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.
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.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.
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.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.
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)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...
+1 to thisA 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
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.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