[hacktorious]

Hello,

I am new to this forum and am looking for advice. I've never owned Subaru, but rented one while on vacation and loved it.

I currently own a 2010 Toyota Tacoma and am considering selling it and getting an Outback. Originally I bought the truck because I wanted to get a camper, but decided not to get the camper. However, I do have an ATV and have to tow it to the trails; possibly hundreds of miles.

Anyhow, with the prices of gas on a constant rise I am seriously considering selling the Tacoma and getting an Outback.

Most of my driving is in the metro dc traffic and the Tacoma fuel costs are getting expensive.

I'm looking for some advice and information from Subaru owners to help me make a decision.

One question I have is, how well will the Subaru be able to tow a 1000# load through the mountains?

I used to own a Rav4 with a 6 cylinder and used it to tow my atv. It wasn't too bad.

My concern with the Outback is the possible lack of power using a 4 cylinder to tow. However, I like the idea of better gas mileage while commuting, etc...

Any thoughts, comments and advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[livluvgrow]

look at the capabilities of a 3.6r gas will still be significantly better then the tacoma and they have 256 hp. I had a 4x4 crew cab tacoma and the gas ate my wallet.

 

[upflying]

You will get 15 mpg with the OB while towing that ATV.

 

[Jackle1886]

I towed my 14' aluminum fishing boat filled to the brim with gear, with my 2005 3.0. No problems what so ever, and I got about 21mpg to boot! Think of how often you tow, vs how often you drive without a trailer.

 

[hacktorious]

I towed my 14' aluminum fishing boat filled to the brim with gear, with my 2005 3.0. No problems what so ever, and I got about 21mpg to boot! Think of how often you tow, vs how often you drive without a trailer.

Probably 98% of my time is spent driving without a trailer. I probably pull a trailer twice a month, no more than 4 times per month.

 

[Novablue]

Maybe you could rent one with a hitch and see if it works for you? I have the 2.5 and towing 1000 pounds is no big deal to me.

Car power issues are different for everyone. Some people feel they need a 15 second car even when towing. Some don't mind merging on the freeway @ 35 mph. I'd say the OB is somewhere in the middle.

 

[AllWhiteOB]

Tacoma vs Outback

Hello,

I am new to this forum and am looking for advice. I've never owned Subaru, but rented one while on vacation and loved it.

I currently own a 2010 Toyota Tacoma and am considering selling it and getting an Outback. Originally I bought the truck because I wanted to get a camper, but decided not to get the camper. However, I do have an ATV and have to tow it to the trails; possibly hundreds of miles.

Anyhow, with the prices of gas on a constant rise I am seriously considering selling the Tacoma and getting an Outback.

Most of my driving is in the metro dc traffic and the Tacoma fuel costs are getting expensive.

I'm looking for some advice and information from Subaru owners to help me make a decision.

One question I have is, how well will the Subaru be able to tow a 1000# load through the mountains?

I used to own a Rav4 with a 6 cylinder and used it to tow my atv. It wasn't too bad.

My concern with the Outback is the possible lack of power using a 4 cylinder to tow. However, I like the idea of better gas mileage while commuting, etc...

Any thoughts, comments and advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

What you are looking at is 2 different vehicles all together. One is a truck, with a V6, designed to tow and for rough terrain, etc. The other one (and I will focus on the 4 cyl. variant) is a very nice crossover, fuel efficient and comfortable ride, which can take SOME rough road and very limited towing. I really don't believe the vehicle is designed to tow very much and it is limited to approx. 1,500 lbs per manufacturer manual. Unfortunately one vehicle to do all isn't very likely to happen. If you are towing thousands of miles every year, keep the truck and buy a cheap little car for city driving. I drove lots in DC and I know what you are talking about. I have a Tundra and an Outback now and they each have their advantages and disadvantages. The truck burns a bit of fuel, but it has lots of power, while the Outback is awesome for my wife in the winter or even for long trips if we are not towing anything or carrying substantial loads. It is basically a wonderful vehicle, fuel efficient, but not for towing, not very powerful and for sure not a sports-car either. If you look at the 6 cylinder instead, it is a lot different, but so will be the gas mileage... likely not much different than the Tacoma. Get the cheapest little impreza and stay w/ Tacoma for your towing needs.
Good luck!

 

[monty]

Not to disagree, but here is my experience. The towing ability of the new Outback is 2700 lbs. I would not tow that bit tow 1500 without any problem just about anywhere with the CVT. Also outback handles up to class 3 off road if you are careful. For most purposes this is about 95% of what most people so when they go off road. With only 1000 you could tow your Atv up most trails. Tacoma is a great truck off road. Just did 150 miles in Death Valley on class 3&4 in the Tacoma and outback could have done just about all of it.

 

[John E Davies]

I used to own a Rav4 with a 6 cylinder and used it to tow my atv. It wasn't too bad.
SNIP
My concern with the Outback is the possible lack of power using a 4 cylinder to tow. However, I like the idea of better gas mileage while commuting, etc...

A V6 RAV4 hauls @ss- it has the 3.5 liter 269 bhp (246 ft lbs) VVT engine and being so light (3500 lbs approximately), it is a real hot rod. I owned one for four years. It has way, WAY better performance than a four banger Outback (except the XT Turbo)

You won't get especially good fuel economy with any OB in traffic. They are not very efficient cars, though the new Impreza does pretty well with it's low powered engine.

I think you should keep the Tacoma. You will lose a lot of money selling or trading a 2010 model, and you wont save all that much in gas. And the Tacoma is far superior for towing your ATV and for crawling around nasty forest roads. It is a well built, highly capable body-on-frame vehicle, and I would think long and hard before getting rid of it. It is a much tougher vehicle than a unibody Outback

If you can afford the expense and are able to have two vehicles, buy another cheap used car for traffic, some FWD two seater that gets 30 mpg in the city - for example a Honda Fit. When it snows you can take the Tacoma.

John Davies
Spokane WA USA

 

[gomjabber]

A V6 RAV4 hauls @ss- it has the 3.5 liter 269 bhp (246 ft lbs) VVT engine and being so light (3500 lbs approximately), it is a real hot rod. I owned one for four years. It has way, WAY better performance than a four banger Outback (except the XT Turbo)

You won't get especially good fuel economy with any OB in traffic. They are not very efficient cars, though the new Impreza does pretty well with it's low powered engine.

I think you should keep the Tacoma. You will lose a lot of money selling or trading a 2010 model, and you wont save all that much in gas. And the Tacoma is far superior for towing your ATV and for crawling around nasty forest roads. It is a well built, highly capable body-on-frame vehicle, and I would think long and hard before getting rid of it. It is a much tougher vehicle than a unibody Outback

If you can afford the expense and are able to have two vehicles, buy another cheap used car for traffic, some FWD two seater that gets 30 mpg in the city - for example a Honda Fit. When it snows you can take the Tacoma.

John Davies
Spokane WA USA

+1 to this

 

[KansasOutback]

As a related point, I received my Subaru Gold Plus Added Security agreement today. Covers 7 years and/or 100,000 miles.
On page 4GP (the exclusions page), Item #5 reads, for a breakdown caused by neglect, abuse, racing, or others forms of competition, towing a trailer or another vehicle.

I must say I was surprised to see that it listed an exclusion for towing when the vehicle has a listed tow rating. What is the current gas mileage for the Tacoma?

My opinion would be to keep the truck. I agree with the previous poster, heavy traffic in the Subaru will not yield the savings you are hoping for. In my situation, I traded in a Nissan Titan that was returning 13.x mpg for my commute. I am now at 25.x mpg. That coupled with less expensive gas and I am saving quite a bit monthly.

Just my 2 cents,
Paul

 

[rj4510]

Holy Cow! I think this is the first forum I've ever been on, where such a question gets honest answers. I read the post, because I figured everyone would give major kudos to the OB and bash the truck, like other forums, but sure do appreciate the honesty. I've been on here toying with the idea of selling my GX470 and getting a simpler, easier to manage OB, but there are capabilities the GX has that I have a tough time parting with, but do use on occasion. I have no room for a 3rd car, so I keep tossing around the idea.

Like the Tacoma, the GX eats just about everything you throw at it. It tows like a beast, eats snow and ice and I've even had it buried up to it's axles in silt (by accident) trying to get up to an awesome biking trail without issues. The cost of gas and maintenance is making me look for other options, but as been said here, I'll have to give something up with regards to capabilities and the RAV4 has even been a consideration, but RAVs are really noisy inside and the 4WD system is questionable. They are a serious rocket though. The OB keeps seeming to win out for me, but we'll see.

Keep the honest post coming. I'm interested too. :29:

 

[Wagondude]

As a related point, I received my Subaru Gold Plus Added Security agreement today. Covers 7 years and/or 100,000 miles.
On page 4GP (the exclusions page), Item #5 reads, for a breakdown caused by neglect, abuse, racing, or others forms of competition, towing a trailer or another vehicle.

I must say I was surprised to see that it listed an exclusion for towing when the vehicle has a listed tow rating. What is the current gas mileage for the Tacoma?

My opinion would be to keep the truck. I agree with the previous poster, heavy traffic in the Subaru will not yield the savings you are hoping for. In my situation, I traded in a Nissan Titan that was returning 13.x mpg for my commute. I am now at 25.x mpg. That coupled with less expensive gas and I am saving quite a bit monthly.

Just my 2 cents,
Paul

Notice that is a breakdown CAUSED by towing that is not covered, not breadowns not covered because you towed something. They would have to prove that the issue was caused by towing (i.e trans failed with a trailer hooked up rather than trans failed and the car has a hitch). Even if a trailer was hooked up at the failure, it would be hard to say it caused the failure if the trailer was well within the towing limits. Although you might need to get a lawyer involved to settle the claim.

 

[KansasOutback]

Wagondude, I was just very surprised to see that Subaru specifically put that towing was an exclusion in the extended service contract. I agree if you are within limits I think you may have a chance.
Paul

 

[KansasOutback]

The GX470 is a nice vehicle. But I understand that some maintenance can get expensive. Make sure to check out the maintenance section on this board to see what Subaru recommends and what the dealers recommend.

The Subaru OB is a great vehicle and feels under the radar (I mean that in a good way). I blend into traffic and probably drive in a more conservative manner (with the 2.5 and CVT it is best to drive conservatively). Whereas a Lexus, BMW or other luxury brands lend a very different image.

In my household we are looking down the road at having a few new drivers in the next few years and are trying to plan accordingly. I find the OB a great value and has the poor weather capability I wanted for the occasional ice/snow storms we get in the Midwest.

I think coming to this Board and asking a respectful question is a great way to get honest feedback. Best of luck in your decision.
Paul

 

[bradze]

my mother in law keeps telling me that my outback is "not a truck." meaning i constantly use it where normal people would use a truck. an outback will be fine for you. trucks are stupid unless they are actually being used for their intended purpose, most trucks don't see that.

 

[subiesailor]

Just returned home to SF Bay Area traffic SUCKED! GOING TO AND FROM LA. 30mpg for the tank getting there and 29.5 mpg getting home. Passed a couple ofTacos headed over the grapevine. Pretty sure we had the smoother more enjoyable ride. I would get a taco if I were tossing a light weight 4x4 pop top camper on it. Other than that the 2.5 cvt hands down for road trips. Managed to make the trip this time with no roof gear. Two kids +crap even the highchair and big stroller went.

 

[Michael Aos]

Admittedly, the numbers are skewed a little because I just don't drive that many miles, but I wouldn't "save" anything by having a 2nd vehicle (plus maint & tags & insurance) with great mileage -vs- just driving my 2003 Tundra 4x4.

I also have a 2004 Astro Cargo RWD & 2005 Outback XT Limited. I PREFER to drive them, depending on the circumstances, but the fuel savings never offsets the other costs.

 

[mcbrew]

I tow this trailer with my 2.5i Outback:

It weighs around 1,500 pounds loaded up. I get 21-23 MPG towing it, including in the hills of western MD and PA. No problem at all with power. The tires on the trailer are rated to 65 MPH, so that's the only thing keeping my speed down (that, and common sense).

 

[arthuruscg]

I have a 08 OB 2.5i with the 4speed auto. I have towed my Colman Taos popup and it tows fine, but it is not speed demon. I am certain on some of the uphill climbs like the I-68 cut (just past the I-70 kick off on the way to Cumberland) that the OB will be in the slow lane with the trucks going up the climb.

The OB can do most of what that Taco can do if you get a trailer but since you will loose your shirt trading in the Taco, why not try and get a Mazda3 to commute in? They get 40mpg and Mazda is offering 0.0% for 60 months +500 cash back on the 2012 Mazda 3.