Considering trading the 335i for an Outback

[Mr Carrots]

Sportwagen is the ideal budget no fun option, and VW are offering massive discounts on them

The anaemic 1.8 is a PoS but you can tune it up to be passable, room for dogs in the back.

If only they offered the gti or R versions they do in europe it would have been my 2nd car

[1MOREMOD]

We liked the tdi sportwagen but sold it back to vw.

[Mavus]

Originally Posted by Faredo

I love the 335i but really hate how unpractical it is even as a second car. I sold my FJ Cruiser years ago and still have nightmares missing it so much... literally. Ive never owned a Subaru but looking at a 2015+ outback 2.5 or 3.6R. The closest dealer is an hour away but i really cant think of another car that will fit my needs. i.e. not as hard for little ones to get into as an fj/4runner etc. not as big for the garage, plenty of room, passing power. Anyone have experience moving from BMW to Subaru? regrets?


heres the old girl i let get away had her for 8 great years

[IMG]https://scontent-dfw5-1.xx.fbcdn.net...d0&oe=5B70D7DC[/IMG]

We had '15 Outback 3.6r until last year. The Isight is horrible unreliable junk. It does not work period! I came to the point of ripping it out. Once a month the dash would have red and orange Isight warnings on and Subaru's fix was just unplug the battery to perform hard reset.

The steering needs constant correction. There is hardly any directional stability. I was mentally exhausted after 4-5 hrs of hwy driving.

The chassis does not like to change direction no matter the speed and it tells you. It is a long narrow car with skinny tires.

The cabin noise above 60 mph wow!

The bluetooth cell sound quality is horrible. There is a lot of noise and it is often hard to understand words.

The best thing about it was the engine and interior space. Also ctrls are straight fwd.

Basically I see it as a box on wheels to carry cargo short distance only! Everything about it feels cheap. When the seats move the plastic molding covering the bottom seat side opens up like a fish mouth. The paint on the rims was peeling off within the first year.

Never again!!

[1MOREMOD]

We have older outback and would echo those points above. I can't stand to drive it.

[TxHornX3M40iGuy]

Originally Posted by Faredo

I love the 335i but really hate how unpractical it is even as a second car. I sold my FJ Cruiser years ago and still have nightmares missing it so much... literally. Ive never owned a Subaru but looking at a 2015+ outback 2.5 or 3.6R. The closest dealer is an hour away but i really cant think of another car that will fit my needs. i.e. not as hard for little ones to get into as an fj/4runner etc. not as big for the garage, plenty of room, passing power. Anyone have experience moving from BMW to Subaru? regrets?


heres the old girl i let get away had her for 8 great years

^^^ Said no one ever.
Seriously, we owned an Outback several years ago, it was great for going to Tahoe on the weekends, but going from a BMW to that is going to feel like you've been cast away to a 3rd world country.

[nick3753]

E84 x1 ? Or too small?

[GeorgeA]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Subaru reliable? That will do me, they are not, never have been. This myth continues to circulate.

We have 2 Subaru’s

One is a BRZ and it does not turn on at all, going to trial with Subaru over this.

The other is an Outback who’s transmission had an issue that cost us around $2k. The vehicle had 11k miles on it.

[Ginger_Extract]

Originally Posted by FriskyDingo

I will bypass the looks argument and bring something meaningful to the discussion. And is that I despise how they drive. Subarus in general, really. They're unrefined, agricultural, boring, slow, have cheap interiors, and the CVT is awful.

Yup, this. All the refinement of a 70s pickup, without any of the flair. Hard pass.

[ShocknAwe]

If you're gonna go outback, get the I think 2003 with the H6. Good powerplant and decent to drive. Had one for about 5 years, great for camping and rallied the shit out of it.

I'd skip anything from 2007 forward from subaru unless looking at the impreza line. Honestly, stick with the first part of that, just skip subaru if looking for something relatively new.

[CP911]

I remember watching the news a couple of years ago when I was still living in NC, and there was a story about a mother getting t-boned in a newer Outback at I believe 55mph by a Chevy s10 pickup (I am having trouble finding the story online...maybe someone can dig it up to confirm these details). Her kids were with her and everyone in the Outback died. The car was a mangled mess with the entire upper roof structure basically ripped clean off.

Also, I had a 2016 WRX, and while it gave me 21k trouble-free miles before I sold it, I found a few areas on the car where it was obvious they use lightweight materials and cheap construction to save $ and improve gas mileage.

Subaru makes great economy cars, but they just are not built like a BMW, Volvo, etc.

I prefer to drive my 1-year old in something safer and far more substantial. I bought a used Volvo XC70 with 130k on the clock as our 2nd/backup car (actually 3rd if you include my 2er, which is not a DD) and could not be happier with it.

If I was in your shoes, and based on the type of vehicle it sounds like you are after, I'd consider a lightly used XC70 or wait for the new V60 Cross Country to be revealed.

Good luck!

[Fugly M3]

If you want 4wd...get a Raptor...there is no substitute for that awesomeness!

[Never_Enough]

Originally Posted by CP911

I remember watching the news a couple of years ago when I was still living in NC, and there was a story about a mother getting t-boned in a newer Outback at I believe 55mph by a Chevy s10 pickup (I am having trouble finding the story online...maybe someone can dig it up to confirm these details). Her kids were with her and everyone in the Outback died. The car was a mangled mess with the entire upper roof structure basically ripped clean off.

Also, I had a 2016 WRX, and while it gave me 21k trouble-free miles before I sold it, I found a few areas on the car where it was obvious they use lightweight materials and cheap construction to save $ and improve gas mileage.

Subaru makes great economy cars, but they just are not built like a BMW, Volvo, etc.

I prefer to drive my 1-year old in something safer and far more substantial. I bought a used Volvo XC70 with 130k on the clock as our 2nd/backup car (actually 3rd if you include my 2er, which is not a DD) and could not be happier with it.

If I was in your shoes, and based on the type of vehicle it sounds like you are after, I'd consider a lightly used XC70 or wait for the new V60 Cross Country to be revealed.

Good luck!

If safety is paramount, Volvo is the way to go.

[hellrotm]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

Where I live, Subaru Outbacks are driven by a bunch of self-righteous granola crunching hippies who camp in the left lane.

Oh come on, you are being too PC.

https://www.theatlantic.com/business...sbians/488042/

[Torgus]

Originally Posted by BlackJetE90

Oh come on, you are being too PC.

https://www.theatlantic.com/business...sbians/488042/

This and

Originally Posted by TheWatchGuy

thats awesome you are confident enough to come out.

This.

/thread

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by Never_Enough

If safety is paramount, Volvo is the way to go.

I don't know how true that is anymore, as in i really am unsure. See as afar as I am concerned the whole safety rating thing has been diluted with too much emphasis on passive safety. All I care about are crash test results.

[RM7]

My brother rolled a forester down a hill. Those things are strong. The A/B/C and D pillars on Subarus are ultra-strong and we see our fair share up here in accidents, just because we see everything in accidents due to weather conditions. They tend to resist t-bones and rear/front ends very well. Often to the point where it looks like almost no damage and the other vehicle got "messed up".

[Never_Enough]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

I don't know how true that is anymore, as in i really am unsure. See as afar as I am concerned the whole safety rating thing has been diluted with too much emphasis on passive safety. All I care about are crash test results.

Not saying other makers don't have super safe cars, but Volvo is still safe as safe can be.

[Never_Enough]

Originally Posted by JamesNoBrakes

My brother rolled a forester down a hill. Those things are strong. The A/B/C and D pillars on Subarus are ultra-strong and we see our fair share up here in accidents, just because we see everything in accidents due to weather conditions. They tend to resist t-bones and rear/front ends very well. Often to the point where it looks like almost no damage and the other vehicle got "messed up".

Well shit, he should buy a 99ish Grand Prix GTP then. I rolled one down a hill too after I got ran off the road. Landed half on roof & side. I crawled out of the sunroof with just a cut on my hand & bloody nose from airbag.

[RM7]

Originally Posted by Never_Enough

Well shit, he should buy a 99ish Grand Prix GTP then. I rolled one down a hill too after I got ran off the road. Landed half on roof & side. I crawled out of the sunroof with just a cut on my hand & bloody nose from airbag.

Well, what was the crash-rating on that? The Subarus are pretty famous for their A, B, C and D pillar strength and resistance to T-bones and other massive accidents. Some of these were so strong they were actually breaking the jaws-of-life tools and rendering them ineffective.

[Mr Carrots]

My wifes Forester held up pretty well when it got totaled when an old dude rear ended me at high speed in his giant minivan

I actually started driving it home before realizing the suspension was pushed up through the trunk