So many (too many??) choices!

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Joe 22 years ago

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.

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Alan 22 years ago

Check out the Forrester XS and XT.

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no mas panzon 22 years ago

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")

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Alan 22 years ago

We found the Forrester to roll a bit on turns, as compared to the OBW.

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Fuzzy Logic 22 years ago

[posted and mailed]

snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com (Joe) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com:

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.

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no mas panzon 22 years ago

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

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Joe 22 years ago

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?

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Cam Penner 22 years ago

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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So many (too many??) choices!

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