current shape Forester XT
Discussion
Freds said:
Good luck with your 'shopping' then SubieGeorge, keep us updated. Have a good Christmas... 
Happened to see a Venetian Red XT at a local dealer - a customer order that had arrived earlier than expected. Must admit to being a bit disappointed - didn't look like the brochure or photos online. I've come to the conclusion that I don't really like red cars, but can't put my finger on why. I suppose it's just a subjective choice like any other.As the XT is only available in 4 colours and I've ruled out white and red and I don't really want another black one - that leaves dark grey. Not a car colour I've ever had and never really thought about choosing, but I can see the attraction. Very neutral and easy to live with,but at the same time quite classy. Is it easier to keep clean than black!?
Had the opportunity to drive a new 2.5 petrol Outback CVT today. Real premium feel inside - a big step forward for Subaru. I liked the simple and uncluttered dash which makes the Forester look over fussy with all the dials and information screens.
However, I felt it was too big for what I need. Also, I thought the ride would be better. I felt it was quite a lot firmer than I had expected. I went straight back into my XT and thought that although it is firmer than the Outback, it is not hugely so. If the feedback I'm getting about the upgrades to the Forester '17 MY are accurate - i.e that the suspension has been retuned, particularly the dampers, in order to reduce the shock arising from potholes and poor surfaces - then it may now be quite acceptable.
I'll give an update when I drive a late '16 XT demo car after Christmas.
Freds said:
Good luck with your 'shopping' then SubieGeorge, keep us updated. Have a good Christmas...
.Not been shopping yet - probably tomorrow. However, I received an email from a local main dealer with the 2017 price list he had promised. There are different price rises for different models. The WRX and Levorg, for example, are going up by a whopping £2,185. But the Forester XT is only rising by £350. My hunch is that is because a new model is due out in the next couple of years and they don't want a massive price rise to kill sales which it has done in the past. The recently updated models are the ones going up by much more. Another explanation I was given is that the importer can't absorb the currency fluctuations as much on the lower volume models which have lower margins. Who knows.
I'm beginning to think it may be worth hanging on until April because the new VED rates for the XT should drop to a flat rate of £140 pa. If that's the case I was wondering what effect buying a car with £270 VED would have on residuals. Anyone care to speculate.
Bit early yet, but a Happy New Year to you all.
Not going shopping until New Year now. Spent some time thinking over Christmas (in the limited time between eating and drinking) about car choice.
I was really hoping the Forester would get the eyesight system sometime soon, but it looks like it will come with the new model in 2 or 3 years. Although the Forester has had a significant refresh, I'm not sure the cost of upgrading now would be worth the money,even though there are some very good deals around.
I'm thinking I would give the Outback another go, largely because the new model has only been out a year or so and consequently has things like Eyesight, torque vectoring, etc. Also, at current prices it is very good value compared to XT - only £500 more - although it is going up my nearly £2,500 from tomorrow!
My recent test drive wasn't very satisfactory because it was accompanied and we only drove about 6 miles - after I got to the dealers he informed me didn't have long because he had to get to the Christmas party. I'll arrange an unaccompanied test for a couple of hours as I did before I bought the XT.
Some questions for Outback owners out there (Freds etc) :
One of the things that annoys me most about the Forester, particularly on long journeys, is the cabin noise largely due to tyre roar. My local dealer told me the insulation improvements made in the Forester refresh were welcome, but he didn't think they made a huge difference. He made those comments when he was trying to sell me a new Forester which he was trying to shift before the end of the year, so I thiink that must have been his genuine and honest opinion. I wonder if the current Outback is any better. I've read that Subaru tend not to spend too much on NVH because they want to keep the cost down in these areas so they can invest in their amazing AWD system. Can anyone who's any a decent amount of time driving both comment on their experience of cabin noise.
I bought the XT rather than the n/a Forester as I thought the latter was underpowered and consequently a bit harsh. I'm a bit concerned the 2.5 n/a Outback may also be a bit limp and require working a bit hard, which of course results in the drive being less than relaxed. I can easily cope with less than the 240 bhp of the Forester as I consider it a bit unnecessary for most of the time, bearing in mind the height of the car, but I don't want to go too far in the other direction re power. I've read somewhere a while ago that someone who went from an XT to a 2.5 Outback was pleasantly surprised how well it coped. I suppose the 2.0 DIT Iin the XT would be quite good in the Outback as it is lower and more car like. Knowing my luck, I'll buy a 2.5 and they'll bring out a 2.0DIT version in the Spring!
What could I expect from the Outback in mpg in the real world? I get about 30/31 in the XT.
Does the extra girth and length make the Outback seem a lot more unwieldy? But on the other hand, is it significantly more car-like than SUV-like to drive?
Apologies for this long post - I've obviously got too much time on my hands at the moment (or I want to spend some time away from the family). But you always get good advice on this forum.
Happy New Year.
I was really hoping the Forester would get the eyesight system sometime soon, but it looks like it will come with the new model in 2 or 3 years. Although the Forester has had a significant refresh, I'm not sure the cost of upgrading now would be worth the money,even though there are some very good deals around.
I'm thinking I would give the Outback another go, largely because the new model has only been out a year or so and consequently has things like Eyesight, torque vectoring, etc. Also, at current prices it is very good value compared to XT - only £500 more - although it is going up my nearly £2,500 from tomorrow!
My recent test drive wasn't very satisfactory because it was accompanied and we only drove about 6 miles - after I got to the dealers he informed me didn't have long because he had to get to the Christmas party. I'll arrange an unaccompanied test for a couple of hours as I did before I bought the XT.
Some questions for Outback owners out there (Freds etc) :
One of the things that annoys me most about the Forester, particularly on long journeys, is the cabin noise largely due to tyre roar. My local dealer told me the insulation improvements made in the Forester refresh were welcome, but he didn't think they made a huge difference. He made those comments when he was trying to sell me a new Forester which he was trying to shift before the end of the year, so I thiink that must have been his genuine and honest opinion. I wonder if the current Outback is any better. I've read that Subaru tend not to spend too much on NVH because they want to keep the cost down in these areas so they can invest in their amazing AWD system. Can anyone who's any a decent amount of time driving both comment on their experience of cabin noise.
I bought the XT rather than the n/a Forester as I thought the latter was underpowered and consequently a bit harsh. I'm a bit concerned the 2.5 n/a Outback may also be a bit limp and require working a bit hard, which of course results in the drive being less than relaxed. I can easily cope with less than the 240 bhp of the Forester as I consider it a bit unnecessary for most of the time, bearing in mind the height of the car, but I don't want to go too far in the other direction re power. I've read somewhere a while ago that someone who went from an XT to a 2.5 Outback was pleasantly surprised how well it coped. I suppose the 2.0 DIT Iin the XT would be quite good in the Outback as it is lower and more car like. Knowing my luck, I'll buy a 2.5 and they'll bring out a 2.0DIT version in the Spring!
What could I expect from the Outback in mpg in the real world? I get about 30/31 in the XT.
Does the extra girth and length make the Outback seem a lot more unwieldy? But on the other hand, is it significantly more car-like than SUV-like to drive?
Apologies for this long post - I've obviously got too much time on my hands at the moment (or I want to spend some time away from the family). But you always get good advice on this forum.
Happy New Year.
Just wanted to add a couple of things. Apologies for asking similar questions previously - should have read through all of the thread before posting. But people may have something to add about longer term ownership and experience of the Outback. I understand that the CVT now has built in 'steps' to mimic a traditional auto. Any comments on whether this is an improvement or a backward step?
Re cheaper XT's - Woodford Motor Co have sold 3 in the last 2 days! Two were pre reg and one was 'new'. They also sold another pre-reg XT just before Christmas. Clearly far more popular than I imagined. Hopefully good news in terms of resale value.
Re cheaper XT's - Woodford Motor Co have sold 3 in the last 2 days! Two were pre reg and one was 'new'. They also sold another pre-reg XT just before Christmas. Clearly far more popular than I imagined. Hopefully good news in terms of resale value.
SubieGeorge said:
I bought the XT rather than the n/a Forester as I thought the latter was underpowered and consequently a bit harsh. I'm a bit concerned the 2.5 n/a Outback may also be a bit limp and require working a bit hard, which of course results in the drive being less than relaxed. I can easily cope with less than the 240 bhp of the Forester as I consider it a bit unnecessary for most of the time, bearing in mind the height of the car, but I don't want to go too far in the other direction re power. I've read somewhere a while ago that someone who went from an XT to a 2.5 Outback was pleasantly surprised how well it coped. I suppose the 2.0 DIT Iin the XT would be quite good in the Outback as it is lower and more car like. Knowing my luck, I'll buy a 2.5 and they'll bring out a 2.0DIT version in the Spring!
I have had a couple of Outbacks (08 2.0d and 09 3.0) and nearly bought a forester a couple of times - a current Outback would have been nice but I wanted more power than either the 2.5 petrol or 2.0 diesel - a shame the turbo petrol isn't fittedDrove an Outback 2.5i yesterday for a couple of hours on a variety of roads - fast A roads, dual carriage way and rough B roads. Very impressed. Softer than XT, but still quite composed. I was surprised how lively it was for such a big car, although it doesn't really feel enormous. However, getting back into the Forester you realize that the XT is really quite narrow.
I couldn't believe the Outback doesn't have DAB radio when the refreshed Forester has and the quality of the audio is nothing short of shocking compared to the Forester. I've subsequently read on the Outback forum that this is other people's experience also.
A friend recently bought a new BMW 5 series estate which I travelled in today. I though the interior quality was no better than the Outback and if anything I thought the Outback had the edge on it. The BM had acres of piano black trim like the Outback, but there was too much and it was nasty. In the back I noticed as much road noise as the Subaru which surprised me, bearing in mind his car has a list price about £15,000 more than a new Outback! Money down the drain as far as I'm concerned.
I'm looking to see what deals are out there. Some dealers are marking up there pre-reg cars as costing in excess of £33k even though they bought them in September, way before the price rise on 1st January. But anything to squeeze a bit more out of the innocent punters.
I keep having a recurring thought that a refreshed Forester would be nice, but it seems a bit of an expensive indulgence.
Anyway, I'll keep you posted on what I do.
I couldn't believe the Outback doesn't have DAB radio when the refreshed Forester has and the quality of the audio is nothing short of shocking compared to the Forester. I've subsequently read on the Outback forum that this is other people's experience also.
A friend recently bought a new BMW 5 series estate which I travelled in today. I though the interior quality was no better than the Outback and if anything I thought the Outback had the edge on it. The BM had acres of piano black trim like the Outback, but there was too much and it was nasty. In the back I noticed as much road noise as the Subaru which surprised me, bearing in mind his car has a list price about £15,000 more than a new Outback! Money down the drain as far as I'm concerned.
I'm looking to see what deals are out there. Some dealers are marking up there pre-reg cars as costing in excess of £33k even though they bought them in September, way before the price rise on 1st January. But anything to squeeze a bit more out of the innocent punters.
I keep having a recurring thought that a refreshed Forester would be nice, but it seems a bit of an expensive indulgence.
Anyway, I'll keep you posted on what I do.
I'm edging towards a nearly new Outback if I can find one at a decent price - prices for pre-reg are on the rise which is a bit naughty.
One concern I have though after my couple of hour drive is that the steering is a bit heavier than the XT. Can anyone confirm or otherwise? This is important as I suffered a serious mountain bike accident several years ago and badly injured my right shoulder. I had to change my then Nisan X-Trail as the heavy steering became intolerable on longer journeys.
Thanks for everyone's input.
One concern I have though after my couple of hour drive is that the steering is a bit heavier than the XT. Can anyone confirm or otherwise? This is important as I suffered a serious mountain bike accident several years ago and badly injured my right shoulder. I had to change my then Nisan X-Trail as the heavy steering became intolerable on longer journeys.
Thanks for everyone's input.
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