The other Forester vs. X-Trail seems to have evolved into insults (I'm sure in good fun) and the subject line is no longer accurate for me, so here goes a new one...
We went out yesterday and drove a bunch of cars: Vue, X-Trail, Equinox, Forester XS, and Forester XT. As a result, we've dropped the X-Trail and Equinox off the list (for various reasons, but I don't know if I should go into detail). But the new Vue vs. Forester decision is a tough one. I hope you can shed some light on my problems. My current vehicle is a 1991 Ford Explorer.
The Vue is bigger than the Forester, slightly wider and almost as long as my '91. But according to my notes, the Forester XS actually claims greater cargo volume than the Vue does, both with seat down and seat up (1815 vs 1807 L and 906 vs 873 L, respectively, and my Explorer's is claimed to be 2313 and 1207 L). Surely this can't be true, I thought! My impression of the Forester's cargo area is about as big as behind the last seat of a 1984 Magic Wagon, but I paid close attention to the plastic tray in the Foresters, and it really is bigger than I thought. Is it possible Subaru has that much more cargo volume in a vehicle that's 6" shorter, 3" narrower, and 4" lower!?
My biggest concern with the Forester is still rear-seat room. I don't haul four people regularly (I look on the Forester as a 3-seater when I'm driving) and it's true a shorter adult can fit in the back behind me. Even the driver's space feels smaller, though. Would it be comfortable for a drive to Toronto? Driver's legroom on the Forester is 1" more than my Explorer, and the Vue is 0.5" less. But of course there's more to it than specs, the Explorer is much more comfortable to drive and the shorter Vue legroom is compensated for somewhat by having a wider space (my leg doesn't feel as constricted since I can move it side to side, and with split-bench the Explorer is even more comforable!). There's definitely more to legroom than specs, the Santa Fe claims to be 0.2" better than the Vue but is simply unusable for me.
The engines/transmissions are another factor. Vue has 250hp and the Forester is either 165hp or 210hp. All three are relatively smooth. But for some reason, the Vue makes a rough transition from 1st to 2nd (or 2nd to 3rd, I don't remember but the GF was driving and she knew for sure). This is partly a factor of being unused to the vehicle (and why I want to rent everything, but neither of these is rented by anyone AFAIK). Is that normal for the Vue though? We're both pretty good at adjusting to smoothe the shifts, but even at the end of my 20min driving she could still feel it.
For the Foresters, we've been following the conventional wisdom of driving NA first and then Turbo. This time we did the XT first. We did the same route twice and I'm sure I could feel places where the XS revved and downshifted, but the XT would just have accelerated -- that's the turbo, right?
Whenever I start driving the Forester I start smiling, because it feels comfortable. But I was also comfortable in the Vue (I just didn't grin as much, and grinning is only _part_ of the reason to buy a vehicle). The Vue is also a higher driving position, which I like (I'm used to seeing far ahead in crowds when walking, and in my Explorer). OTOH, Forester has 4* rollover and Vue has 3*. And I'm still shaking my head that the Vue's external power mirrors are not heated, to me that's a safety feature.
And GF says, if I'm serious about the Forester, which is much closer to a wagon than an SUV, then I really should look at others like Volvo wagons. So far I haven't because I came at this looking for a smaller SUV and because I wanted to be up high. Does anyone publish stats about where the driver's head is in various vehicles? And if I were serious about the Forester, what else is there in its class (with AWD and good safety)? FWIW, I found the Outback as awkward to get in and out as I do the Camry. And the Vue (and Liberty and X-Trail and...) as easy as, or easier than, my Explorer.
Oh, and the rear-view mirror is a huge blindspot in the Forester for me and for the GF (who's shorter but has the seat cranked up and forward). My Explorer's fell off and I love it, but the Vue's seemed higher on the window from my driving position (not totally blocking the view of any traffic or pedestrians entering from the right, like the Forester). Are these things adjustable or removable (the latter perhaps with an option to put them back on)? Could I twist it 180 degrees so it was higher? I was going to try that in the Explorer but then it fell off.
GF says it's my car and her opinion is just an opinion (when she was shopping for a Camry replacement -- didn't get one -- the important thing was whether I fit in any given vehicle, not which one was my favourite). But I value her opinion and she caught the fact the Forester is just a little wagon much sooner than I did.
Thanks!
=aw
(Message edited by awebber on October 01, 2004)
