[reddoak]

for 2013 i'd recommend a forester over either a legacy or outback. the OB comes with the CVT, not the best trans for off-road/beach/sand use. The Forester comes with 5MT and/turbo.
Among other reasons, I'd suggest a Fozzy over an outback for that generation (i.e. newest) Subarus.

Can't get a manual turbo Forester in the new model, or the outgoing one. In fact the new Forester turbos only come with a CVT now. The last gen turbo only came with the 4 speed auto. Subaru was out to sell cars, not make interesting ones.

And you're right, the CVT is NOT great in sand, at least not in the 2011 Outback 2.5i when left to do its own thing. I've driven a good chunk in sand, and leaving it in fully auto mode is not advisable. In full auto when you let off the gas it slips the ratio to a more fuel economy friendly one, then the car bogs down in deep sand. Keep it in "manual" and shift with the paddles to keep the rpms high and the car moving. Lock the ratio in "1" and let 'er rip. Not a problem, really.

 

[reddoak]

I was never a big fan of how the CVT works in the cars.. Metal on metal was never a good thing..

Ummm.. Brakes? Clutches? Gears? Pistons in sleeves? Yes, there is oil between some of these surfaces, but...

There's a lot of metal on metal contact. I'm not too worried about it, personally.