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I lust after those cars so much.... as a musician cargo space is one of the most important factors in a car... the lex can hold a good amount, but my bandmate has a Forester, that thing holds so much stuff!
and they're so much fun to drive too
Subaru and Toyota are tied as my 2 favorite car makers
I pretty much agree with Attila.........Toyota / Lexus and Subaru get my two awards as the automakers of choice. For inexpensive, reliable, simple, proven, well-designed AWD products, you simply can't beat Subaru, although Toyota ( RAV4, Matrix ) and Honda ( CRV, Element ) , Suzuki (Aerio), and the now-reliable Hyundai Santa Fe are some good low-priced competitors. Subarus have a simple AWD because the flat-four ( and flat-six ) engine have the output shaft coming straight out the back to the transmission and front differential rather than the need to use additional gears like in the competitors with transverse-mount engines. Their reliability record, in most cases, has been well above average...almost to Toyota/Honda standards.
Years ago, the flat-four engines had a rather annoying grating sound to them, but that is pretty much absent from the ones built in the last 10 years or so.
If I ever need an AWD product it will be a really tough choice between a much more expensive but refined AWD Lexus (such as the upcoming AWD GS), or a Subaru.
Two excellent new choices for Subaru buffs are the Turbo Forester shown above and the upcoming L.L. Bean Forester for those who like a plush interior. This will be the first time the L.L. Bean trim is available outside the Outback / Legacy line. I also agree with TruenoHachiRok....... the Turbo Forester in some ways is better than the WRX. It has a more-solid body and sheet metal, better hardware, and will handle slippery surfaces better....the WRX, even with AWD, is not really designed for snow unless you put winter tires on it.