Nonsense. I'm 77 and a reasonably fit hiker and backpacker. My Outback gets me places no Accord would ever dare go. The same (except for clearance underneath) would be true of a Legacy sedan. I *LIKE* the stiffer ride, too. I've driven over 1200 km in one day in an Outback, something I wouldn't consider doing in most cars. You don't need to fight the Outback; it's the easiest car to drive I've ever had. It's a 5 speed manual, by the way.
Hondas last a long, long time if you take good care of them; my oldest daughter and my son drive Hondas which they keep a while. So do Subarus. My oldest daughter and her husband gave a 350,000 km 1988 Subaru (which I gave her in 1997 at 246,000 km) to my middle daughter and her husband when my son's wife gave my oldest daughter a Honda Civic with only
50,000 km on it; they kept the 1988 Subaru to 409,000 km in 2005 and gave it away to a friend then because they went to Africa for two years. On their return from Africa in 2007 I gave my middle daughter and her husband my 1997 Subaru at 307,000 km and they still have it, at close to
400,000 km. When I get tired of my current 2007 Outback it's the oldest daughter's turn again. Her son drives a Subaru, by the way.
It really depends on whether you need that 4WD capability of the Subaru. If you're in a snowy area, or do a lot of camping, then the answer is probably yes, you need the 4WD. Otherwise, it's no. There's no problem with having the 4WD capabilities in an area you really don't need it in, but it may cost you a bit more in fuel economy. Though the Subaru 4WD system is efficient, there is bound to be a small penalty in the fuel economy department.
If performance is your criterion, then go with the Subaru. Given identical power, or even if the Accord has a bit more power, the Legacy will likely handle better and accelerate better than the Accord, due to the better power distribution to the road.
No one can tell when you're joking unless you add a smiley and no one can tell when you're flaming unless you add a frowney. That's weak, very weak. You're pitiable.
There will probably be some penalty also in maintenance cost, no? After all, AWD cars are inherently more complex do to the extra drive shaft and differential gear.
You'd think so, but I haven't really noticed it. The center differential is basically a closed unit, so you can't really get at it for maintenance. The front differential is usually just part of the transmission, so any transmission oil change will also affect the differential; this is similar to any front-drive car. Rear differential is like any other rear differential in a rear-drive car, requires maintenance pretty infrequently. Other than regular lubrication, the only other stuff that might need some repair are things like rubber boots and CV joints, etc.: which is no different than anything you'd have to do with front or rear-drive vehicles.
In your case the slushbox is separate from the front differentual.
You must be joking. The wet rear diff requires gear oil change every 15k miles on subaru. see prior thread. in any event I would not dare without the gear oil change every 40k on any car even if the car maker put synthetic gear oil there and claims the rear diff is maintenance "free". That thing unlike the center or front diff is under constant full load from the engine.
it is different in a sense that the exposure to elements varies model by model. and even if it were not the quality of rubber used by different car makers varies.
No. The Subaru automatic drives with a minimum of only 10% power to the rear diff and 90% to the front diff. This would be typical for dry roads. The center clutch pack regulates the amount of power to the rear diff. From
10% to the back all the way to 50/50 split front and back.
There you go! With just a little bit of coaching you've managed to get an idea across without using an emoticon. Imagine what you could do if you were to actually try to learn.
That may have been the old Subaru automatic system, which had a central clutch pack rather than a differential. I think the modern Subaru automatics don't use the clutch pack system anymore. Their new "Symettrical AWD" system may have more in common with their old manual system than the old automatic system.
Turns out that the system on the Tribeca is a planetary gearset with clutch, nothing like the viscous coupling typically found in the 5MT. The distribution is 45/55 on dry surfaces, unlike the older clutch pack system. This page shows some of Subaru's many AWD systems:
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