bought a Subaru instead of a Tacoma

What do you like best about your Forester? I'm not getting rid of my Tacoma . But since I got the new Taco, it's now time to upgrade my wife's ride. Narrowed down to either a highlander or forester. I'm leaning to the Highlander but she is in love with the Forester so I'm interested in some opinions - I don't have much Subaru experience!

 

Not necessarily. I think this used to be true. Before 2016, we had three cars with a bunch of miles on them. I'm not at all afraid of buying used. I looked for a used Forester and Taco, but the prices people were asking were just ridiculous. Not even in the ballpark acceptable for me. $25,000 for a Taco with 125,000 miles?

We ended up buying new. It was hard for me to adjust to the idea as I don't like to spend money like that. I am happy with the vehicles so far though.

 

You didn't ask me, but I'll put in my two cents.

Big difference between the two. The Forrester drives/behaves much more like a car, but it has 8 inches of ground clearance and is all wheel drive. It gets good mileage if you don't speed. It's a simple little SUV. The thing we like most about it is probably the sunroof. It's stupid big, almost like driving a convertible. It'll also pack a bit of gear.

 

Do you find the CVT too sluggish and erratic? And yes, when she sat in a Forester she loved the panoramic sunroof!

 

The cvt in my 2015 legacy and my wife's 2016 Impreza both take a little getting used to, but I love it now!

 

You have a leaf on your flag. What do you expect?

Congrats on the grocery getter.

 

A bit underpowered IMO. I have the previous gen Impreza with 170 hp and I still wish for more power sometimes.

 

No, actually the car is kind of zippy. More than the Taco for just putting around to be honest. It's got plenty of giddy-up. We got the non-turbo version. It's not a hotrod for sure, but I feel like it has plenty of power and is not sluggish. I think my expectations are a little more realistic than around here though (got to have forced induction or V8 in a Tacoma!!!!).

 

I'd consider a Subaru too (had Subarus before and liked them) but I'm still nervous about the long-term reliablity of those CVTs. Time will tell and hopefully they do great.

 

Cool. Having her go for a test drive today and see how she likes it, but she's always wanted a Subaru so this may be the time to pull the trigger. They seem to hold value pretty well which is also a plus. Same dilemma on the new vs. used though. Hate buying new, but in most cases I'm seeing a minuscule difference in price between a new and <40k used.

 

If you buy new, GET EYESIGHT. My wife's Impreza has it and it is SO awesome

 

Found this on MTB Project while searching for GPX files. Taken apparently on Lockhart Basin in Moab.

 

Wife totaled highlander xle, replaced it with Subaru Outback limited with the 3.6 v6. Ride is firmer with the outback, both are nice vehicles, just wanted to try something different other then a Toyota, so far the Subaru is really nice, and eyesight is pretty helpful too.

 

If I didn't need a truck I'd buy another Outback for myself, my Tacoma is pretty nice though and zero problems.

 

why did we need to know you bought a subaru instead of a tacoma. I would be a subaru forum talking there if u like it or be there bashing it if u didnt like it.

 

Because Toyota Corp would never see his reasoning for NOT purchasing a Tacoma if he posted on a Subaru forum.

There is reason to believe that Toyota USA may occasionally peruse these forums to get the "voice of the customer" that doesn't come from an emailed survey.

An enthusiast forum is far more likely to hold opinions from people who actually USE their vehicle, and possibly even give the manufacturer an insight as to what users would like to see implemented in the future.

Whether Toyota gives a flying fickle finger about what these forum members think is another issue (apparently, not much)

 

TW would not be my first place to take the pulse of the customer.... just a thought!

 

You could be 100 percent correct in what you said but a lot of people post things like that to make you think he did the right thing and you didn't.

 

Maybe Subaru will get back to making 4WD instead of only AWD vehicles, and with two speed transfer cases, like my 1986 GL Wagon had?

The idea of having front wheel drive normally, and engaging the rear for four wheel drive sure made good sense. All of us who drive our Tacomas with little or nothing in the bed sure would have better drivability if the Tacoma could be selected to have front wheel drive, where the weight always is over the wheels.

The Subaru BRAT (FWD>4WD) and Subaru BAJA (AWD) were two "passenger pickups" made by the Subaru people.

 

They are doing market research all the time. They do care, insofar as it impacts sales, what existing and potential customers think. They also have to care about their reputation. I also know Toyota does pay attention to enthusiast groups and to some extent I'm also sure they know what is said in forums. None of it is necessarily corporate policy and they don't have teams of Internet trolls. What I doubt is that there's any way for them to assess the opinions of groups here and there as being in any meaningful way a determination of a larger opinion. All they can do is judge by sales and market share.