forester or outback

tony · Post by **tony** » Sat May 21, 2016 12:33 am

Looking at buying one or the other. how do they compare, what are the strengths and weaknesses,which would be best for a touring car, must be automatic.

thanks

Phizinza · Post by **Phizinza** » Sat May 21, 2016 10:00 pm

Outback has better space inside the car, especially the boot. Forester has much better ground clearance (body ground clearance I should say).

Both ride and handle similar, although I think the Forester is a bit stiffer, sportier.

julian · Post by **julian** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 3:33 pm

Do you have a budget or buying new?
By touring do you mean long uninterrupted drives on bitumen, a bit of graded dirt, or the need for sand and mud work?
Do you have kids that will join you?

pezimm · Post by **pezimm** » Sat Jun 18, 2016 3:11 pm

I'm a Forester fan! It's pretty decent for touring provided you're travelling solo or as a couple...

My view is that Foresters are better off road vehicles - at least the starting point is. But if you're doing purely bitumen kilometres and want plush comfort, then the Outback is the one for you!

julian · Post by **julian** » Tue Jun 21, 2016 6:08 pm

I have both a Forester and Outback, both mid 2000s, both with 200,000km.
Both are good cars but I always choose the Outback if I have the choice. It is more comfortable, faster and has a much bigger load space.

It is also much quieter in terms of NVH which is very important to me on long trips. I would do up to six 1100km drives in a year all over a single day and I find the outback hands down the preferred car, even though it requires premium fuel for the 6 cylinder.

I do like the newer Foresters but these were way beyond my budget at the time.

Kid seats make a Forester seem very small.

wrxpc · Post by **wrxpc** » Tue Jun 21, 2016 9:45 pm

Sorry for the thread hijack but I'm looking at upgrading from my L Series to an Outback.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the 2.5L four over the 3.0L six?

There seems to be very few manuals advertised - how good is the auto gearbox? I've only ever had manual cars but this will be my daily driver/kayak hauler/Bunnings runner, so being an auto wouldn't be a big deal.

Cheers,

Wrxpc

taza · Post by **taza** » Wed Jun 22, 2016 12:18 am

The 2.5's are still good mate. Ive had a few over the years.. both auto and manual. The manuals are much more powerful and do on average 100km to a tank more than the autos. The autos are smooth and reliable but really kill the performance of the 2.5.
Definately a good upgrade from an L.. ive had 7 of them with most begin great cars but under powered.