Functional, well conceived design. Great for hauling stuff. Driving position/visability. 77% galvanized body panel resists corrosion. Heated seats

H4 2.5 Engine reliability. Slightly underpowered. Tranny shifts can sometimes be harsh from 1st to 2nd gear. Seats need improving Cabin road noise could be quieter

I generally like my 96 Outback with 105K on her, though it hasn't been without it's problems. Within the 3yr/36K warranty period I've had the aluminum wheels replace due to corrosion, climate control unit replaced upon failure and several other relatively minor issues. The big issue has been with engine, the H4 2.5 Phase I engine. I've had 2 oil seal leads within 40K. The first was with the oil pump (o-ring and gasket) just beyond the 5yr/60K drivetrain warranty, SOA (Subaru of America) would not cover the cost as such - $270 came out of my wallet for that. The second was with the crank seal at around 99K - but I had the timing belt, water pump, and all seals/gaskets, at the discretion of the mechanics, replaced - $850. I've also had to replace items like the knock and O2 sensors, but I consider those part of the normal wear maintenance of an engine. I have always done regular scheduled maintenance on the engine and drivetrain and then some. I'm averaging 22/23mpg mixed driving, 24/27mpg highway. In addition, my engine does have some "pistion slap", though it doesn't appear to affect it's performance, but it is annoying. These 2.5 engines are also building a reputation for head gasket failures as well. I would suggest browsing the discussions on the link below for these topics (both active and archives): http://pub1.ezboard.com/fultimatesubarumessageboardsthenewgenerationofsubarus This is a tremedous Subaru info website with many kind helpful participants - some are professional mechanics who work on Subarus for a living. I have gleened some very useful information here that provided me with the knowledge to do some of the simpler repairs myself that I otherwise might not of - saving big $$ not to have to take the car into the dealership. At this point, given the frequency I read on site like this, the one posted above, Edmunds, etc., I would not recommend a Subaru with the 2.5 phase I or II engines. The H6 3.0 liter looks promising, but it is only a couple of years old from it's introduction to the market.

AWD, Handling

Auto Trans., 2.5 engine design, Paint is very thin.

In the first hundred miles I began to document a problem with the Automatic Trans. Though I returned the car many times to complain, it seemed only I could detect it(2 to 3 shift slippage with AOD lockup in cold weather). My concern was so great that Subaru extended my warrenty to 5 yrs, 100,000. The car was driven little over the next 3 yrs. it then began to develope "the knock" at 28,000 and the trans issue had become much more promenate. So it was at this time the Trans. was replaced then 2 wks. later the engine, both under warrenty, however they could not replace the 4 years of frustration I endured before these corrections would be made.

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92 Legacey wagon, 02 Outback Sport

AWD superb handling creature comforts space

Cupholder!!! Ha,ha,ha!

Since I have only very recently purchased this car, I cannot say how well things will hold up. I am very impressed with it so far. We traded in a 2001 VW Jetta for it, the Jetta was getting small for us with two young boys and a dog. Also, the Jetta was having some disturbing problems, some things seemed not quite right from the start (we purchased it new). Anyway, the Outback seems to be a great thing for us, the room is vastly superior, it handles equally as well as the Jetta, if not better, and I like the fact that it is AWD. We've had it on some slick roads a couple of times since we bought it, and it has done well. It is also very comfortable, I think, I haven't had a complaint about the seats yet. I love the leather and heated seats, they are so wonderful on a cold morning or evening. Yes, the cupholder is poorly placed, but you can't have everything. As far as power is concerned, I feel that it has plenty for me, but I am probably considered a pretty conservative driver by most. I really do love the way it handles on our river road fraught with 45mph corners. Overall, I have to say that so far I am very happy with it. I can only hope that this continues.

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The other cars we had were a 91 VW Passat and the aforementioned Jetta. The Passat went to 190,000 miles before it started to deteriorate fast and we traded it on the Jetta. The Passat was a great car

Powerful V-6 engine, reliability, great in all weather conditions!, good leg room, smooth ride.

kinda cheap interior parts, need a better cupholder than the one next to the stereo, heated seats take for ever to warm up!

I've had this car for nearly 2 years, and I'd have to say this car has yet to let me down! Very reliable, no problems at all (knock on wood). From loading the car with 400 lbs of 2x4s, and long road trips, to weathery conditions. In NJ we just had a blizzard, around 2ft of snow, I didn't think this car would be driveable in 2ft of snow, boy was I wrong! This car handled it with no problems (of course you have your reverse and forward situations), it was very, very rare with this car! WOW! Impressive! For instance; my car had been burried by not only the snowstorm but also by the snow plowers, I removed half of the snow at the front of the car, removed snow on the drivers side door(to warm up the car), and at the rear where the muffler is. Put it in reverse, got some room, in drive more for the angle, in reverse again, then in drive and pulled out fine! the car next to me had to remove all the snow all around his car in order to get his car out. LOVE THIS CAR!!!!!!!!!

Interior cargo area is roomy

Acceleration is anemic, seats are uncomfortable, plastic outer hardware is flimsy, paint peels off plastic outer bumper easily.

Bought my first Subaru for the reliability factor, however have been disappointed. Head gasket failed at 72,000 miles. I sent the case to Subaru for review and recieved a letter stating that it wasn't their problem since it was out of warranty. This car had excellent maintence and I also stated to them that it had always required coolent to be added about every 2 mo-even though there was no leak evident. Needless to say, I won't be a repeat customer and wouldn't recommend a Subaru based on this and the fact that the seats in these cars feel like you are sitting on a rock sheet! I've also brought this up to the company, but they seem to be oblivious to criticism.

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none

AWD. Nothing better out there. Have always had 4X4. Never again except maybe for recreational off-roading.

Could use a tad more HP. Ours is 5 speed so it is not as much an issue as with the auto.

Excellent car. We bought ours with 60K on it. Bought an extended warranty. Only problem so far was a leaky oil pump seal. Had that fixed under warranty plus timing belt, since they were in there, for less than $200. Engine has the "Subaru knock" to it. Not a big deal.

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4Runner, Sentra, Jeeps

lots of space for highway traveling

transmission repair was way too soon and very costly

I loved this car! Bought it to keep and turn over to my daughter when she turns 16 for her first car for safety reasons (AWD and roll rating, not top heavy)but am severely disappointed with the transmission. 61,400 (1,400) out of warranty and it is totally needing a new transmission $3,295. This car has been babied and serviced as per the book. Supposedly a seal in the transmission that "never goes out" blew. There is also a noise in the right front tire area that I have had it in for several times with no resolution. Bottom line, unhappy with the product.

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Ford Explorer, Dodge Dakota

The AWD - but many other cars are just as good.

Obviously the engine and heater coil. There are a lot of things I have never liked about this car - mushy seats, stupid cup holders, etc., but I was willing to live with them before the car started to break down.

***Don't buy this car****!!!!! I've had nothing but trouble with this car. It's 10,000 miles out of warranty and I've spent $5600 on it this year. It has had two heater coils replaced this year - $800 each plus towing and over a week without the vehicle each repair. The latest thing to go wrong, the engine needed to be replaced ($3500). I've done all maintenance including oil changes. I even had the car in to the dealer (Barber Brothers in Orem, UT) a month before the engine died to have an oil leak checked and repaired ($377). The only reason I took it in was to avoid having a more costly repair. Also, Subaru customer service offers no help. If you do own one of these dump it before the warranty expires - they will offer absolutely nothing after it does. As soon as I can afford to get rid of this car I will!

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Toyota Highlander - great car! It's my wife's and what I drive when the Subaru is being repaired! I'm going to probably replace this vehicle with a Toyota Sequoia.

Greta handlig on snow, steep slopes wet roads. Great array of bells and whisles in the Limited model. The heated seats come very handy in winter. Quiet ride, except when engine is cold. Good looks.

Unable to completely stop the air flow into the car through the vents. With the fan motionless and the HVAC off, there is always a draft from the vent registers. Poor mileage for a four cylinder engine. Rear wndow too high for back-up visibility.

I decided to lease the Outback for the first three years and make another, more informed decision at the end of the lease. Up until a week ago, I had been leaning strongly toward buying the car at the end of the lease period and keeping it for another four years. Last week, a rather shocking event brought some doubt to my mind. The radiator suddendly failed and allowed the engine to overheat. The resulting damage required a head replacement. Although all parts and labor were covered by the warranty, and Subaru of America paid the car rental costs during the repair period, I cannot help but feel that my enthusiastic liing of my subbie has been dampened.

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Ford Taurus wagon, Honda Accord SE, BMW 320 I, Suzuki Grand Vitara XL-7

-Seating is higher than in most cars -Pretty good sound insulation -Generous space in front and trunk -Nice "rumble" from the boxer type engine -Torque is great for fast "stop-go" -AWD helps take corners at higher speed.

Although people seem to go crazy with Subaru's AWD system, I did not find it particularly amazing in snow. I put Blizzak snow tires and tried the AWD in a parking lot. It slipped as much as my previous car (Accord). I asked the dealership to look at the system and they said it was in perfect condition... -Not enough HP at higher speed (75mph). -Drinks a lot of gas even if air filter is new and injectors are clean. -Not much leg room in the back - I would expect more from a mid-size. -No standard block heater.

Needed a hauler in which we could fit whole family. After shome shopping, had to decide between the Subaru and the Passat. Why the Subie? I guess the AWD played a part in the decision. Does it fit my needs? Yes Am I happy with it? So-so Would I buy it again? I'll take the Fifth on this one and wait for the up- coming Mazda 6 wagon...

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Accord, Camry