So many (too many??) choices!

J

Joe

My wife and I did some testing driving this weekend and were very
impressed with the various '04 Subarus we drove.

First, a little background: this will be our primary car for a few
years at least (we're married, no kids, but that will likely change in
the next year or so). We also have a Ford Explorer, which is nice for
the room but bad for the fuel cost. It'll likely turn into a minivan
someday. The Subaru will also be my commuting car (20 miles/1 hour a
day) for the forseeable future.

We drove the Outback (both 4 cyl and H6) and Impreza Sport WRX wagon.
The WRX was a bit too much sports car for what we're looking for (but
a lot of fun!!), so that's out. I haven't yet driven the Impreza TS
Wagon or the Outback Sport (which is based off the Impreza, right?),
but will this week. (I have a stick shift now, but am very bi-polar
on this issue-- I normally enjoy it, except when stuck in traffic,
where I hate it.)

Does anyone have any opinions on the TS vs the Outback Sport vs. the
H6, both in terms of smoothness/handling/noise/space (both cargo and
passengers) and in terms of money (the TS would be $8k cheaper than
the H6)? I'm just curious since I would think other people would have
dealt with this comparison and haven't been able to find much on this
topic.

Hopefully this makes sense. Thanks in advance for any feedback.
 
Joe said:
My wife and I did some testing driving this weekend and were very
impressed with the various '04 Subarus we drove.

Does anyone have any opinions on the TS vs the Outback Sport vs. the
H6, both in terms of smoothness/handling/noise/space (both cargo and
passengers) and in terms of money (the TS would be $8k cheaper than
the H6)? I'm just curious since I would think other people would have
dealt with this comparison and haven't been able to find much on this
topic.

Hopefully this makes sense. Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Well, it may make no sense to you, but we just chose a Forester for
reasons of our own. It was a big taller, but shorter in length, than the
Outback. We have a tight garage and that was important. It may carry
a bit less, but we can get it into the garage without a parking coach.
The handling is great! Ride I'm guessing is about the same as the others,
maybe the Forester is a bit more of a "truck" feel since it's billed as SUV.
(okay, "mini")
 
[posted and mailed]

(e-mail address removed) (Joe) wrote in
Does anyone have any opinions on the TS vs the Outback Sport vs. the
H6, both in terms of smoothness/handling/noise/space (both cargo and
passengers) and in terms of money (the TS would be $8k cheaper than
the H6)? I'm just curious since I would think other people would have
dealt with this comparison and haven't been able to find much on this
topic.

I recently bought a '03 TS and much prefer it to the Outback Sport. The
differences between the two are the Outback Sport has a higher/different
suspension, larger wheels, heated seats and a two tone paint job as well as
assorted other trim differences. The drive train is identical except I
believe the Outback Sport has a limited slip rear differential. Since I
wasn't interested in any of these things (LSD would be nice but not a must
have) I went with the TS and saved myself a fair bit of change. To date I am
quite happy with the TS and find it to be quite peppy. To get the H6 you
need to look at the Legacy and that was getting out of my price range.
 
Hmm, I've found it very easy to handle on country curvy roads, but then
I'm just a civilian driver, no high-speed competition stuff for me. At
least not when my wife is sitting in the front seat. :) YMMV
 
Alan said:
Check out the Forrester XS and XT.

We did, but we really didn't end up liking the feel or the look of the
Forrester.

I had a chance to drive the Impreza Outback Sport and the Impreza TS
wagon yesterday, and was pretty pleased with both (esp. with the
5-speed standard). Is there any strong reason to spend the extra
$1100 for the Sport?
 
I had a chance to drive the Impreza Outback Sport and the Impreza TS
wagon yesterday, and was pretty pleased with both (esp. with the
5-speed standard). Is there any strong reason to spend the extra
$1100 for the Sport?

Depends largely on your value of options.

How many things in the OBS would you add to the TS anyways?
Heated seats? Cruise control? Cargo cover? Roof rails?
etc.

If you want a bunch of the options anyhow, add up the costs
of getting those (dealer or aftermarket). If the price is
close, go for the OBS - you'll probably get a better resale
value. If those options don't interest you in the least,
and you don't need the additional ride height (I think it's
different anyways) then the TS is a heck of a deal for what
you get.
 

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