[WIBrewDude]

Greetings everyone! I am new to the site, and joined after reading alot of threads and having some questions. I currently own a 2005 VW Touareg. V8 air suspension all the goodies.....it is horrible on gas and maintenance costs are pretty high. That being said...I love it, but cuts in pay and other economic factors are telling me its time to get rid of my overpriced vehicle.

So, I am considering an Outback. A couple of reasons on the Outback. The headroom/legroom is actually a little better than the Treg. Better fuel mileage, and the cargo space is almost identical. The Treg is full time 4x4 and does have low range and locking center/rear diffs with 30.5 inch tires, so I might miss that and the horsepower (did I mention I love it), but I will have to deal with that.

I am planning on going to do some test drives on Friday, but aside from the HP factor between the 2.5 and the 3.6 engine, (along with obvious mpg diff) any issues between the two? I see lots of posts about the headgaskets on the 2.5's, but most of that is on older ones.

Thanks for any insights you guys can give me!

Lewis

 

[AO River]

Welcome! The 3.6 sounds like it would be more up your alley and less drastic of a change from your current V8 monster. You'll still get pretty decent gas mileage, and the 3.6 is a little smoother and quieter.

I also made the switch from a high HP vehicle to the Outback, and although I still miss it on highway on-ramps and the like, most of the time I was never using the power and sure appreciate my 2.5 sipping gas now.

Good luck in your search!

 

[Subyblue]

I, too, came from more powerful and larger vehicles, but I preferred the 3.6 with the 5EAT. I drove two different 2.5's with the CVT about 150 Miles total, and just couldn't help thinking of my old '63 Chevy Powerglide. Once moving great, but getting up to speed wasn't as pleasant. Not a bad combination, but not for me.

 

[Scout.]

I came from a 400hp z71 suburban with 35" tires. You will be fine. The CVT takes some getting used to on the 2.5 but the benefits are worth it in the end. To drive a CVT and not dislike it the best way to think of it is as a clutch that works in reverse. If you want to take off quickly instead of dumping a clutch you push the gas pedal to the floor. With the ability to manually shift with the paddle shifters you can really make it do whatever you want. I drove the 3.6 as well before buying the 2.5 and while nice it just wasn't worth the extra upfront expense and fuel mpg reduction for my particular needs. You will love the outback.

 

[jp1203]

I'll make it into a draw, I guess!

I came from a V6 Maxima that was remarkably light and had much more power than you would expect--despite being a very no-frills automatic sedan, it could smoke quite a few vehicles that were thought of as "fast."

I drove a few 2.5s, and though the manual was almost adequate, I felt that the automatic was underpowered. I settled on the H6 for that reason. Still not as quick as the Maxima, but it's much closer than the 2.5 is.

Same deal with the newer ones...the CVT is certainly better than the 4 speed auto that the 2.5s used to have, but the 3.6 is a night and day difference.

 

[idosubaru]

new or used?

Ej25 headgasket issues are from 1996-2009 for Legacy/Outback EJ25's, with 3 different generations of various failure modes and symptoms divided between 1996-1999, 2000-2004, and 2005-2009.

After that they installed the new FB engine. which is a new and yet-unproven platform for the long haul. Few are seeing 200,000 miles yet and so there's very limited feedback and quantitative reliability. So far things bode well, but...new, is new so make your choice accordingly.

Hopefully they have headgaskets similar to the turbo and H6 engines which have far fewer issues.

The 6 cylinders so far have been excellent engines.

If you're talking used - then 2009 and earlier Ej25's have timing belts which have maintenance replacement intervals of 105,000 miles and cost $450 - $700 at a dealer (or $59 to do it yourself).

All H6's have timing chains so no maintenance costs.

 

[WIBrewDude]

Thanks for all the advice....I am looking at 2010-2012...kinda depends on what I find as far as the engine...I do like the thought of the 6 cylinder better, simply because...well..it's a six cylinder and not a four..

That being said, I see the big price difference in them too and the 4 is definitely more affordable. What I don't see is alot close to me...I may have to drive a few hours to find a good used one...but hey, that's what road trips are about!

Thanks for the info on the timing belt change....The timing belt on the 05 Touareg is due this year, and dealer cost is around $2500...Even most indies are around $1500-$2000 for it. I would willingly pay a dealer $500 for it if that's what it cost...

In regards to the 4 cylinder, anyone use it for pulling a small (4x8) uhaul trailer and how does it do unburdened in the mountains?

 

[Buzzy1950]

Greetings everyone! I am new to the site, and joined after reading alot of threads and having some questions. I currently own a 2005 VW Touareg. V8 air suspension all the goodies.....it is horrible on gas and maintenance costs are pretty high. That being said...I love it, but cuts in pay and other economic factors are telling me its time to get rid of my overpriced vehicle.

So, I am considering an Outback. A couple of reasons on the Outback. The headroom/legroom is actually a little better than the Treg. Better fuel mileage, and the cargo space is almost identical. The Treg is full time 4x4 and does have low range and locking center/rear diffs with 30.5 inch tires, so I might miss that and the horsepower (did I mention I love it), but I will have to deal with that.

I am planning on going to do some test drives on Friday, but aside from the HP factor between the 2.5 and the 3.6 engine, (along with obvious mpg diff) any issues between the two? I see lots of posts about the headgaskets on the 2.5's, but most of that is on older ones.

Thanks for any insights you guys can give me!

Lewis

2020 OB limited 28000 miles No issues. Best car I have ever had.

 

[Buzzy1950]

2020 OB limited 28000 miles No issues. Best car I have ever had.

35 on highway at 70 level light load no headwind