Subaru wagons?

Anyone own a Subaru Liberty or Subaru Outback wagon (or used to own one or test drove one or knows a guy who knows someone who owns one)?
What's the difference?

How comfy are they?
How spacious is the back seat?
How much do they cost to run/service?

Pros? Cons?

I'm looking at getting a new car and I think I should get something a bit bigger than my little hatch because the boys are complaining about being squashed back there (spoilt rats ;) )

I'm leaning towards one because I have the impression that they will handle well in icy/snowy conditions yet be a fairly comfy ride. Am I correct or have a I just seen one to many Subie ads on the ski lifts?

What I really want is a fully optioned WRX but I suspect that it's not quite Mumsy enough and the boys would complain about being squished in the back.

My dad knows a fair bit about cars & was going to go a Subi if he didn't find his little suzuki.
Can't say much about the room, never been in one, but do have friends who have 3 kids in a Forester. I think the Outback would be pretty similar in size to the camry/corolla wagons?

Neighbors across the road have the Subaru wagon, the one with six seats not seven, it has a pathway in the middle of the two seats if you get my drift. They have three kids aged 10, 7 and 3.5 and they love it to bits. I think it is called she Exiga? Or something like that. She commented it was the only car they tried where the third row had decent seats that adults could sit in as well. If you only want a five seater a friend has the outback and loves it

I'm not ready for a 7 seater (although if it comes in turbo I might look at it).

I had a forrester when DS1 was a baby. We loved it so much we took it back to the UK with us, and it was a reluctant sale when we found out we were having twins. It was economical, easy to drive, and I can't rate it highly enough.

I've added the Forester to my list.

I was looking at buying a Forester late last year but didn't because it was too small for my 3 kids. I have a 15yo boy, 13yo girl and 10 yo, it was just too squashy :(. I was devastated because it was exactly what I wanted. I think it would be the perfect size for you and your boys Onyx.

Earlier this year we hired an Outback, I loved it! It was the perfect size and drove beautifully (although I didn't drive it). If I could afford one I'd definitely buy one.

I had the turbo Forrester
I loved it to bits.
BUT
Being AWD, it did chew through the tyres
AND
It was thirsty, maybe 550klm to a 65ltr tank?
However, if you spend a bit of time in the alps, I think it would be worth all of that, cause it stuck to the road like ***** to a blanket.


.......... and it did also go very fast........:shhh:

We have a forester and love it! Great size and we have a roof pod for when we need extra space. Going up the mountains is a breeze, no chains, and as above it really sticks to the road!

We had a subaru legacy in NZ then bought a Liberty here (;)). We were both really happy with it and i much prefer driving it the the Prado (which i dislike).
Can you imagine the insurance on a fully optioned WRX? They'd want it chained to your house overnight.

And I think Foresters are UGLY. {Ducks and runs for cover}

The boot in the forrester isn't as big as I thought it would be (not sure how important that is to you?).

DH loves his subi, he has a WRX and is hassling me to get a subi too! Outback is on my list but I haven't driven one yet.

We've got a 2010 Subaru Forrester XT Premium Turbo(5 speed manual) and LOVE it!

the boot isn't huge but fine for what we need. my girls are 3.5yrs and 19 months so their carseats (maxi riders) do take up a bit of room but my 32yr old Bil was still able to fit comfortably inbetween them and he's 6ft :o

a full tank lasts us anywhere between 2 and 4 weeks depending on where (and how!) we're driving. another factor to consider is that with this model you can only use Premium Unleaded which is expensive but does last longer. we get ours serviced every 6 months and the most we've paid so far is $330

I could tell the insurance people that Darth Possum was guarding my WRX and I'm sure they would reduce the premium.

I think the old shape Foresters are kind of ugly too but the new shape is a little better and if I'm driving I don't have to look at it (I can just run out with my eyes closed and open them once I'm in the car lol). DH used to have a Forester years ago (I never drove it) and it lacked the sofa like qualities that I like in larger cars. Are the newer ones more lux?

Boot space isn't really important. My hatch has a big enough boot for me so I'm sure a Forester would be adequate.

guess it depends on what you consider lux. it doesn't have seat warmers but is all leather interior with inbuilt reversing camera and sat nav , parking sensors full electric retracting sun roof,electric windows. ability to watch dvds (only when car not moving though) blue tooth connectivity, automatic shut off of headlights when you turn the engine off so no chance ever of leaving them on. that's about all i can think of :dunno:

I dont think you will find the subaru's as "plushy" as alot of other cars.
I think they tend to focus a little more on performance and handling rather than creature comforts.
As a result, reviews often call the interiors dated and or basic. And I tend to agree.
But they certainly have evrything you need.
They also ride a little harder and noisier than say, a Rav 4, but they out handle them by miles.
I think if you want great handling and ride, you need to start looking at more expensive, european cars.

Lol. I'm selling my European car.

I've had a suby outback for 10 years and love it. We've managed to squish a booster seat and two baby/toddler seats in the back (had to get the Safe N Sound compaqs). The suby's tend to be skinnier than other cars and I'm now dreaming of a 7 seater car. They handle really well, the outback sits higher off the road than the liberty, which is great since we moved to the country and there's a floodway down the road which we go through when it's starting to flow (wouldn't do that in a lower car). I haven't driven a Forester but a friend with 2 kids loves hers.

Just put down a deposit on a Forester.

Yay!
You will love it, especially in snow season.
Congrats

Yay! I miss my old Forester - I have the Impreza sedan and as much as I love driving it I really wish I had more space! Didja get the turbo diesel? I am about to sell my car and am contemplating either that or some other diesel suv!!

Woohoo! Enjoy your new wheels!!!

Ooh! You bought a car Onyx! Exciting! What colour? It's all about the colour lol

Dark grey. With a black interior.
Just the ticket for our long hot summers

Noice!

Oooh sounds lovely!!

I own a 2004 Subaru Liberty. It truly is a thing of beauty!! The ride wasn't super smooth as the suspension had been modified for performance and was quite hard TBH. Especially when I was 30+ weeks pg. :rofl: That was easily fixed though.

Pros - The 'boot' is massive. Easily accessible, great for my pram and various other baby/kid items, plus shopping.
It's freakin pretty. lol.
It's a 4 cylinder but goes more like a 6. Plenty of power, very smooth with the triptronic gearbox. Did I say that right? Anyhoo it's got 3 modes. Auto, Manual (where you just shift the stick forwards or back to change gears) or Sports, which is pretty much auto, but changes gears later to give you more oomph.
It handles like a dream. I can't see any way of locking it up, except for maybe slamming on the handbrake and turning violently at the same time. But when would I do that?
Climate control! The little doodad that tells me the temperature, how many kms till empty, how much fuel per 100kms... etc. The dash lights are colourful and just plain pretty, not to mention useful.. lol.


Cons - It costs a fortune to maintain and service.
It needs to be run on premium if you want any kind of fuel economy, due to the fact it's a 4 cylinder, but very heavy with all the extras like electric windows etc.

I can't think of any more cons TBH. It really is a great car. I love it, and it's still a family car, but with sufficient attitude to turn heads. Just my style. You can get around the expensive services if you have a good honest mechanic. He'll know what to eliminate to save you $$ without trashing your car.

All i can say is BUY ONE. Right now. :D

Ooh, just read the rest of this thread.... congrats!! Good choice. Although My liberty is still puuuuuuuuuuuuuuurdy. Her name is Sexy Subie. :)

Did you get it yet?
Are you in love?