Topic: Forester vs. X-Trail

[awebber]

Thanks for your suggestions.  Yes I've seen the sunroof, we made the "mistake" of taking a test drive the week before last on the first night it turned warm (downtown Montreal).  We were impressed by the size of the sunroof.  I've never even considered them because in a car they take too much of the limited headroom I have (and even in the Santa Fe, the headroom is too little with the sunroof).  In the Forester there was still room, and I think some others.  Now of course it's on my list of nice-to-haves.

I think the XT's AC is one of those automatic things where you set the temperature and let it go?

Didn't realize the roadside assistance was provided by CAA, I dropped CAA last year and went with a credit-card plan (I have TD's $25/mo account plan -- waived for $5K minimum balance -- and it comes with a credit card, I didn't like any of their offerings as a credit card so I took the one that includes roadside assistance).

Didn't try the Legacy but I sat in the new Outback and found it both uncomfortable to get in and out (compared to the SUVs and mini-SUVs I've been trying) and a less comfortable driving position.  I'm used to being up high, both walking (6'2") and driving (Explorer) and I think the driver's position is actually slightly lower in the Forester than the X-Trail.  Not terribly so, but I like seeing 2-3 cars ahead.

=aw


(Message edited by awebber on September 27, 2004)

(Message edited by awebber on September 27, 2004)

[ovr50]

Just a little thing on the auto a/c in the XT - there's a lot of grousing on the US Subies sites on Edmunds about the XT auto a/c having a "mind of it's own". Most of the posters there seem to find it frustrating and would prefer the more controlable a/c system (as an aside, IMO the auto a/c systems are frustrating - wife's Solara has it and I am constantly over-riding it).  
And you do sit low in the Foresters, but the seats are pretty adjustable. Remember the Forester is car-based.

[Mdxtasy]

I've never had my climate control in full auto.  I have it set so the temp is controlled but I get to override where the air blows and how hard.

[Hags]

Awebber,  
You need to narrow your choices according to your needs. Everything depends on your family size and your lifestyle as well as what type of vehicle you would like to drive. To me Subaru Forester is not an SUV “even though everybody thinks so�! As far as I am concern it is a very high maintenance AWD car, also not much of a dealer choice that you can shop around and/or take it for a service after all. I assume it is more expensive than the X-Trail if you had the same options; again it is a choice pending on your needs and your style! You are thinking of too many, need to narrow down first and than make your final choice.
Before I bought my X-Trail, I test drove all similar ones like, CRV, RAV4, Equinox, VUE, Escape, Sorrento (it’s a bit bigger), Santafe, Tribute, all had something nice but to me the X-Trail was nicest and the winner among all in overall. (By the way I hated Equinox; don’t ask me it wasn’t my taste “the drive�, also the car vas making noise on bumpy roads like something was loose.) Everyday passes by, I like the X-trail more and more, and mentioning that I am a driver with almost 40 years of experience. I have driven many cars in my life, some very nice ones like BMW/BENZ/MAXIMA/LEXUS and real SUV’s as well as some small cars like Renault/Focus, and between those some others that I didn’t enjoy! But I really enjoy driving this small SUV! By the way I am 6.2� too and I have the SE which has panaroof, no problem at all! I set the sit down to the lowest which is better but sometimes I don’t change it bc. my wife drives on the highest set and it doesn’t bother me at all! The ride comfort, visibility, handling, smoothness, engine quietness “except hard acceleration�, Fuel consumption (with sensible drive, I calculated average 10L/100km. city so far.) Other little here and there gadgets are very convenient, only thing that I am not happy with is the centre arm rest, it is a bit low for me but it is ok for my wife and son. I don’t care what is said for the centered gauges, believe me it is very convenient, you only appreciate this after you start driving the car.
PS. What I saw the last day was a Subaru Forester had hit a Ford focus from behind towards to the left corner, almost nothing had happened to the Focus but the front of the Subaru was totally gone!
Good luck with your choice!

[Snowman]

Hagzilla….please supply link to factual data that supports claim….and I quote
"I am concern it is a very high maintenance AWD car"…or as Neil would put it STFU. Subaru has REAL systems that are far superior to anything Nissan currently offers.

I am 6’-4� 225 lbs and fit nicely in my Imprezzzzza. I get 10l/100km in a highly modified WRX with 330 hp. The forester is not an SUV….and neither is the X-Trial. Please check your ground clearance. I would take the sequential awd capabilities of a Subaru over the part-timer Four-wheel drive system of a Nissan off-road any day.

[saint_satan]

Neither of these vehicles are true off-roaders.  I get a kick out of any discussion about which AWD systems are better.  

"CR-V reactive system is no good, Subaru is Better - No Nissan!"

My ex-girlfriend had a CR-V and even though it was a relatively no-tech "reactive" system it was ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC for getting through snow-packed streets, going to the lake or hopping that annoying snow-bank the snowplow leaves at the end of your driveway.  Is the Subaru or Nissan System better?  Probably, but the difference is so minimal I wouldn't want to be in a position to rely on that extra 10% capability.  Any of the mini-utes will serve 95% of drivers very well with decent tires.  Quite frankly, I prefered the CR-V in most on-road driving conditions to my "more capable" Cherokee with a real transfer case.

I would look past the "capability" factor and look at things like styling, space, pricing, features, etc.

[awebber]

quote:

You are thinking of too many, need to narrow down first and than make your final choice.

Thanks for all the advice.  I wanted to say, though, that I've pretty much gotten it down to Forester, X-Trail, Vue, and Equinox, and those are the ones (except maybe not Equinox, I find it very ugly) we'll try to drive on Thursday.

Don't find the Escape driving position at all comfortable, and though I liked the Liberty it was pretty bumpy.  I've found the RAV-4 and CR-V both uncomfortable but I can't put my finger on why they don't interest me.  I also liked the Matrix but would prefer to be higher up.  I even liked the Suzuki Aerio (AWD wagon) but the same applies re: driving position and the digital speedometer would drive me nuts!  That said, if money were truly a concern (say to get through a short-term contracting dry spell) I'd probably go for the Aerio and if I didn't feel comfortable driving it to Montreal, I'd take the train and still come out ahead.  But it hasn't been a dry spell, and the future is as optimistic as is possible in the economy of 2004.

So right now of the four I listed, I suspect it's really between the Forester and X-Trail.  Neither of which I had considered when I started this, so the process has been valuable.

Thanks again to everyone who's commented.

=aw

[Shnak]

Went to an outdoor car show this weekend, and the X-Trail absolutely disgusted me... its interior is, plainly-put, terrible. Cheap cheap cheap. You touch anything and you get the fealing the plastic piece might break. And then, there's those stupid center gauges... some might like those, but I really don't.

Btw, the cheap plastics found in the X-Trail were found all the way from the Sentra (which is understandable IMO) to the Infiniti FX45. Absolutely disgusting.

[Mdxtasy]

As long as the plastic doesn't rattle like a certain diesel car that one of the forum guys just bought.  

[Shnak]

There's a difference between cheap materials (nothing that can be done about it) and poor assembly (can be fixed afterwards). There is not a single cheap partin my Golf... but there are 2 rattling and one cracking noise.

And besides, in a 24k Golf, it's somewhat excusable that some things here and there will need adjustments... in a 75k or however those FX45, G35, etc. cost, I don't think anyone expects to have interior materials that even Kia surpasses.

[awebber]

One could also look at it as, "There's a difference between cheap materials (which can be upgraded later with aftermarket if important) and poor assembly (which may or may not be fixable, depending how far back the assembly goes)".

I don't mind the middle gauges although I think they will take a little getting used to.  I rather like the hard plastic (fibreglass?) platform in the back, and the total lack of a lip dragging stuff out.  We're finding almost all the cars out there have a silvery-coloured plastic all over, it's actually starting to look stylish.

=aw

(Message edited by awebber on September 29, 2004)

[Shnak]

Well the only problems with my Golf is a few cracking and a rattle... those aren't related to the quality of the materials but the assembly. And those problems will be fixed. When I touch the dash, nothing cracks, nothing moves.

For all new Nissan products, everything is made of cheap plastics. You touch anything and it cracks.  

I'm picky, those kinds of things annoy the hell out of me. For this reason alone, Nissan products are a no-no for me.

Good thing most people don't care about the quality of materials, and aren't as picky as I am, because if everyone was like me, not a single Ford/GM/DC/Nissan/Infinity would get sold.

[Hags]

HOW IT COMPARES ( CAR GUIDE  )

Toyota RAV4 5-Door  
Three stars, from $30,490  

Honda CR-V  
Three stars, from $31,990  

Nissan X-Trail  
Four stars, from $31,990.  

Hyundai Santa Fe  
Three stars, from $29,990  

Subaru Forester 2.5XT  
Three stars, from $39,490  

(Message edited by hags on September 29, 2004)

[Hags]

[Hags]

http://www.alldata.com/recall/make/Subaru/Forester.html

http://www.mycarstats.com/auto_recalls/SUBARU_Recalls.asp

[Hags]

http://www.parkers.co.uk/choosing/carreviews/review.aspx?model_id=639&page=1

[Hags]

As we all know, all car sales are dramaticly down, but I wonder why Nissan's sales are lot less down than the others!

(Message edited by hags on September 29, 2004)

(Message edited by hags on September 29, 2004)

[ovr50]

Hags - you need to talk to Barrie more, he has an article says Nissan got big problems with Titans, Armadas, and several other vehicles.

[Snowman]

Nissan to recall 1.02m cars over engine trouble
TOKYO: Nissan Motor Co, Japan’s third-largest auto maker, said on Thursday it would recall 1.02 million cars worldwide at an estimated cost of 15 to 16 billion yen ($138-148 million) due to an engine defect.


The recall, covering 25 models, is the second-biggest ever by a Japanese auto maker, a transport ministry official said.  

The biggest was also by Nissan, involving about 1.05 million cars in May 1996.  

A Nissan spokeswoman said the cost of the recall had been factored into profit forecasts for the business year to next March. Some of the cost will be shared by parts makers, she said.  

Earlier this month, Nissan said it would keep its full-year operating profit forecast unchanged at 820 billion yen ($7.58 billion), up 11 percent from last year.  

Shares of Nissan, owned 44.4 percent by France’s Renault, fell on the recall news. The stock closed down 0.73 percent at 1,221 yen after touching a high of 1,273 yen.  

Some analysts had expressed concern about possible quality issues at Nissan, which has been expanding its product line-up and output volumes at break-neck speed over the past few years.  

The defect was found inside a sensor in the engine that could lead to a short-circuit and stop the engine from working. There have been no reports of accidents caused by the problem.  

The recall affects many popular cars including the Sunny, March, Cube, Primera, Presage, X-Trail, Skyline and Fairlady Z, as well as two cars built for Subaru-maker Fuji Heavy Industries and Mazda Motor Corp on an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) basis.  

The cars, manufactured between 1998 and May 2003, will be recalled mostly in Japan, but also in the United States, Europe and other smaller markets. —Reuters

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/business/3227317.stm

[Snowman]

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