Advice needed: Trying to decide between Subaru outback or Forester

[Parahawk13]

I am looking for some advice on which is a better overland vehicle. I currently have a 2005 F-150 and the gas mileage is really bad so I am looking at replacing it with a newer Outback (most likely the 3.6) or a Forester. My wife already has a 2018 Forester and I like it but I am not sure. Any and all feedback would be helpful. For some insight on what I would use it for, I do hamradio, backcountry photography and travel as many fire roads as I can. I am not looking for a hardcore off-road vehicle.

Thanks,
Kurt

 

[Kent R]

I am a Zero expert on Subaru but my son an OLB member has the Outback and he wishes he had gotten the Forster. Take this for what it is. Good Luck!

 

[flyingnome]

Do you need/want 2 of the same car? Best to go put some miles on the an outback to compare. I think that 3.6 gets low 20s mpg wise since you mentioned your truck gets low mpg. Happy car shopping post up what you get.

Btw the new f150s do pretty good on gas for a full size truck ;).

 

[Wawa Skittletits]

The big question is size and the little question is amenities. If you're perfectly content with the size and the option list of the Forester then its smaller footprint would be nice on trails. I wasn't so thats why I drive an Outback. Whether you're looking at new or used I would encourage you to look for a Forester with X-mode. Its standard on the Outback since 2015 but is an option on the Forester. The latest gen of both vehicles share the same 2.5 so theres basically no MPG difference. I'm not a fan of the 3.6 and I also have issue with its highway geared CVT off road.

 

[David C Gibbs]

I loved our Forester, put 189K on it. Traded it in, for my wife's new 2018 Tacoma, DC, SB, TRD Off-road... I inherited back, the 1988 62 Series LandCruiser, with 309,000+ Original Owner miles on it. 5 Weeks into the new Tacoma - She loves it. I miss the Forester, but have 30 Years in the 62... I'd buy another Forester, TODAY, if the 62 Died. However, my intent is to get out of Debt, and are on a solid plan to achieve that. DG

 

[Parahawk13]

I am a Zero expert on Subaru but my son an OLB member has the Outback and he wishes he had gotten the Forster. Take this for what it is. Good Luck!

Thanks for the comment, I was wondering why your son wishes he got the Forester?

 

[Kent R]

Thanks for the comment, I was wondering why your son wishes he got the Forester?

He said more power. But since then he purchased a 93 Toyota PU and will use that for overlanding and the Outback for commuting.

 

[Steve]

I've never owned a Forester, and had a 2008 2.5 turbo stick-shift Outback. But I've driven recent (20016 and 2017) both Forester and Outback as rentals while travelling. And my wife considered both for her new vehicle in 2017.

Offroad ability aside, (since they both are adequate for 99% of situations unless you are in serious rock crawling country or overhangs are a consideration) I have one suggestion when I know people are looking at both models: Drive the Forester first. Take your time, get a good feel for the car, figure out which model you like, and decide if you want to get a Forester. Decide first, before ever even looking at an Outback. Because if comfort, amenities, ride quality, etc. are any part of your consideration, once you get in and drive an Outback, the Forester will not be on your list any more.

Forester is built on a modified version of Subaru's economy car, the Impreza. The Outback is built on a modified version of Subaru's top of the line Legacy sedan, and the differences are immediately apparent.

I really like my 4Runner. But I sure do miss my Outback, and one would be at the top of my list if I were buying today.

 

[Parahawk13]

Do you need/want 2 of the same car? Best to go put some miles on the an outback to compare. I think that 3.6 gets low 20s mpg wise since you mentioned your truck gets low mpg. Happy car shopping post up what you get.

Btw the new f150s do pretty good on gas for a full size truck ;).

I love my F150 but with my drive to work and other driving 15 MPG is not good and even at 22mpg on the 3.6 that is a big difference. If the newer F150's were better priced I would get one, but I can get new Outback loaded for what I would pay for a used F150. We are going to be taking a road trip to Utah later this year so I will see how the 2.5 does.

 

[Parahawk13]

I've never owned a Forester, and had a 2008 2.5 turbo stick-shift Outback. But I've driven recent (20016 and 2017) both Forester and Outback as rentals while travelling. And my wife considered both for her new vehicle in 2017.

Offroad ability aside, (since they both are adequate for 99% of situations unless you are in serious rock crawling country or overhangs are a consideration) I have one suggestion when I know people are looking at both models: Drive the Forester first. Take your time, get a good feel for the car, figure out which model you like, and decide if you want to get a Forester. Decide first, before ever even looking at an Outback. Because if comfort, amenities, ride quality, etc. are any part of your consideration, once you get in and drive an Outback, the Forester will not be on your list any more.

Forester is built on a modified version of Subaru's economy car, the Impreza. The Outback is built on a modified version of Subaru's top of the line Legacy sedan, and the differences are immediately apparent.

I really like my 4Runner. But I sure do miss my Outback, and one would be at the top of my list if I were buying today.

When my wife and I got out Forester we drove the Outback, and I loved the drive quality but my wife loved the windows that she could see out of. We are very happy with the Forester so far, my main reason for leaning towards the Outback is the cargo area and with the 3.6 the extra power. Whichever I get I will be doing some modifications.

 

[Steve]

..my main reason for leaning towards the Outback is the cargo

Absolutely! When I moved from my 2008 Outback to my 2016 4Runner, I actually *lost* usable storage. The volume on the 4Runner is greater. But a fair bit of that is height, which doesn’t help when organizing stuff on the cargo area floor. And the wheel wells stick out a lot more. Plus, I kept a lot in the Outback’s rear foot wells. Heavy stuff, to keep the CoG low and centered. The 4Runner’s seat bottoms tumble forward, so I completely lose the foot wells. I’ve resorted to completely removing the rear seat bottoms to get back that usable space.