Replacing with Subaru Outback?

I swear every 3rd vehicle on the road here in Colorado is a Subaru. Does anyone have any insight on why they dropped the 2.0 turbo motor from the Forester model for 2019?

 

I had a 2004 and 2008 Outback. Both H6 LL Bean Editions. They were great vehicles. The '08 was especially nice--the interior was definitely one of the nicest I've seen to this day for a vehicle around the $30k mark.

I had a friend with an Outback XT--that thing was a hoot. Very quick, but looked more or less like any old Outback.

I didn't go for another one because they look more like crossovers now. I liked the rugged wagon look. Seems almost no one does that now, though. The last one standing was the Volvo XC70. Also, the quality of the '08 wasn't the same as the '04. The '04 was built like a tank and seemed to take endless abuse with no issues. The '08 had all four wheel bearings and pretty much every suspension component fail within 80k.

Definitely nowhere near that long ago...Had to have been 2012 or later. I had an 08 and a friend had a 2011 Outback, both as loaded as you can get them and it was not an available option then.

 

I bought a 2016 TRD Off-Road. It was the most disappointing vehicle I've ever purchased. After waiting for over a year for fixes from Toyota I got tired of it and started looking around.

I landed on a 2017 Outback limited 2.5L with eyesight, rear brake assist, etc... the works. I actually went to the dealership to test drive a used Outback but the salesman offered me a screaming deal on the 2017 since it was one of the last few on the lot (the 2018's were already out).

I love it.

I should start the comparison with a couple of caveats: 1. These vehicles are in different classes (truck vs midsize suv), so its tough to do a fair apples to apples comparison 2. The trim levels (obviously) dont line up directly--I had a TRD-OR but didn't get the premium tech or JBL packages; the Outback is a highly equipped Limited trim that comes with HarmonKardon sound system, leather heated seats (even in the back).

With that said: The outback is in a different class of vehicle! It's much more refined overall. The fit and finish is top notch. The 2.5L engine is plenty powerful and feels peppier than the truck by a wide margin. Thats because the tacoma transmission and engine combo is a trainwreck. The Outback CVT got an programming upgrade back in 2015 that got rid of fake shift points, so now its just a nice smooth acceleration. It's a night and day difference with the Tacoma. It's a much more enjoyable driving experience.

I went with the 2.5L because (it was the one I was getting such a good deal on and) it is plenty peppy, gets a solid 32mpg on the highway, and tows the exact same amount as the H6 version. Its also about $5k cheaper I believe and supposedly cheaper to insure (but I never looked into that). Both the H4 and H6 get pretty slow 0-60 times, but I haven't noticed any issue with performance during normal driving. Actually, at low speeds in stop-go traffic it feels WAY faster and pulls harder than the Tacoma.

Speaking of driving experience. The outback wins that too. The Tacoma OR, wasn't bad in terms of suspension and handling. But it had vibrations, rattles, squeak leaf springs, and the biggest issue of all...the rear differential howl. That is what sent me over the edge eventually. I couldn't handle it. the constant 400hz drone that was growing in volume and expanding across a bigger speed range 35-70mph. My tacoma's brake pedal buzzed like a cell phone vibrating. It rumbled stripped to a stop. The outback? smooth as butter and quiet as fuck. The rear seats are more comfortable and have more leg room (more than a mercedes E class). The brakes dont buzz, it doesn't vibrate, it doesn't howl...I guess the Tacoma doesn't set the bar very high but this Outback is great.

The AWD is perfect for my needs. It handles great in snow. The ground clearance on the Outback is actually only 1/2 an inch less than the Tacoma. The Tacoma has better approach and breakover angles, but I've never had issues with my Outback getting to trailheads, driving on the beach, or getting me to my favorite river launches. It's smaller and has a badass turning radius which is great for small trails.

There is plenty of space in the vehicle to haul gear or whatever. The seats fold down (and have handles in the back that make flipping them down super easy). I miss having a bed sometimes, but I got the rubberfloor covers and the rubber that covers the back of the seats when they flip down. That means a wet dog or muddy gear can go back there without much concern. I bought a Yamika Loadwarrior for the top preemptively. It goes right on the built in roof rack and its dead simple work with, but honestly I've only used it twice and mostly just because I had it. There is enough space in the Outback that I never actually *needed* it.

Some little things I like that set it apart from the Tacoma: electric adjustable seats, seat memory, sunroof(trim option on both), heated rear seats are a nice feature, the eyesight is great, adaptive cruise is great, the lane assist is cool, it has a gas cap holder (lol suck it jsinnard), touch unlock handle on BOTH front doors, all of the windows are automatic, the sound system is on point (again I went from premium sound to HK sound system), electric liftgate, and standard roofrack.

It actually uses the same interface on the touch display as the tacoma. Literally the same one. They licensed it from Toyota. The 2018+ models will have Android Auto and Apple Car play. This is one of my only complaints with the outback: Their system needs more processing power. There is a noticeable lag between screens in the Outback when you push options. Its like the Tacoma has a 4ghz processor and the Outback is using an 800mhz cpu. I've learned to live with it and dont need to mess with it too often. I miss the weather map the Tacoma offered.

I've been to the dealership exactly 0 times with the Outback for things other than routine oil-changes. By this point in ownership of the Tacoma I should have been pursuing the lemon law.

I want the Tacoma to be a great truck. I've wanted one since I was a kid. It just isn't (for me) right now.

The outback is a great vehicle and I recommend switching!

 

Im not sure. It's using the 2.5L now which is a small increase over the turbo'd 2.0. Its probably some numbers game due to CAFE or simply being more cost effective to use one engine versus having two that have roughly the same specs.

 

Woman wants a forrester xt. I think i am on board.

 

The turning in the Outback is awesome.

 

Taco resale here are very high, in particular when compared to Subaru. I don't knock their quality, just the resale in the rural south. Basically it is because the demand is low.

 

Tacomas definitely have a good resale. Even the third gens.

I think it's partially historical reputation, part marketing, and part basic math at the sales side. They don't discount it/give credit If they did the value wouldn't stay as high. That's whree the first two come back into play--they don't need to discount it to sell them and so the cycle continues and eventually the higher resale is used as evidence that they are solid trucks. (Credit where it's due. 1st and 2nd gen engines and tranny's were solid)

 

We live in St. Augustine FL.
I bought my Tacoma new, from a Gainesville, FL dealer, 2006 4x OffRoad 6MT (still original clutch) that I've put on just under 220k miles;
that today has a few issues ranging from minor (DIYable thanks to TacomaWorld), to a low tire sensor Battery, to a door dent, to hood painting, to a leaking windshield.
But the truck has been pretty good to me otherwise, and I just found out I'm getting a "Free" new FRAME and Rear Leaf Spring set up - due to an open factory recall - and, so I've been weighting my options:

put in some deferred maintenance at the time of Frame Replacement etc.. and continue driving to 300k plus.... vs. trading in (after $0 addl deferred maintenance) and picking up a car payment for new Tacoma...


At the same time, i'm a few car payments away from owning a (used) '13 Miata that my wife (HATES) - long story there....
but we're about to trade it in now anyway- Happy wife = Happy life

and after reading your post, I'm sold on Subaru now.
We (she) would also be happy with a VW, but I think Subaru is the better long term answer.
I grew up in Denver and Subaru was just about king out there....


So thank you, i think we may drive the Miata to the Subaru dealer today.....

 

I’m honestly in the same thought process with my rig, I love it to death but it defiantly makes the perfect second vehicle, especially because I drive 100 miles per day m-f. I think the switch to Subaru is great plan and grabbing a second gen. My lady has a extended cab 2nd gen and I almost love driving it more than my 3rd gen.

 

great cars but research the oil consumption on the subies, if you don't like checking and adding oil between changes...
http://mdhmotors.com/subaru-oil-consumption-problem-repair/
https://www.torquenews.com/1084/subaru-settles-oil-consumption-lawsuit

 

to make a long story short you mistakenly bought a Mid size 4x4 Offroad model pickup and hoped it was going to perform and drive like an all wheel drive compact car

 

uhh sure. It that helps you feel better about your purchase.

I bought a mid-size truck because I wanted one. Unfortunately, it didn't perform or function like it should. Toyota is slowly acknowledging all of these issues with TSBs btw, so its not like I have unrealistic expectations for a truck--the TSBs are evidence that it isn't performing up to par. The only mistake I made was trusting the Tacoma's bulletproof reliability and buying the firsts year model of a new generation. That's on me. The rest is on Toyota.

 

How many pickup trucks did you own before your third gen?

 

That question always seems to come up as if I am expecting too much from the Tacoma.

1 RAM 1500 pos manual base model. That thing didn't even have a tac--just a light that would come on to tell you when you should shift. ( 2 if you count the Mazda B3000 I learned on and drove during highschool..but was actually my dad's truck).

For the record, I drove trucks daily for 4 years (including heavy off-roading) in the deserts of the southwest (F150s, F250s, PowerWagons, Tahoes, Excursions, Suburbans). I've driven lifted, mud tires, armored, stock, etc. I know trucks and I know what "normal" is.

Do I pass the "knows trucks enough to say the Tacoma might have problems" test?

 

I would say "affirmative".

But damm man, did you test drive the Taco much?

Seems like you were hating on your truck from day one.

We do see lots of folks on TW who never owned a truck before.

 

I did test drive it, but I guess I didn't test drive it enough. The howl didn't start until about 300 miles in. I didn't notice the brake pedal buzz for a couple thousand miles. I don't even remember when I first felt the rumblestrip vibe while stopping. The transmission wasn't great from jump street but I fell for that "learning transmission" bullshit. I think I wanted to fall for it because I loved the truck so much.

I'd always wanted a Taco, and I *still* love the way they look. I saw a lifted one in the parking lot at Costco the other day and wanted to go grab another one. They seem to be implementing more and more TSBs so hopefully that means they'll sort out the bigger problems I was having. The diff howl was my biggest complaint. I couldn't ignore it and it was a constant reminder of the problems with the truck. I was also very tired of the dealership service process where you basically had to go through hoops to get them to even attempt a repair, execute it poorly, return for them to correct it, only to find out it only sort of helped. It was sucking up too much time and energy and I wasn't getting any enjoyment or satisfaction from ownership.

I hang out here because the community is awesome and I want to love this truck again. I pumped to see what the pressure from competitors like Ford and Nissan are going to do to Toyota.

 

I got an 18 pro and thinking of trading my 04 gx 470 in on a new vw tiguan and keep make it my commute daily and make my truck 3rd vehicle

 

I work at the Subaru plant if you are looking for VIP pricing.

 

What is VIP pricing intel?