[deantchi]

Hi Allen, i'm Dean, i'm from the SGV also. i bought my 13 outback from puente hills subaru. They helped me out a lot on the deal. i traded in my 03 nissan 350z for the outback and couldnt be happier. i would say the cvt on the 2.5 is a dream to drive, its so smooth and you don't even feel the shift. some people may argue the difference in mpg is neglectable between the 2.5 and 3.6. so it all comes down to what will you be hauling. the best thing to do is to test drive both and see which one you like most. I'll be making a long haul to death valley in my 2.5 next month (president's day). 5 people (including myself) with a trunk full of camping gear and a roof basket of luggage and possible a spare tank of gas. if you're making your purcahse after president's day i can definitely give you some feedback on the 2.5.

 

[deantchi]

Hey Humamoid. so a little update from my trip to death valley this past weekend. it turned ou we didn't have the 5 people in my car, it was just me and my gf, and no roof rack. none the less, my car was still pretty loaded. 3 days worth of food in a 62qt wheeled cooler. i also brought my own firewood, two large boxes of it. i estimate total weight from all my gear was in the ballpark of 250lbs so it wasnt too much.

the car handled beautifully throughout the entire trip. nothing i can really complain about with the 2.5i motor. it gets a little sluggish on the hills but i don't mind it at all because I'm more concerned about daily driving than the occassional mtn driving. the best part is, the car gets pretty good mpg for an awd drive car and be warned, gas in death valley was $5.89 per gal for 89 octane.

the sketchiest road i drove on was through titus canyon, all dirty road and some parts inside the canyon had pretty deep gravel/loose rocks, etc.. nothing too extreme. we didn't do scotty's castle although i'm sure the outback wouldnt have a problem but i just didn't want to subject my own car through that kind of abuse. i would rent a jeep there and go to town...

so overall, the 2.5i totally fit my needs as a daily driver and the occasional camping trip.