^^^^^ (And here's the two-tone green/silver L.L. Bean Forester I almost bought in place of the Outback)


IN A NUTSHELL: In addition to its versatility, the best winter snow-car I ever owned


There were many things I liked about my bright-yellow First-Generation 2001 Lexus IS300 (which I've already done a separate thread on)...but, unfortunately, its poor winter traction was not one of them. Even with taller-profile all-season tires (Bridgestone RE92s)...which were an option on the first-generation IS300, a Snow-Mode for the transmission that limited engine-torque to the wheels, anti-lock brakes, electronic traction control (first car I ever had with ABS and TC....the full-stability-system was not offered until the Second-Generation IS), and my traditional careful right foot (and left foot) in winter conditions, this was simply not a vehicle that performed well on slick roads. It wasn't bad in mildly-slick conditions, and was generally controllable with some care, but if it really got slick or if the road froze really hard (and road salt, under most conditions only works down to about 22 degrees Fahrenheit or so), forget it....this car was a handful, TC or no TC. The real wheels would spin away, and, when you finally got moving, the rear end would yaw side to side as you constantly corrected with the steering....in aviation, they call that a Dutch Roll. Lexus, IMO, should have offered an AWD version of the First-Generation IS, but did not. They DID offer AWD on the Second-Generation version, and it sold like hotcakes in my area....far surpassing the standard RWD version, despite the Mickey-Mouse power level of the standard 2.5L V6. AWD, of course, saps power and gas mileage and adds weight and drag...but sometimes is with it.

So, anyhow, I went through about four or five winters of that (typically, D.C., winters vary a lot in the amount of snow and ice they get), and finally said "Screw this...it's time to go auto-shopping again". And, this time, since I was still commuting each day (I had not retired yet), and sometimes needed to get out even in the snow, like to the subway station a few miles from my house, I was going to get a vehicle worthy of slick conditions.

My brother had bought a new Subaru Impreza a few years before, from a salesperson I liked, at a small local dealership that split VW and Subaru sales. VW's, of course, had been out....too unreliable. I was very impressed with this salesperson's courtesy, Down-to-Earth attitude, no-pressure tactics, the price he gave my brother, and the way he generally handled the transaction. Perhaps, by then, I had just gotten spoiled by having a Lexus for some 5 years, or by the memories of the big cars I had had in my youth, but the Impreza just didn't seem like enough car for me...I wanted more. So, I thought I'd go look at an Outback.......I also liked the L.L. Bean version of the Forester that year, as Subie and L. L. Bean had not yet split up. Outbacks were also available in L.L. Bean models, but were quite expensive...they would have cost more than my Lexus did. It was the late summer of 2005, and the 2006 models of the Outback were just starting to arrive at the dealership. They had a couple new 2006 models in stock....one of them, a lower-line model, in a nice medium-blue metallic, with a light ivory cloth interior and fake-wood trim on the sides of the console, listing for about 26K. I would have preferred a two-tone paint job (which also came on some base model Outbacks)...but, that year, the blue did not have two-tone. For 2006, the Outback's standard all-season tires were changed from 60-series to 17", 55-series...I usually frown on lower-profiles, but neither that or the monotone paint were really deal-breakers in my book.

But a new two-tone green 2006 L.L.Bean Forester almost did break the deal. When I saw it, with its upscale interior and classy exterior trim, and its price tag not much more than the blue low-line Outback I was looking at (though I've forgotten the exact sticker price), I really had to make a tough choice, and, in the end, it came down to little more than a toss of the coin. Both of them had the same engine (Subaru's non-turbo 2.5L flat-four) a four-speed automatic, and standard AWD. L.L. Bean Outbacks came with the larger 3.0L flat-six engine, but, of course, cost more.

Anyhow, I decided I liked the Outback's interior a little more (except when washing/waxing it, you usually spend more time inside your car than just looking at the outside)...so I went back in, found my brother's old salesperson, and we got started on the deal. I was aware of the Subaru N/A 2.5L engine's previous reputation for head-gasket problems (my brother had the smaller N/A 2.0L in his Impreza)...and Subaru was offering an extended engine-warranty on some model-years if a special engine-coolant-additive was used. By the 2006 model-year, Subaru had claimed the head-gasket issue had been fixed...that turned out to be only partially-true, though, fortunately, not on my car, which did not have the problem during the six years I owned it. My salesman had seen my yellow IS300 before (I had been to the dealership a few times before just to do some looking) and liked it....especially in the condition I had kept it in....I would clean it up thoroughly every time it was out in snow, and there was no rust or corrosion, though it had a couple of small scratches on it from careless kids in my neighborhood. I had thought of selling it privately, but usually it is much easier and simpler to do it along with the deal, and, right on the spot, he offered me more than the going KBB value for it in its condition. I was very pleased with his first offer, and, in this case, saw little need to haggle....especially after the good deal he had already given my brother. So, after a test-drive in the Outback (which passed my inspection and test-drive, despite a low power level...I had been expecting some sluggishness with AWD and only 2.5L of engine), I brought it back, signed the papers, went into the business-office, handed them a personal check for the balance like I always do (I never buy a vehicle I cannot pay for up-front), and took it home. Ride-comfort with the 55-series tires was adequately smooth most of the time, though, like with many cars I've owned, it is smoother in the summer, when the tire-rubber is softer and the shock-fluid thinner from the heat.

This car turned out to be arguably the most useful, versatile car I've ever bought. My brother (who had not been with me at the dealership that day) loved it the first minute he saw it (I swung it by his house, just a few miles away, on the way home). To call it a Snow-Bunny would be the Understatement of the Year. Despite the fact that it had the exact same Bridgestone RE92 all-seasons my previous IS300 had (in a slightly different size), on regular snow and hard-packed snow, I never spun the wheels once...never. I'm not kidding. And this was without traction-control or a stability system, which the car did not have, though it did have ABS. The only time it ever actually spun the wheels (and that was only momentarily, for a second or so, to get going), was once, going to work, on the way to the subway station one morning, after it had SLEETED (ice-pellets) all night, and the ice-pellets had piled up on the road to a depth of several inches. That Subaru Symmetrical AWD system, particularly combined with the mechanical Limited-Slip-rear differential on Outbacks that year, was simply amazing, even without dedicated-winter-tires.....later, on the next-generation Outback, they replaced the LSD wth a cheaper and lighter electronic torque-distribution system which I didn't have any experience with in the snow, so can't rate it. My Outback's ground clearance was also high enough to help it get around even after some major blizzards, like the ones we saw in the infamous East Coast Winter of 2009-2010.

I also liked the ride quality, which, for its wheelbase, was pretty good most of the time, as was its noise-isolation except for a very faint amount of the traditional Subaru flat-four clatter underhood.....much quieter than previous Subaru powerplants had been. And, with its wagon versatility (although the cargo area was not particularly large by wagon or SUV standards), you could carry some smaller / medium pieces of furniture in the back, say, if you were in a thrift store and saw some deals (yeah, I'm Cheap LOL).

Two things, though, I didn't like. One was the hard front-seat cushion characteristic of a number of Japanese and Korean vehicles of that vintage (they could have learned from older Buicks). However, I got used to it, despite my back and legs that were not getting any younger. The other was the way wet snow would get packed up in the wheel-wells. As I mentioned above, this car was a real snow bunny, and nothing would actually stop it, but, during certain snow-pack conditions on the roads, you had to get out every few miles where it was safe (say, in a parking lot), and clean the packed-snow out of the wheel wells...you could tell it was time to do so if and when the steering started to get a little stiffer or you heard a humming/rubbing sound). However, this was usually only a problem after deep blizzards.....the road-crews here, with most snowstorms, are usually pretty good about treating the main roads and keeping them relatively clear, although not to the extent in Northern or Snow-Belt states.

And reliability, though better than average, was not quite up to Toyota or Honda standards of that period. I had a couple of items replaced under warranty....the most significant one the electric-cooling-fans when they failed around the four-year mark or so (I was in a Walmart parking lot and suddenly saw the temperature gauge rising and/or acting erratically), I replaced the brake-pads (I don't remember if the rotors were also replaced) around the 30K mark or so, even though I wasn't hard on them.....the classic stop-and-go traffic in this area does pay its price. About midway through my ownership, Subaru announced that they were extending the warranty on the engine (with that special coolant-additive I mentioned earlier) and on the rear-wheel bearings, which had also apparently shown a higher-than-normal failure-rate....apparantly that earlier head-gasket problem still wasn't over, though my particular car did not have that problem in the time I owned it.

Under normal circumstances, I would have maybe replaced it with another Outback, but the next-generation Outback, like with the Forester, had shown significant cost-cutting, lighter-grade materials, some engineering problems with front-end shimmy, a cheaper AWD system (though I don't know it was less-effective or not in the snow), and I just didn't find it as appealing as past Outbacks. By then, I had retired, and I didn't drive as much in snow. The VW/Subaru-salesman that me and my brother liked was about ready to retire himself. And (most importantly), after almost 40 years, Buick, the brand I had liked so much in my youth, had (finally) brought out a well-made car again (the Verano)....though it was, in actually, mostly an Opel product, not a true Buick. That, of course, was the subject of another thread.

And, as Always, Happy Car-Memories.

MM

 

I'd put that Outback dash as one of the nicest all-time in the last twenty years. Same with the steering wheel. It's a shame we've gotten away from that clean, soft, and graceful look.
And a wood steering wheel in the Forester must have made that the only compact vehicle to offer that cool option.

I've been watching Riding Shotgun, Mountain Man Mike, on Youtube, following all his trucking videos. He's based out of CO, and uses I-70 for a lot of his runs. It's been a blast watching him navigate his truck over the pass in the snow. I've watched closely to all the traffic he passes. The main vehicle is newer Toyota 4Runners and all sorts of Outbacks. I also remember seeing a ton of them during my Mammoth ski trips. Still find them nerdy, but of course we all know their useful benefits, versatility, and reliable records.

 

That wood steering wheel on the Forester was part of the. L.L.Bean option. Outbacks with that option also had a wood steering-wheel. Subaru split with L.L. Bean some years ago. That package, in some ways, was similar to what Ford offered in the Eddie Bauer package on some trucks and SUVs.


The nerdy image of Foresters and Outbacks was basically just something fostered in the auto press. In fact, they rank among the most useful and versatile of any vehicles today, as well as offering some of the best visibility out all of the windows.

 

I agree with the car's merits, but not about the auto press having to do with the image. My opinions are based on styling and appearance alone. Most Subarus appear homely. Taking a car or station wagon and making it look like a 4x4 or SUV is risky (styling) business.

 

You mean

 

Just one of several stereotypes about Subarus...most of them nonsense. In terms of who drives them, they are no different from any other vehicles in their class.

 

All stereotypes have a basis in fact, thats how they became stereotypes. There are absolutely different demographics that are drawn to one brand or another, and Subarus are definitely preferred by a certain demographic of people.

Thats not to say everyone who buys one fits into that demographic of course, but that doesn't mean the stereotype is totally baseless.

 

I think the Subaru and LGBT connection has tapered off over the last ten years. While that may have been the thing for a time, today I see more and more new Subarus in hetero households (mommy-mobile) and in the high altitude resort towns. As time progresses, the brand's reputation for versatility, reliability, and efficiency has grown and spread. Also, adding more models broadens the scope of who buys.

I haven't priced an Outback out, but I'm guessing they are probably bit less than a typical Grand Cherokee or Explorer. Some people just don't want to do the SUV thing, which is fine.

 

If you are convinced, fine (that's your view), but, with most vehicles (including the ones that you and I drive), I have not seen enough evidence, in daily life, to convince me that the stereotypes actually fit the image.

There is one exception, though......the Cadillac DeVille/DTS (maybe two, if one can include the Lincoln Town Car, which is borderline). It is rare, but not unheard of, to see anyone under about age 60 or so or so driving a DeVille or DTS....its stereotype of being a Grandpa/Grandma car is largely justified. So is the Town Car, in privately-owned hands, which are mostly retirees, though people of all ages rented them out as limo/executive cars, like for high school proms.

One of the former ladies in my church, who has since passed away, was a retired Army General....so she had plenty of money in her retirement. She loved the DeVille/DTS so much that she got a brand-new one from Lindsay Cadillac (you've probably heard of the place) every fall. She'd order it in late July or August, usually in the latest new color, when the plant started taking orders for the latest ones. It would come in about 4-5 weeks later, in the early fall. That went on like clockwork for some 48 years, from the early 60s until her passing. They always knew she was coming back each year, and, while she never told us how much they discounted it for her (and we were too polite to ask), you can bet it was quite a bit. They also used her in some dealer-ads.

The On-Star in that car also paid off for her one year (the DTS, of course, was one of GM's first vehicles to get it). On I-70 west of Hagerstown, on the way to Hancock (you probably know the route), where it parallels the Potomac and C&O Canal, she and a friend of hers, in her DTS, got sideswiped by a truck and wound up in a ditch next to the road. Fortunately, with the belts, airbags, and other safety-gear (and God watching over them) no one was seriously hurt, and the On-Star automatically pinpointed their position and summoned State Police, a tow truck, and the nearest fire/rescue equipment.

 

I have lol

 

In my area, Saabs, before they went out of business, once had the same stereotype.....Lesbians and college professors LOL. I didn't see much evidence of either....although Volvos and Saabs both seemed to be popular with the safety-conscious people.


....yet the Forester and Outback still dominate Subaru sales, which shows their usefulness and versatility, although the Crosstrek has also been surprisingly popular....several of my condo-neighbors have Crosstreks.

The Outback used to be essentially a Legacy wagon on stilts, but newer versions have differentiated themselves more from the Legacy, and it can now be considered somewhat more of a true crossover SUV.

IMO, the latest 2020 Explorer is very disappointing, even with its TT V6....dollar for dollar, the Outback is a substantially better value. I'll withhold comments on the JGC right now, even though I liked the old one, because an all-new one is on the way shortly if we ever get the car-business back to normal.