Best SUV?

droenn

Fat Man's XC President
I'd just be worried about comfort and cabin noise for long drives (the 6 hour plus ones). Its probably much more suited to the city/suburbs that most SUVs though.

In no rush though, the Forester is doing fine, about to hit 200K with no signs of slowing down, just eyeing off whats on the horizon for compact SUVs etc and saw this.

Fun factor aside, the GV would be a better buy at a steal with current prices $30k for an offroad capable car is as cheap as it gets.
Do you mean Grand Vitara? I think new one getting launched now too.
 

beeb

Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
Fun factor aside, the GV would be a better buy at a steal with current prices $30k for an offroad capable car is as cheap as it gets.
Wouldn't fancy one of them for anything other than some gravel road touring. Jimnys and Sierras are awesome offroad when live axles come into their own... Great ground clearance even stock and tiny wheelbase presents plenty of line choices. Nostalgia is not influencing these views at all... ;)
 

Haakon

Keeps on digging
Its a little engine and revs pretty hard on the highways apparently. Live axles also mean its a bit of work piloting them at highways speeds too.

So I imagine it wont be super relaxing to drive long distance, but don't imagine they can sell a car these days that's all that bad.

They even hold up in a crash a lot better than you'd expect!
 

droenn

Fat Man's XC President
So now I need to replace the Forester. :(

Should I look at another Forester (2016ish), an XV (current favourite, prob also 2016ish), a new Jimny, or something else?

Also, diesel not worth it these days right?
 

nathanm

Eats Squid
So now I need to replace the Forester. :(

Should I look at another Forester (2016ish), an XV (current favourite, prob also 2016ish), a new Jimny, or something else?

Also, diesel not worth it these days right?
For the love of god not a Honda.

Suzuki is harsh and unsafe, pretty much only good for 4WD.

Unsure about Subaru, apparently their build quality is slipping but haven't driven anything of there since 2015. Their engines have always been incredibly hit and miss.

Mitsubish ASX was apparently good, but smaller.

Couple of new Kia's coming our which may be ok, their engines are small though. Hyundai is always good value for money.

Outlanders of around that vintage were good I think and came with selectable awd.
 

Oddjob

Merry fucking Xmas to you assholes
So now I need to replace the Forester. :(

Should I look at another Forester (2016ish), an XV (current favourite, prob also 2016ish), a new Jimny, or something else?

Also, diesel not worth it these days right?
Diesel Forester in manual. Unbelievably awesome car and hasn't had the typical EJ motor issues. Just avoid the auto and make sure to get the odd highway run to refresh the DPF.

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born-again-biker

Is looking for a 16" bar
I have a soft spot for Subaru's because they've always done things their own way and they innovate.
But I wouldn't buy one if you're going to be 95-100% sealed road driving. It's not worth the extra fuel, complexity, maintenance etc.
If you do regular dirt road and mild offroad stuff then Forester / Outback for sure.

RAV4 is practical (big boot), reliable, AWD models if u need it..... utterly boring... and probably slow because Toyota. But safe choice.

The Koreans are excellent vfm. But having seen a friends' circa 2011 Santa Fe up close (and serviced/repaired it)... I don't think the quality is quite as good as Japan's stuff. Their car is not aging as nicely as my Honda.

Honda CRV.
See my other post in @nathanm recent thread.
One advantage is that it is essentially a FWD car most of the time... until you need some drive to the rear. So good for all us wannabe's.
Big boot space.

Mitsubishi Outlander (see RAV4 above)

Diesel is probably in its twilight. Next gen petrol engines will be pretty impressive methinks.
But not a bad choice if the kms are low and no services have been skipped.
High mileage diesels can be very expensive to fix when issues arise.
 

Litenbror

Eats Squid
So now I need to replace the Forester. :(

Should I look at another Forester (2016ish), an XV (current favourite, prob also 2016ish), a new Jimny, or something else?

Also, diesel not worth it these days right?
Had a 2016 outlander 2.4 with cctv and selectable 4wd and couldn't fault it. They have a proper transfer case and was fine for the easy off roading we did. Ran great no problems or funny shit just a boring reliable Mitsubishi. Sister has an ASX and loves it and I got a triton after the outlander and so far all have been boringly reliable and easy to own.
 

droenn

Fat Man's XC President
I can't see the Honda thread @nathanm @born-again-biker ?

Diesel Forester in manual. Unbelievably awesome car and hasn't had the typical EJ motor issues. Just avoid the auto and make sure to get the odd highway run to refresh the DPF.

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Manuals are rare in ACT it seems - no Foresters, only a couple of XVs from my search. Why Diesel though? Seems like more hassle?

RAV4 is practical (big boot), reliable, AWD models if u need it..... utterly boring... and probably slow because Toyota. But safe choice.
Oh yeah, always forget about RAV4s! They got really ugly though, except for the most recent model...

Will look at the Outlander too but think the Forester would have it beat on most points except price?

I've got no idea on all these new Korean SUVs either..
 

born-again-biker

Is looking for a 16" bar
If you get a used Subaru and one day you have AWD issues (center diffs locking up etc). it's not always as bad to fix as you'd think.
More than one specialist workshop around that will do exchange viscous couplings for reasonable prices.
For the autos, you can buy centre clutch plates and change them yourself with hand tools, patience and a tech manual.
Regular transmission services highly recommended to keep fluid clean.

Head gasket issues on high mileage EJ's are common. This is because people are fuckwits.
Coolant changes /flushes are important. As mileage gets higher a new water pump is a must.
Skipping oil changes is dumb. Adding an oil flush chem or hydraulic lifter cleaner once or twice a year will keep things running nicely.
Rocket cover gaskets often leak - not the end of the world to change.

Yes they are complex cars. But if you accept that they require more maintenance, more often, they can be fucking awesome.
(Like a Yeti?... Or a Specialized..?)
 

droenn

Fat Man's XC President
I'm fine with Subaru reliability and quality - only reason I'm replacing my old one is because of the hail writing it off. Serviced every 10K was working fine for me, it never let me down @ 14 years old and 200,000+
 

born-again-biker

Is looking for a 16" bar
I'm fine with Subaru reliability and quality - only reason I'm replacing my old one is because of the hail writing it off. Serviced every 10K was working fine for me, it never let me down @ 14 years old and 200,000+
Yeah I figured you liked your Forrester.
My posts are meant to be some sort of shield against the inevitable chorus of Subaru hate that will land in this thread later this evening and /or tomorrow.
 

beeb

Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
The Jimny is cool, but having owned an earlier model Sierra - It's worth reminding potential buyers just how small they are. They feel fine in the front seats (I'm 6'2" and had no dramas driving it), but the room in the back is just so limited. The new Jimny might be a fraction longer, but would still be tiny. I ended up removing the rear seats from mine, and that left just enough room for a 31" spare tyre. That'd mean either both wheels off to transport a bike, or a bike rack (where most modern bikes would probably be significantly wider than the car. I love the things, but they're very impractical for anything more than two occupants and day-trip type luggage.
 

link1896

Mr Greenfield
I still have my 2003 SG forester. Can’t bust it. 380k km.

Born again has covered the usual mech issues. Everything has its opportunity costs, cars especially.

Best part about the forester, lay the rear seats down, you can fit a bike in without removing the front wheel.
 

Petero

Likes Dirt
I'm fine with Subaru reliability and quality - only reason I'm replacing my old one is because of the hail writing it off. Serviced every 10K was working fine for me, it never let me down @ 14 years old and 200,000+
Hail damage should be a repairable write off? You could be able to keep the car and get a a payout (although less than full write off) and then roll with a golf ball style body until you choose the next set of wheels?
 

Dales Cannon

lightbrain about 4pm
Staff member
Cousin has a jimny for running around and taking with them when they go caravanning (sits on the back of the truck). It is really good for that. I would not want to spend an hour plus in it.
 

Oddjob

Merry fucking Xmas to you assholes
Manuals are rare in ACT it seems - no Foresters, only a couple of XVs from my search. Why Diesel though? Seems like more hassle?
The diesel Forester has a crazy amount of torque for a small SUV (350NM) and we got under 7l/100km in urban driving. Diesel also tends to be cheaper then e10 these days, despite the extra energy density.

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