The 4Runner has some competition

2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness Edition:

Starting price: $37,000
2.4L Turbo
260HP
277 Lb-ft torque @2,000 rpm
22/26 city highway mpg
3,500 lb towing capacity
9.5 inch ground clearance
Yokohama Geolander A/T's come stock



Link to full article:

https://www.carprousa.com/2022-Suba...Pt9U4s6C0aEVA6ciq4dX_BGdZgoX4bkZ9CusG0dX6Xwcw

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With no low range transfer case and CVT I doubt.

 

I’d buy one.

 

We're getting my wife a '21 Outback Premium this week. Subaru makes a great car. No plans for offroading it though

 

I am not a fan of Subaru flat engines so not for me. Now the upcoming Sport Bronco may come close. However it will be hard for another competitor to beat Toyota's reliability record.

 

Not a single issue with the 2.5L in my wife's 2014 Forester, bought new in April 2013. That was the first year of their CVT, and unfortunately the last year of port fuel injection. I'll deal with carbon fouling as it comes.

Subarus all consume a little oil, which is normal for the horizontal design. No big deal. I think they are every bit as good as Toyotas.

 

While it's capable of what it's capable of. It comes up short when compared to the Bronco Sport and in no way competes with a Runner. imo

 

While I can't really see it competing with the 4Runner, I really do like it, and it would make for a good replacement for our Patriot when that time comes. Yep, I'd buy one!

 

Certainly experiences vary amongst vehicles and owners with good and bad maintenance habits. Looking at the overall ownership data for 2014 4Runner vs. Forester, you'll see a better record for the 4Runner. Usage wise folks tend to stress their 4Runners and the fact that 4Runner's reliability still holds well, says something about Toyota's quality.

 

It's really appealing and would make a great car for a lot of people. But let's be serious -- it's got a CVT. That's basically the antonym of "bulletproof." They have a bad track record in general and specifically in Subarus. Plus it's not BOF. And I'd like to see it compete with a 4Runner or other traditional 4WD system in gnarly conditions.

Again, I like the thing. We've had five (5!) Subarus over the years. Still kinda wish we had the 2015 Forester with manual trans (which consumed a quart of oil every 800-1000 miles until the short block was replaced under warranty in response to a class action lawsuit -- then it didn't consume any oil at all between 5K changes). So I know the brand well. It's just no Toyota in terms of quality, and this thing is no 4Runner in terms of durability and capability.

EDIT: I've actually had 6 Subarus. I forgot to count the most recent one, a 2019 WRX, prob cause I hated it so much.

1990s Legacy wagon FWD I got used from a friend
Late 2000s Impreza sedan
Late 2000s Outback (terrible car, hated the CVT and was built with the rigidity of a wet noodle. Taking corners at highway speeds made you wonder if you'd live to see another day, it was so flexy. Subaru fixed this in subsequent generations).
2013 BRZ (one of my all time favorite cars -- but it was my wife's DD and it scared her)
2015 Forester (described above)
2019 WRX -- a car that should have been destined to be a classic but was ruined by its horrible engine.

 

Foresters and Outback are car-based crossovers, not truck-based suvs like the 4R. A proper comparison would be the Accord, Camry, or even something like a Highlander, Rav4 or CRV. When compared to those, they hold up very well.

My wife had an Accord prior to her Forester. She beats the heck out of cars, much to my chagrin, but the Forester is still pretty much like new after 8 years. Her Accord was already a trainwreck at 8 years. That's why I won't buy her the Lexus she's always wanted.

 

They’re AWD winter cars for the PNW and Colorado. They’re good at that.

 

And the northeast. Probably much of the middle of America, too. Canada? Yeah, most likely.

 

Yes, and New England. They're like the Official Car of New Hampshire LOL. For decades now it's crazy how many you see on the roads up there. Was especially so before other Japanese makes got into the market for affordable and reliable AWD.

 

Don’t really see them in the kind of numbers you do in Northern California, Washington, Oregon, and Colorado.

The biggest dealer in the country is in Colorado Springs.

 

Maybe not, but there are still a lot of them around. A married couple friends of mine just got an Outback, and they had a Forester before that.

 

The low end torque the CVT offers is pretty impressive. One benefit of the CVT that you don't hear mentioned very often. It's always in the power band. We haven't had any issues with ours and we're going on 90,000 miles.

True, no low range 4wd. That's definitely a negative. Looks like this wilderness edition comes with a 4:44:1 gear ratio, which surprised me frankly. Also, the same amount of ground clearance as the 4Runner.

I bet there will be a few 4Runner owners embarrassed on the trail when they see one of these keeping up with them.

 

I love Subaru (have had 2) but the maintenance costs are outrageous (at least here in Canada) and it was hard to find competent mechanics for them. I walked from the brand to Toyota after the last one. Looks nice though!!

 

You could always have my pals up at this place pump it up a little.
https://crawfordperformance.com/#

 

it will be perfect for the weekender trail or no rock crawling individual. At that price, there are other options, the 4runner starts at $36,765, Bronco....Wrangler starts $28k....so it will be a tough sell, but Subaru has got the most loyal buyers in the industry, it seems (will come back to buy again)
I had a nissan with cvt, never again.

 

It would work well for my use. I like it, especially in that blue. But I read where they may be having some quality problems with the new 2.4 turbo in the Ascent so I'd want a little more comfort that the 2.4 is solid.

 

probably a great ride, but not my cup of tea. I would strongly consider a sport bronco. I owned a '70 Bronco..for yrs, before rust ATE it up....as for the others, it'll be tough to match the longevity of Toyota engines..etc

 

The Bronco Sport is tiny. Couldn’t believe how small it was when I saw it. It’s like a Honda Civic of SUV’s.

 

I can totally see why the outback would pose some competition for the 4runner. For the less trail inclined and the more road trip inclined, the Subaru fits the bill nicely.

 

https://youtu.be/t4FrZtyNsCU

 

https://youtu.be/o74tpcb9VhI

 

That has to be one of my favorite videos ever. That little Subaru is just like: "Hell with it, I'm just gonna send it!" and boogies up that damn hill without breaking a sweat. It has definitely given me newfound respect for those vehicles. *laughs*

 

If you go to a Subaru dealership, absolutely. I started doing all the usual maintenance myself on our Forester. Other than spark plugs (really just 1 corner), everything is super easy. Easiest oil change I've ever done by far.

 

Yeah the full time awd and cvt is basically like a "granny" gear. Riding with my wife can be a scary proposition sometimes. She has 2 basic speeds: right pedal on the floor, and left pedal on the floor. She launches that thing at every stop light. Ours is the wimpy 2.5L. NO WAY would I put her behind the wheel with the new 2.4L turbo....