randy Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 my wife is looking at the 2013 subaru outback. when she travels, she likes to just pull in somewhere safe, lay down the back seat and have a nice flat place to sleep. for the past 13 years, and 260,000 miles she has done this in her 2000 Honda Odysses. But she is looking for AWD and maybe 25 - 27 highway MPG, (vrs Honda 18 - 20) She also likes/will buy one of those "tents" that go on the back of the Outback. (seems the outback has a huge aftermarket support) What competitors is there to the outback? Link to comment
BFish Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 get the outback...don't need the turbo. Link to comment
Bob_Minor Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 my wife is looking at the 2013 subaru outback. when she travels, she likes to just pull in somewhere safe, lay down the back seat and have a nice flat place to sleep. for the past 13 years, and 260,000 miles she has done this in her 2000 Honda Odysses. But she is looking for AWD and maybe 25 - 27 highway MPG, (vrs Honda 18 - 20) She also likes/will buy one of those "tents" that go on the back of the Outback. (seems the outback has a huge aftermarket support) What competitors is there to the outback? The closest thing to an Outback is probably a Forester. Link to comment
philbytx Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Get a Subaru . The new Forester is just out, so my recommendation would be to have her get in the back of both with the seats folded forward and then lay down to compare roominess. Had our Forrie for 8 years, it replaced an Audi A4 Quattro. Don't miss the Audi, love our Subie. It's the Swiss army knife of auto's Link to comment
Firefight911 Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 We just bought a 2013 Outback 2.5i Limited three months ago. IMO, don't waste your time lookin at anything else!!! We love ours!!! We are getting a combined average of about 26 mpg currently. I added a hitch and now have 2700 lbs of tow capacity. The AWD is fantastic, seamless, and you don't realize it's there until you use it and it flat works! We did also buy a Mazda CX-5 and its worth looking at. We did not get that one in AWD but it is a comparable vehicle. The two are doing the same job and are in the same class but they do it in a markedly different fashion. Jamie and I love both, just in very different ways. Mazda is in the sporty side of life but does get better gas mileage. The Outback is more refined and is much more rounded on the edges. Our Subaru is loaded with almost every available option whereas the Mazda is one step down from loaded/leather/etc. Ask away and I'll answer what I can. Link to comment
randy Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 we sat in both the outback and forrester. She liked the outback a lot better. that decision has been made Link to comment
upflying Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 I have a 2012 Outback 2.5i, love it. There is a learning curve to the CVT though. Forester is due for a redesign in 2014. Link to comment
1LIFE2LIVE Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Toyota Venza might be worth a look? We've owned three Subaru's, all long lasting, reliable vehicles. Current Subaru's include a 2002 WRX - still going strong with 186,000 miles and a 2006 Outback which has 139,000 miles; we've taken Good Care of them and they take Excellent care of us = both are still going strong. The newly refreshed 2014 Forester is scheduled to be released in March of this year might be worth the wait. Link to comment
RavennaAl Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 We have 2 Subaru's, a Forester and an Impreza. We love them both, but then again, we live in Michigan where it snows and the AWD is awesome! If we didn't live here, I'd probably opt for a FWD Honda CRV, better MPG and a little lower cost. Link to comment
CoarsegoldKid Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 We have a '05 LLBean Outback. Good car. Flat sleeping quarters in the back it DOES NOT have. There is a slight incline from the seatback. Stupid design IMHO. I should have looked before buying. And of course it doesn't fit my 5'10" body length. Link to comment
Chris K Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 You can get the Honda CRV with AWD. Link to comment
markgoodrich Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 We bought a '13 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport recently for Suzanne. I'm pretty astonished at the quality. We didn't get the AWD model, but did go for the small engine turbo. She gets 23mpg in town; we haven't taken it on the road yet. Rear seats RECLINE, or lay flat. ALL the seats are heated (with the leather option). The warranty was the driving force to look at it, plus towing capacity with good not-towing mpg compared to similar vehicles. Price was about the same as a similarly equipped Outback, our other option. There is one downside to the SF, in my opinion: the unnecessary 19" wheels, surely there for style only, which make the ride a little harsher than the Outback. On the other hand, interior noise in the SF is lower than the Outback. You couldn't go wrong with either, I don't think...or just about any other modern vehicle, for that matter. Link to comment
Mike Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 I'll join the chorus in saying "stop your shopping." While we're currently in other vehicles (a BMW and Jeep), we've had three Subarus and they've all been fantastic. They're great! Had I not needed more towing capacity, I would have ended up in an Outback. They're versatile, well built, and a terrific value for all that you get. Link to comment
Rocer Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 The 2014 Forester unveiled at the Montreal Car Show. I guess March comes early in Quebec I would caution you and or your wife to try the seats in either the Outback or the Forester before making the leap. They're considerably different with one being much more comfortable than the other. But of course that is a subjective observation. Link to comment
Malthound Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I LOVE my Outback (2005, 150,000 miles). That said, I'm only 5'8" and I can't lie down in the back without going diagonal, which makes it uncomfortable. The seats don't lay totally flat so adjustments have to be made. I tried the new one and it's better, but still a tad on the short side. If that's one of your primary goals, I'd recommend a thorough test. You may also check into the car-top tents that can be had - just unfold and climb in. Really cool. Link to comment
randy Posted January 21, 2013 Author Share Posted January 21, 2013 the "car tents" option is a strong reason Cathy is looking at a change in vehicle. Let's be clear, Cathy has sat in all car's. She has laid down the back seat's she had brougth her REI air mattress and sleeping bag and checked it all out. All done the outback was a clear winner to her (only looking at 2012 and 2013 models) We are now checking out other competitors. As we live in Atlanta GA, AWD is not a necessity, Based on what we have seen so far, the 189" total length of the outback is about as small as she wants. So we are looking at similar style vehicels between 18X and 200 inches long. Then we just test out the interior to see how it is laid out Nothing will fit my 6_5 frame, but Cathy is 5_4 and the outback fit fine. The slight up hill design of the outback did not seem to bother her. We are ideally looking to buy a left over 2013 around Nov 2013 - Jan 2014. Or a 2010 - 2012 lease turn in. I have had good luck with 3 year old lease turn in vehicles. I will check these suggestions out thanks Link to comment
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