Subaru Outback, Forester or Rav4??

[deputyG23]

Any interest in the Subaru Ascent? Or is it priced too high? Family member has one I drove for a few weeks this past winter. I was thoroughly impressed! Just a tad bigger than the options you’re discussing but not overly large. Still you get a third row of seating. This one has the middle row of captains chairs which I prefer. Fit, finish, performance was all there. For a guy who prefers large pickups and SUV’s I was surprised I liked the Ascent so much.

My son in law bought an Ascent last year and drove it all over southern Ontario, Quebec, and the maritime provinces and enjoyed it.
It is on our short list for a vehicle replacement in a year or two.

[BN]

Traded the Tundra in on a 2019 Subaru Outback with 15,000 miles.

[Guerrero]

Traded the Tundra in on a 2019 Subaru Outback with 15,000 miles.

...and, what do you think?

[BN]

...and, what do you think?

So far, I like it a lot. I took a long test drive with the salesman on interstate, crooked road and old Rt 40. It has plenty of power, rides and handles really nice for a smaller car and the paddle shifters are fun. I've since driven about 100 miles. Good to go.

Edit to add: I also drove a Rav4. Choppy ride and the seats hit me wrong.

[JM Campbell]

Very nice vehicle.
Sat in one and played with everything in it while waiting for them to do the final detailing of my new Crosstrek.
The captains chair middle row is very nice.
I'd have to drive one to see if the HP to size ratio is there, that Ascent is on the largish side for a SUV in that class.

My wife’s looking for a small/mid size suv, how are you liking the crosstrek since it’s been a few months?


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[psalms144.1]

We're in that size/price range market for both my wife and oldest boy. I LOVE the look of the Rav4, but every single "car problem" website is rife with complaints about their reliability. We extensively test drove both of those Subaru's, and both my wife and I strongly prefered the ride of the Forester.

Having said all that, CVT has us spooked on all three of those options, so we're looking at a bunch of other options right now. Frankly, we've driven the ever living dog shit out of our 2010 Kia Soul with zero major issues through over 120K miles now, so my wife is very brand-loyal to Kia. She loves the look of the Seltos, but it's another CVT machine, so we're just not sure.

[trailrunner]

We're in that size/price range market for both my wife and oldest boy. I LOVE the look of the Rav4, but every single "car problem" website is rife with complaints about their reliability.

FWIW, I’m still driving my RAV4 that I bought in December 2001. To put that in perspective, that was three months after 9/11. Based on my experience, my daughter bought a new RAV4 last year and has not had any problems.


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[4given]

Wifey has a 2019 Outback. She loves it. I drive it when we take it to the cabin. Works great in the snow. Here is an interesting SUV traction test video:

[bigslim]

I’ve got an ‘18 Outback with 99K on and the dealership does all the work on mine. Mostly because they offer a lifetime engine warrante if the maintenance is kept up. I don’t need the added height of the Forester, the 2.5 is a bit slow but I’ve never had issues going over the Appalachain mountains. The best part for me is the combined 30 mpg I get.

Mike

[BN]

I've been pretty happy with my Outback. My Toyota van had more options than the Outback but I don't really miss them.

The CVT is easy to drive. I messed around with the paddle shifters, but decided I liked to just put it in drive and go. It always seems to pick a good gear ratio. It has enough power for me. I have the non turbo 4 cyl. I used to like to drive a stick but I guess I'm beyond that now.

I like the cruise control much better on the Subaru. It holds your speed going down hill while the Toyota would pick up speed. The Subaru eyesight will help keep you in your lane.

I was reading one of the Kate Shugak novels based in Alaska. She was driving a Forester and commented that she though the Subaru was the Alaska State Car.

I've been a Toyota fan for a long time, but I might be switching. That video was pretty interesting. I didn't like the way my van acted when I pulled up to the mailbox when it was slick. I often had to back out. I haven't had a chance to try the Outback there yet.