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Outback vs Highlander vs RAV4
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Comments
Years ago, when I had to resort to legal action to solve a lemon problem, I asked the lawyer (a reputable one) which car manufacturers were the easiest or most difficult to deal with. He responded that Honda and Mercedes were by far the most difficult, with Toyota being somewhere in the middle. Unfortunately, I had not asked him about Subaru.
Better yet, I'll put the V6 in my Miata. :surprise:
Subaru needs to ditch the 3.0l H6 and replace it with the 3.6l H6. I've only sampled that engine in the Tribeca, but it's a match for Toyota's mighty 2GR V6. The 3.0l is not.
Now you have to drive a Forester when that comes out, should only be another 8 weeks or so.
I'm not sure about who is easier to deal with when it comes to Lemons, but an Edmunds member that is a supplier to SIA surprised me when he said that Subaru's inspections are more stringent than Toyota's (at the same plant).
Not sure if that's why Toyota dropped to 3rd in reliability rankings, but it wasn't enough to sway me away from a Sienna. The engine alone is worth the $25 grand.
Yes, I am concerned Toyota has slipped in reliability. Toyota talks too much of cost cutting. It shows (some of the RAV4 parts are downright cheap), and that has hurt them.
But I certainly agree with you wrt Subaru H6's being outclassed by the Toyota 2GR V6.
Still, I doubt Subaru will use their 3.6 H6 in anything but the Tribeca for the next two years.
Wrt forester, Subaru has to improve the seats, the transmission and (lower torque) the engine. The current seats got a bad rap from CU, and they've proved pretty accurate for my older frame.
Also, very likely now I will relocate to a level area in Portland (out of the mountains), making AWD much less important for short term. Long term, it remains desirable.
The Outback has a 5 speed auto and nicer interior.
The Forester seems to have better mileage, performance, handling (no tail happyness, apparently) and space utilization.
Comments?
Bob
Anyone hear if they might be planning that?
Or will they sit on the model until '10 and then do it all at once (from sound of it, it will be too big for me, unfortunately) ?
Join me in a group buy. Two 2009 Foresters.
We'll get a great deal!
Hopefully Subie will let folks get inside to get feel of interior.
By comparison, Mazda and Mitsubishi seem to prefer keeping people out of their new models. I guess they're afraid the cars will get stripped or damaged.
Keep your eyes peeled, I'll have photos and maybe even some video. :shades:
In brief, was impressed - in many ways better than the Outback, and cheaper.