Toyota Rav4 or Subaru Forester or?

Looking to trade in our 2017 VW Jetta SE. It's too low to the ground for our private rocky dirt road and both of us are getting sick of crawling in and out of it. It's fun to drive though with its 5 speed manual.

Looking for a used AWD suv-ish vehicle. We test drove a 2019 Subaru Forester Touring and a 2018 Subaru Outback Touring. Liked the headroom of the Forester over the Outback.

Haven't test driven a Rav4 yet. Looking at the Adventure model.

Must haves:
2018 or newer, AWD, sunroof, Navigation, Tan, Gray, or Gray and balck leather or plether. Not looking for black only leather.

The Honda CRV is an option.

What do you guys have and what do you like about it?


Note we currently have:
2006 Nissan Frontier King Cab 4x4
2019 Toyota 4Runner Off Road
and the 2017 Jetta

 

My wife has an Outback, which is the same as the Forester, just a different body. The Forester struck me as a little weird because the extra cargo space was in the height, which we didn't really need.

I like the reliability of the Subarus. The engine and tranny combo are great. Plenty of pep and the cvt is solid. AWD is excellent. I don't like the way they handle, however. The seats are not comfortable to me at all on long road trips. Even though the Subaru gets better mpgs than my 4Runner, we still take the 4Runner everywhere as a family.

No experience with the Rav4, but we're going to take a good look at it next time around. I'm hoping it has some similarities with the 4Runner, like the seats. I'm especially interested in the plug-in hybrid (Prime) version coming out next year.......it's supposed to go like 30 miles on electricity before the ICE kicks in. I like that it sits higher than the Outback and I think they look better.

 

I noticed that about the hard seats in the Outback. Good info thanks!

 

Leased a CR-V for 3 years, and was pleased with the vehicle. Put Falkens on it for the 1st 6 months here in NM, and it did pretty well in the desert / mild wheeling. Drove 3/4ths up a BLM trail to an antenna site, had to stop as the washouts were too deep even with 8" clearance. A side by side came by while we were taking pictures, and was surprised I made it as far as I had. (SWMBO is a heckuva spotter!)

 

I wouldn't hesitate to buy any of those. I know people who own all 3 (different people) and none of them seem to have any complaints.

You could drive all 3 and just buy whichever one feels the best. I don't think there's a wrong choice.

 

I drove a rav4 for 2400 miles.

liked it a lot, but mentioning hard seats, the rav4 was awful on the buns. Had to use a pillow. Roomy and quick. Enjoyed it. No experience with the Subaru but know they’re good vehicles.

 

We went from a few different VWs to an Outback almost 10 years ago. When considering a new vehicle, the Outback was what we wanted to start with and see if anything could make us change our mind.
Love the height for a wagon. I’m not afraid to crank down a dirt road, or go a little off the beaten path. My wife loves how it turns, other vehicles are now a slight struggle as she is so used to how well the Outback turns. It is also a 6 speed that is fun to drive.
We did not like the forester of old, haven’t check out the new ones, nor did we like the rav 4. The both felt cheap, but this was 9 plus years ago.

I’m 6’3” and have no issues fitting in the Outback, but I DIDNOT get a sunroof.

 

That's disappointing to hear about the Rav seats. Was it the new one or an older one?

 

2018
Maybe the mid trim has better seats since this was a basic rental

 

Picked up a 2020 Rav4 TRD Off Road this morning. 0% financing - like it so far. Grips in the curves plus has enough ground clearance to make it down our road. Heated and cooled seats seem comfy.

Pics to come tomorrow.

 

Congrats! Keep us posted on how you like it.

 

Cool looking car. I need to find a behind the grill light bar for it. Partner likes the one I have on my 4Runner.

 

Looks good. Congrats.
Boy, those have sure come a long way.

 

Yeah! Looks awesome!

 

Nice!

 

Congrats. How do you like the engine so far? I have heard lots of complaints about coarseness and noise during acceleration.

 

I really wanted to love one. They look like mini 4runners. Test drove a 2019 Rav4 and the lack of headroom and leg space vs the 4runner was biggest issue, especially for us tall folk.

Congratulations op. Looks nice!

 

The engine has some noise to it. I kind of like it, lets you know it's there. Acceleration is pretty good for a NA 2.5L motor with 203hp.

I've been playing with the drive modes (Eco, Normal, and Sport). Eco feels like the throttle is retarded and the AWD is FWD biased. Sport seems to have all 4 wheels driving, at least according to the dash image / gauge. Haven't played with normal to tell any difference between it and sport. These drive modes remind me of my Sprint Booster in my 4Runner and seem to do more with throttle response than anything else.

Tried out the Dirt / Rock mode on my dirt / rock road. I cant tell that it does anything different than Sport mode. Maybe it's like Atrac - not sure though. Will do some more research.

Figure the Off Road aspect of this vehicle is just an appearance package. When the ground dries up here a little more, I'll take it off road in my mowed back field.

Thanks.
I'm 6'4 220 and the drivers seat has enough adjustments allowing me to sit low enough to not brush my head on the ceiling.
When I sit in the passenger seat, I need to lower the seat back. Legroom seems acceptable.

For a 2nd car, I'm happy with the Rav4 so far. We both can now take additional family members / friends on some of the dirt / rock roads in the area. Plus the AWD really grips the curves in our area. If you're familiar with the Tail of the Dragon, Missouri's Highway 160 and Highway 125 out of Springfield both have just as many annoying hills and curves.

I still like my 4Runner though. If it was a one or the other - proposition, I'd take the 4Runner.



Side note:

Since we were planning on replacing the 5 speed manual transmission VW Jetta, my partner also test drove a 2020 Tacoma Trd OR (premium?) with the 6 speed manual, leather, dual climate control, and sunroof. That sunroof was too low for me and I'm glad I don't have one in my 4Runner. It handled like a truck, which my 14 year old Nissan Frontier works fine for. The interior was also cramped, which was the main reason I bought my 4Runner instead of the Taco originally.

 

I watched this the other night. Other than ground clearance, it did very well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQCEYavlIhs

 

285's of GTFO!

 

Lift kits and lightweight skids are available from this company:
https://lpaventure.com/collections/rav4-2019


Similar lift kit:
https://www.roughcountry.com/toyota-leveling-lift-kit-73100.html

 

I think I need a ladder! Plus Prinsu sells a roof rack. Only problem there is install is a pita.

https://www.rnofitfabrication.com/store