Memory seats (often hooked in with outside mirrors and power pedals)
* Rear view camera - No (Unless on SUV) * Rear beeping parking sensors - Yes * Heated steering wheel - No Wear Gloves * Smart cruise control - No too Expensive needs next level of car * Heated rear seats - Yes * Front Seat Cooling - YES YES (The coolest feature on my SAAB!!) * Reclining rear seats in sedans - No unless on bigger model car * Seat that massage you - NO go to a massuese * NAV - Ok * Satellite radio - Yes as option * HIDs - YES YES * Auto open/close on all windows - Yes cool feature
The current Legacy / Outback could be enhannced with the memory seats/mirrors, heated and cooled seats, HID's, NAV, Sat Radio.
Most of all these should be standard on the next level of sedan/wagon they need to build.
I never really understood why they did it. There already is a luxury VW brand, it's called Audi. I had friends who balked at buying the Passat wagon (full load, 4 Motion) because they thought the $$ was too much for a VW. Had no problem justifying the $$ for the MDX though.
Out of the list that Bob came up with, the only ones I would like to see available, as options, are the NAV, HID's, Parking sensor, and memory seats/mirrors. Considering what most manufacturers are adding in now, I can see the memory seats as one of the first standard items to go in. And make the moonroof available across the line. As gimmicky as it may seem, that is something people look for. One last mandatory item: FULL SIZE SPARE!
And make the moonroof available across the line. As gimmicky as it may seem, that is something people look for. One last mandatory item: FULL SIZE SPARE!
I might have agreed with you before I drove a BMW with this feature. Besides, I don't like wearing gloves when driving. I much rather feel the steering wheel directly.
I wear gloves without complaint. They are required when doing track or autocross events-- just get a pair that fit well. Same for winter gloves; I don't drive in ski gloves, I specifically buy gloves that are well-fitted and have a grippy enough palm to drive.
If it's cold enough to wear gloves you should probably be driving fairly carefully. No need to feel the tactile feel of wheel slippage in you hands when you feel in your [non-permissible content removed].
and most people enjoy them. BMW offers a heated steering wheel on most of their models, so obviously their customers appreciate it. I'm assuming this feature can also be found on other premium brands, but I have not researched it.
As to gloves, I wear them when it's above freezing, so road conditions are not necessarily a factor. When it comes to driving, I prefer not wearing gloves. I just find them cumbersome when adjusting the radio, etc. I'd just rather not use them.
unfortunately "wretched excess" is often part of the package when it comes to "premium" or "luxury" vehicles. A lot of those customers really want to be "pampered" and "soothed," which is a concept a lot of people who are not accustomed to that lifestyle, have a hard time coming to grips with. If Subaru wants to play that "premium" game, then you can expect some wretched excess to be part of the package; like it or not.
Also interesting that they are actively promoting the H-6 as a tow car.
It's funny, at Las Vegas SOA was promoting the tow hitch primarily for their bike rack, and not so much for towing. I suggested to the guy making the presentation, that Subaru offer a dashboard-integrated electric brake controller, and the response I got back was that so few Subarus are used for towing that it's not worth the time and effort to do so. Well, if SOA would make the car more tow-friendly -- and promote that aspect (aka advertise!) -- maybe that would change.
No offense but the OB is not a tow vehicle, nor will it be. I tow with a truck and when I tow 5000lbs with it, it's at it's limit. The most you could hope for on an OB size vehicle is 2500-3000, even then you wouldn't catch me towing with it, not due to power but the chassis/vehicle weight just can't handle it.
Heck you can't even get a built in controller for the brakes in a full-size diesel powered GMC pickup!!!! Why would SOA feel compelled to add such an item, not to mention there are a load of different ones out there with different types of sensors and people often in the towing realm like a particular brand.
Outside the North America it is a tow vehicle. In fact, a year or so ago the Outback won the UK's "Tow Car of the Year" award. Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa don't use large US-style trucks for towing because very few are sold there. They're just too expensive to own and operate. Granted most Europeans et al rarely if ever tow anything any where near 5K. What they usually tow are small caravans (see the link for picture), etc.
Just as many here complain about SUVs being bought for the wrong purposes, such as going to the mall, etc., I see tons of SUVs, even full-size SUVs, pulling tiny Class 1 trailers (2K limit). It seems like a huge waste to me. Outbacks can handle that sort of towing just fine, and you're not lugging a huge SUV around.
There's a guy on a Forester board that is buying and shipping accessories from Oz. This is not a first and SoA should really up the choices on options and accessories. Especially optional 17" wheels including a 17" UHP summer tire in 225/50/17. :-)
Don't laugh, in Great Britain and Ireland just about anything is a tow vehicle. Before I emigrated to Canada it was not unusual to see a Morris Minor hauling a caravan around.
They still think nothing of hitching a fair sized caravan to a VW Passat or Jetta, even the Nissan Sunny which is the Sentra here is fair game.
That's true Pat. When I was in the UK about 6 or so years ago, I saw many cars pulling trailers. This just goes to show you don't need a truck to tow smaller trailers.
Up to 2000lbs or so you can tow fine with an OB. But anything over 2000lbs and you are not gonna be fine with an OB. In those other countries you also don't have nearly as many inclines I would think as we have here nor do they have as a demanding speed requirement as we do here. If you are towing something doing 55mph on an interstate here, you are basically a rolling chicane, with people beeping and flashing their lights at you!
Up to 2000lbs you don't need an in-dash brake controller IMHO and the % of people who would use it would be under 5% of the owners of OBs.
In the US if you tow anything you feel compelled to have the biggest badest SUVs available. Afterally "I'm towing" so it's ok.
Funny things I saw on my trip from NYC to the adirondacks today while towing my 5000lb trailer...
1) Ford Explorer with a camper trailer on it. Funniest site I've seen in a while. The front wheels were almost off the ground, with the rear bumper catching stones off the road. This poor guy was totally il-prepared to be towing. The trailer looked to be about 3500-4500lbs and the explorer was hurting both going up the hill as well as it's stature.
2) Saw and OB H6 towing a moderate U-haul type trailer, doing fairly well and keeping up with traffic.
3) Excursion with a 3500-4500lb camper, back was dragging, not as badly as the explorer but still dragging pretty far down for such a behemouth.
4) GMC full-size pickup with 2 quads in the bed and 5 or 6 on a trailer. Back hanging low, but not as low as the explorer.
I just put in some HD rear springs in the trooper with progressive rates and was amazed at how good they held the back up. Old Man Emu shocks and springs from Australia
In those other countries you also don't have nearly as many inclines I would think as we have here nor do they have as a demanding speed requirement as we do here.
Ever hear of the Alps and the Autobahn? ;^)
What you meant to say is they don't have our "lawyers" over there. :-)
The reason they use cars to tow over there is because of $5.00/gal. gas, which appears to be heading our way.
And speaking of towing with the new Outback/Legacy, here's another request for the self-leveling rear suspension, which would be a great aid to those who tow or load up their cars with gear.
Not wanting to sound like the voice of "doom-n-gloom," but there may be an opportunity here for Subaru, especially if these high gas prices remain in place for any length of time.
I suspect more and more people may start looking to Subaru (and other small SUV makers) for their light-duty towing needs, rather than rely on huge SUVs that traditionally have been the vehicle of choice. If SOA is smart, they could encourage this by offering (and advertising more heavily) tow-friendly items to help Subaru owners (and new potential owners!) tow more efficiently and effectively.
Don't forget that a huge factor in those high Euro prices are the taxes. They are the source of price diff between US and Canada. Don't start worrying yet. I don't foresee anyone getting elected or staying elected in the US with a "Let's double gas taxes" platform.
Bob we had friends over for a visit last year from Ireland, his first reaction was your gas is a hell of a lot cheaper than ours.
He thought I was mad when I said it was expensive, and yeah volkov, you make an excellent point, gas in Canada and Europe is expensive because of greedy goverments.
In Canada we actually pay a tax on a tax if you can credit that, Provincial tax is added to the cost of gas and then we are charged GST on the whole freakin amount.
How many subies regularly tow on the autobahn, or in the alps?
Seriously, though, a subie towing 3000lbs on the NJTP would be seriously unsafe, I have significant towing experience, and I would not attempt to tow anything 3000lbs with a subie, even an H6 OB. Sorry.
Here's something Subaru should look at: extending the warranty on the cars. I seem to recall that one of the Subaru reps had hinted at the auto show that Subaur was thinking of extending the warranty. With Hyundai and KIA offering 10 year/100K miles, and most other manufacturers 5 year/100K miles I think it is time that Subaru steps up as well.
that is a scam. it kills resale value of cars because only the original owner gets that warranty.
true for dodge, kia, hyundai.
subaru already has one of the best true warranties that applies to all owners for the duration. if they wanted to a 6yr/100k, the sane way is on certified pre-owned vehicles. those actually INCREASE resale value (assuming you can pay to have a car inspected/repaired and certified-- BMW can).
We all know SoA's lawyers are among the most conservative in the world, just check the tow ratings overseas - 4000 lbs for the H4 models.
Generally I'd recommend keeping the trailer lighter than the car, which allows about 3000-3400 lbs in a Subie. You just don't want the tail wagging the dog.
But that would also mean that Ford rated for 8400 lbs could only tow about half as much.
Copy Suzuki's warranty - 7/100 and fully transferable. Hyundai's drops to 5/60 if you sell it.
Sorry, but at the speeds required on NE highways, 3000lbs+ is way way too much for subies to SAFELY tow. I have at least 20-30K of towing experience, everything from a tiny 300lb trailer up to 5000lb campers and to safety tow with even the H6 you would severely be putting yourself in danger towing a 3000lb camper trailer with an outback, especially if there is a sudden gust of wind from a summer thunderstorm.
I realize they're light for tow vehicles, but keep in mind your Trooper is slab-sided and winds will affect it more. Of course the trailer itself is another story...
The best tow vehicle out of those has been the F250 by far even with the weak v6, 2nd was the ramcharger. The tow vehicle weight really makes a big difference when towing at speed.
As most of you know we just retired our daughter's old, ailing Prelude, and replaced it with a CRV. I won't bore you all with the family battle over this (CRV vs. any Subie), only to say that I lost. In any case, life goes on...
So I guess I'm now the only Crew member here who has both a Forester and a CRV in the family stable. At least I think I am? Anyone else out there with both these cars? If not, I guess, perhaps more so than others here, I should be able to give you all a pretty good comparison of both vehicles over the long haul.
As we all know, both the Forester and CRV have their own strengths. The Forester being smaller, more nimble and fun to drive; while the CRV excels in interior room and flexibility. Also, resale value on the CRV is incredible. We seriously considered getting a used '02 or '03 CRV, but the prices were so close to a new model, we decided on buying new. We did not want a previous generation CRV under any circumstances, and that model design ended in '01.
What I would like to see for future Foresters is to keep all the attributes that have made the Forester so popular (fun to drive; nimble; sporty; and with the XT, FAST!) and marry the best attributes found in the CRV (huge interior room & interior flexibility). That most likely would mean a slightly longer Forester. Let me remind everyone -- before they start shouting at me that his would mean less nimbleness -- that the new Legacy, which has a much longer wheelbase than the WRX (or CRV) has the same turning circle as the smaller Impreza, and is a hoot to drive to boot. Therefore a longer wheelbase does NOT have to mean less nimbleness.
One final comment: When we bought our '01 Forester, the redesigned CRV had not yet debuted, and I was able to steer my wife to the Forester. If she were in the market today, I don't know that I could do that again. The one thing she constantly complains about -- and it's the ONLY thing she complains about -- is the lack of room for rear passengers in her Forester. So if Subaru wants to keep my wife a Forester owner, the next model had better be a bit larger.
Both the Froester and the Outback/Legacy need to be a little more roomier in the back. None of them are comfortable for 3 adults for any length of time.
Both good choices...congrats on the new purchase. I spent quite a bit of time in an 01 CRV (it belonged to my ex) and really liked that car -- I had an 01 OB at the time. The CRV's have an amazing amount of space inside -- shocking when you consider the outer dimensions. Unlike many folks here, I actually enjoyed driving the CRV quite a bit...and this was the previous generation model. Anyways, congrats!
It was one of my decisions when I bought. My primary reaction was a distinct preference for the CR-V. Most people, myself included find the Forester styling to be bland and utilitarian. Yes, some of you disagree, but that's why you're on this board. For regular city driving I found the CRV marginally better, but the Forester beat it during spirited driving on gravel and snow. It was harder to put 3 booster seats in the CRV than the it is in my WRX. So for my needs, the back seat wasn't better. It'll be a few years before my guys complain about leg room. :-)
A few nits that likely would escape a casual test drive:
• I noticed the CRV's rear visibility to be much worse than that of the Forester, when I back down our driveway. It's especially bad at night. There are two reasons for this: 1, the CRV has deep tinted rear glass, which make rear visibility worse at night. 2, when parked right next to the Forester, I noticed that the base of the rear window sits about 4" higher than the base of the rear window on the Forester.
• The inside fuel door release is down near the hood release. That's a terrible location, and impossible to find at night.
• There is no variable-speed intermittent front wiper.
FWIW, Honda exaggerated that advantage by cutting front leg room short. As a front passenger I find it lacking. So the rear has tons of space, but really they should let the front seats move back about 4" farther.
Having said that, yes, stretch the Forester's wheel base about 2" next time around.
coming from an '00 Outback, I find the Forester roomier than my Outback was. Brogan's rear facing seat fit behind my seat easier, even allowing me to have a little more leg room I sacrificed to make his seat fit in the Outback. And the front passenger foot area seems more 'free' in the Forester as well.
Bob, resale value isn't a big deal if you own your vehicles for a long time, which IIRC, you tend to do.
Besides, increasing the size (at least close the gap, as it stands it's not a "gap," but a "canyon"), I think Subaru should also focus on sharpening the handling of the next Forester. One of the reasons we all like the Forester is that it is a good blend of utility and fun-to-drive. Well, the CRV blows it out of the water on utility/roominess aspect. To counter, I would like to see Subaru blow the CRV out of the water in terms of handling. Many of you say it already does, and maybe so, but it still could be a lot better; otherwise why would Loosh, Ed and others replace the stock tires and wheels so quickly. I think a slightly wider track and some fine-tuning of the suspension would be widely welcomed by folks here.
BTW, Deb my wife, drove our daughter's new CRV yesterday for the first time, and absolutely loved it. If Subaru has any hopes of keeping her in the Subaru camp, that rear seat room and overall interior flexibility issue has to be addressed. Sportieness, and the things we love about the current Forester, are just not in her vocabulary.
"the CRV blows it out of the water on utility/roominess aspect"
Come now, that's more than a bit of an exaggeration ;-) By almost any measure, the Forester excels in the utility dept and its greenhouse like interior provides both excelent visibility and a sense of roominess.
Re: Backseat room... out of curiosity, how often does your wife transport 3 or more adults? If Subaru can find a way to add two more inches to the backseat without sacrificing handling or front seat legroom or increasing the overall length then I'm all for it. Otherwise I'm perfectly content to slide the front seats forward a couple of inches on the odd occasion that I'm carrying adults in the backseat.
"The CRV, believe it or not, is as tall as our Explorer"
Although I'm willing to bet that the SUV-like higher seating position is the number one reason the CRV sells so well, the result is a higher CG and the main reason the CRV isn't as nimble as the Forester.
I don't see how Subaru can easily redesign the Forester to match the CRV's almost 6 more inches of rear leg room. Certainly not without sacrificing the Forester's 2 inch advantage in front leg room which I'm totally opposed to. This may not be an isue to shorter drivers but personally, I'd rather have the generous front leg room that I use daily versus more rear leg room that might get used a couple dozen times year.
-Frank P
P.S. Ironically, although the CRV is 4 inches taller the forester has an inch more headroom!
Comments
Memory seats (often hooked in with outside mirrors and power pedals)
* Rear view camera - No (Unless on SUV)
* Rear beeping parking sensors - Yes
* Heated steering wheel - No Wear Gloves
* Smart cruise control - No too Expensive needs next level of car
* Heated rear seats - Yes
* Front Seat Cooling - YES YES (The coolest feature on my SAAB!!)
* Reclining rear seats in sedans - No unless on bigger model car
* Seat that massage you - NO go to a massuese
* NAV - Ok
* Satellite radio - Yes as option
* HIDs - YES YES
* Auto open/close on all windows - Yes cool feature
The current Legacy / Outback could be enhannced with the memory seats/mirrors, heated and cooled seats, HID's, NAV, Sat Radio.
Most of all these should be standard on the next level of sedan/wagon they need to build.
-juice
One last mandatory item: FULL SIZE SPARE!
Mark
One last mandatory item: FULL SIZE SPARE!
Absolutely!
Bob
I might have agreed with you before I drove a BMW with this feature. Besides, I don't like wearing gloves when driving. I much rather feel the steering wheel directly.
Bob
Full sized spares are nice.
~c
Bob
As to gloves, I wear them when it's above freezing, so road conditions are not necessarily a factor. When it comes to driving, I prefer not wearing gloves. I just find them cumbersome when adjusting the radio, etc. I'd just rather not use them.
Bob
Bob
Keep in mind that's an easy fix - it did it with our 2002 Legacy L.
-juice
http://subaru.com.au/promotions/?promoid=112
Also interesting that they are actively promoting the H-6 as a tow car.
It's funny, at Las Vegas SOA was promoting the tow hitch primarily for their bike rack, and not so much for towing. I suggested to the guy making the presentation, that Subaru offer a dashboard-integrated electric brake controller, and the response I got back was that so few Subarus are used for towing that it's not worth the time and effort to do so. Well, if SOA would make the car more tow-friendly -- and promote that aspect (aka advertise!) -- maybe that would change.
Bob
Heck you can't even get a built in controller for the brakes in a full-size diesel powered GMC pickup!!!! Why would SOA feel compelled to add such an item, not to mention there are a load of different ones out there with different types of sensors and people often in the towing realm like a particular brand.
-mike
Bob
Bob
-Dennis
They still think nothing of hitching a fair sized caravan to a VW Passat or Jetta, even the Nissan Sunny which is the Sentra here is fair game.
Cheers Pat.
Bob
Up to 2000lbs you don't need an in-dash brake controller IMHO and the % of people who would use it would be under 5% of the owners of OBs.
In the US if you tow anything you feel compelled to have the biggest badest SUVs available. Afterally "I'm towing" so it's ok.
Funny things I saw on my trip from NYC to the adirondacks today while towing my 5000lb trailer...
1) Ford Explorer with a camper trailer on it. Funniest site I've seen in a while. The front wheels were almost off the ground, with the rear bumper catching stones off the road. This poor guy was totally il-prepared to be towing. The trailer looked to be about 3500-4500lbs and the explorer was hurting both going up the hill as well as it's stature.
2) Saw and OB H6 towing a moderate U-haul type trailer, doing fairly well and keeping up with traffic.
3) Excursion with a 3500-4500lb camper, back was dragging, not as badly as the explorer but still dragging pretty far down for such a behemouth.
4) GMC full-size pickup with 2 quads in the bed and 5 or 6 on a trailer. Back hanging low, but not as low as the explorer.
I just put in some HD rear springs in the trooper with progressive rates and was amazed at how good they held the back up. Old Man Emu shocks and springs from Australia
-mike
Ever hear of the Alps and the Autobahn? ;^)
What you meant to say is they don't have our "lawyers" over there. :-)
DaveM
The reason they use cars to tow over there is because of $5.00/gal. gas, which appears to be heading our way.
And speaking of towing with the new Outback/Legacy, here's another request for the self-leveling rear suspension, which would be a great aid to those who tow or load up their cars with gear.
Bob
I suspect more and more people may start looking to Subaru (and other small SUV makers) for their light-duty towing needs, rather than rely on huge SUVs that traditionally have been the vehicle of choice. If SOA is smart, they could encourage this by offering (and advertising more heavily) tow-friendly items to help Subaru owners (and new potential owners!) tow more efficiently and effectively.
Bob
Cheers Pat.
Ever notice how the Europeans chuckle when we complain about gas prices?
Bob
Nicholas
He thought I was mad when I said it was expensive, and yeah volkov, you make an excellent point, gas in Canada and Europe is expensive because of greedy goverments.
In Canada we actually pay a tax on a tax if you can credit that, Provincial tax is added to the cost of gas and then we are charged GST on the whole freakin amount.
Cheers Pat.
Seriously, though, a subie towing 3000lbs on the NJTP would be seriously unsafe, I have significant towing experience, and I would not attempt to tow anything 3000lbs with a subie, even an H6 OB. Sorry.
-mike
Mark
that is a scam. it kills resale value of cars because only the original owner gets that warranty.
true for dodge, kia, hyundai.
subaru already has one of the best true warranties that applies to all owners for the duration. if they wanted to a 6yr/100k, the sane way is on certified pre-owned vehicles. those actually INCREASE resale value (assuming you can pay to have a car inspected/repaired and certified-- BMW can).
~c
We all know SoA's lawyers are among the most conservative in the world, just check the tow ratings overseas - 4000 lbs for the H4 models.
Generally I'd recommend keeping the trailer lighter than the car, which allows about 3000-3400 lbs in a Subie. You just don't want the tail wagging the dog.
But that would also mean that Ford rated for 8400 lbs could only tow about half as much.
Copy Suzuki's warranty - 7/100 and fully transferable. Hyundai's drops to 5/60 if you sell it.
-juice
-mike
-juice
1974 Oldsmobile 98 455ci
1985 Caprice wagon 350ci
1987 Lebaron Turbo
1988 Plymoth Reliant K
1997 Isuzu Rodeo
1982 Dodge Ramcharger
1997 Ford F250 v6
2000 Trooper
The best tow vehicle out of those has been the F250 by far even with the weak v6, 2nd was the ramcharger. The tow vehicle weight really makes a big difference when towing at speed.
-mike
-juice
So I guess I'm now the only Crew member here who has both a Forester and a CRV in the family stable. At least I think I am? Anyone else out there with both these cars? If not, I guess, perhaps more so than others here, I should be able to give you all a pretty good comparison of both vehicles over the long haul.
As we all know, both the Forester and CRV have their own strengths. The Forester being smaller, more nimble and fun to drive; while the CRV excels in interior room and flexibility. Also, resale value on the CRV is incredible. We seriously considered getting a used '02 or '03 CRV, but the prices were so close to a new model, we decided on buying new. We did not want a previous generation CRV under any circumstances, and that model design ended in '01.
What I would like to see for future Foresters is to keep all the attributes that have made the Forester so popular (fun to drive; nimble; sporty; and with the XT, FAST!) and marry the best attributes found in the CRV (huge interior room & interior flexibility). That most likely would mean a slightly longer Forester. Let me remind everyone -- before they start shouting at me that his would mean less nimbleness -- that the new Legacy, which has a much longer wheelbase than the WRX (or CRV) has the same turning circle as the smaller Impreza, and is a hoot to drive to boot. Therefore a longer wheelbase does NOT have to mean less nimbleness.
One final comment: When we bought our '01 Forester, the redesigned CRV had not yet debuted, and I was able to steer my wife to the Forester. If she were in the market today, I don't know that I could do that again. The one thing she constantly complains about -- and it's the ONLY thing she complains about -- is the lack of room for rear passengers in her Forester. So if Subaru wants to keep my wife a Forester owner, the next model had better be a bit larger.
Bob
As for nimbleness it's also got to do with CG, the legacy may be longer, but it's also lower. High + longer = moving the CG higher in the chassis.
-mike
Mark
b
Nicholas
• I noticed the CRV's rear visibility to be much worse than that of the Forester, when I back down our driveway. It's especially bad at night. There are two reasons for this: 1, the CRV has deep tinted rear glass, which make rear visibility worse at night. 2, when parked right next to the Forester, I noticed that the base of the rear window sits about 4" higher than the base of the rear window on the Forester.
• The inside fuel door release is down near the hood release. That's a terrible location, and impossible to find at night.
• There is no variable-speed intermittent front wiper.
Bob
Having said that, yes, stretch the Forester's wheel base about 2" next time around.
-juice
Bob, resale value isn't a big deal if you own your vehicles for a long time, which IIRC, you tend to do.
-Brian
BTW, Deb my wife, drove our daughter's new CRV yesterday for the first time, and absolutely loved it. If Subaru has any hopes of keeping her in the Subaru camp, that rear seat room and overall interior flexibility issue has to be addressed. Sportieness, and the things we love about the current Forester, are just not in her vocabulary.
Bob
Bob
Come now, that's more than a bit of an exaggeration ;-) By almost any measure, the Forester excels in the utility dept and its greenhouse like interior provides both excelent visibility and a sense of roominess.
Re: Backseat room... out of curiosity, how often does your wife transport 3 or more adults? If Subaru can find a way to add two more inches to the backseat without sacrificing handling or front seat legroom or increasing the overall length then I'm all for it. Otherwise I'm perfectly content to slide the front seats forward a couple of inches on the odd occasion that I'm carrying adults in the backseat.
"The CRV, believe it or not, is as tall as our Explorer"
Although I'm willing to bet that the SUV-like higher seating position is the number one reason the CRV sells so well, the result is a higher CG and the main reason the CRV isn't as nimble as the Forester.
-Frank P
LOL
~c
I'm a bit torn on this, because a small SUV is meant to be just that, small.
I almost think the Legacy should have grown more, to Altima/Camry/Accord size. It's really only about Mazda6 or Acura TSX sized right now.
The new full size platform could spawn a roomy sedan/wagon that would make those folks happy, perhaps.
-juice
-Frank P
P.S. Ironically, although the CRV is 4 inches taller the forester has an inch more headroom!
~c