.
Auto makers could fix the bad service issues by having a local shop certification program become a certified Subaru warranty service shop. All of a sudden there is competition regarding quality service, skill and pricing. In our area all 5 dealers are just store fronts for the same dealer. All are run the same “sh-tty” way.

 

[DaveInDenver]

I sometimes think Subaru of America hates enthusiasts.

I don't think Subaru, Toyota or any other OEM cares but most buyers opt for automatics when given a choice and the EPA hasn't for decades liked letting all us knuckleheads willy-nilly pick shift points.

 

[billiebob]

For towing, I'd always want something with 4LO. So much easier to reverse in 4LO. Easier on the tranny too.

 

[DaveInDenver]

You must be in Canada? I recall 16-17 was the last manuals only sold outside the US.

Our 2017 FB25 is a stick shift. You could get a 2018 U.S. Forester 2.5i or 2.5i Premium with a stick but Subaru completely dropped stick shifts in the U.S. with 2019 models when it went to the global platform.

 

[calicamper]

Our 2017 FB25 is a stick shift. You could get a 2018 U.S. Forester 2.5i or 2.5i Premium with a stick but Subaru completely dropped stick shifts in the U.S. with 2019 models when it went to the global platform.

Legacy platform was 2016
Impreza was up through 2019.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Legacy platform was 2016
Impreza was up through 2019.

I was just looking, seems the base Impreza still has a 5 speed in 2020. It's just the Forester that they dropped the stick shift. Of course the WRX is still so that must be part of it.

The 2022 Subaru Impreza.

More than a car. It's a Subaru.

www.subaru.com

 

[Buddha.]

You must be in Canada? I recall 16-17 was the last manuals only sold outside the US. The FB engine in the OB Arrived in 2013. 2013-16 they had a number of issues all of them were parts quality consistency issues. Some were fine others got garbage batch of parts and had issues. Its become a ongoing issue with Subaru. One car will be flawless the next will have a bunch of bad parts problems. Its a big reason I didn’t buy the Ascent after waiting for it to come out. The others were only 7pass in loaded trim and our exceptionally horrible local dealers.
Auto makers could fix the bad service issues by having a local shop certification program become a certified Subaru warranty service shop. All of a sudden there is competition regarding quality service, skill and pricing. In our area all 5 dealers are just store fronts for the same dealer. All are run the same “sh-tty” way.

I'm in the US. I probably should of mentioned I had a Forester not a OB.

 

[WAStateOverlander]

I was just looking, seems the base Impreza still has a 5 speed in 2020. It's just the Forester that they dropped the stick shift. Of course the WRX is still so that must be part of it.

The 2022 Subaru Impreza.

More than a car. It's a Subaru.

www.subaru.com

The Impreza, WRX/STI, BRZ, and Crosstrek still have manuals. 6-speed on everything but the Impreza which has a 5-speed. In the US, the Forester dropped the manual after the 2018 MY, and the Legacy/Outback after the 2015 MY (for the US).


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[vhercules]

As a two-time and current 3.0 owner, I feel attacked (joking!) Any reason you'd say that though? I will say, I had ongoing cooling and headgasket issues with my 02 3.0. My 05 has been (knock on wood) an absolute workhorse. I guess the subtle changes Subaru made between those two phases of the EZ30 paid off. I'd own multiple 05-09 3.0 Outbacks if I could. Out of the five Subarus I've owned, this car has objectively been the best one.

View attachment 565344

I'm also short, so...

Wow looks great, is it lifted ?

 

[Battle]

Wow looks great, is it lifted ?

Hey thanks! It's got KYB struts and RalliTEK springs - standard height front and 0.4" overload rears. Whatever lift it got from these springs was probably just a consequence of age if you get what I'm saying. Tires pictured are Continential TerrainContact all terrains - 225/60r17s which are slightly oversized compared to stock (225/55). I don't run these tires anymore though. I started having to commute 40+ miles back and forth to work and this car gets the best mpg out of my fleet so I went back to a stock size asphalt-friendly tire to boost mileage back up.

When I lived in upstate New York, I ran 215/65r16 snows which made this car an absolute animal in deep snow. I kind of miss those days but I sure as heck don't miss all the salt that state used. I might buy another set of 16" wheels and all terrains for when I fancy some off-road adventures with this car.

 

[dman93]

For what it’s worth, I had an ‘04 (second gen) Forester XT with the 2.5 turbo and 5 speed manual for about ten years, from new. Stock except for Primitive Racing skid plates. My summary: very good on rough dirt roads, especially after adding the skid plates which gave me confidence to attack sections of rough stuff at higher speeds, to minimize clutch slip. Mediocre mpg, required premium fuel: 25 max on highway, 18-19 around town (US gallons). Great packaging for 2 person camping trips, cramped with our family of four. Fast and torquey once off boost. In hindsight, I think a naturally aspirated Outback with AT would have been better for real off pavement exploring ... as much as I like a stick, the lack of ground clearance which forces you to go slow to avoid damage, even with skid plates, and the high gearing compared to a real 4x4 with transfer case, don’t combine well with a stick and touchy off idle tractability. Seat comfort was not great, though probably no worse than my current 3rd gen.