Up until my kids started hitting their teens, I use to drive fast and hard. At that point, I thought it might be best to be a good role model and started slowing down, hard to do when you have a taste for fast cars. Last spring I had the opportunity to replace my wifes old Corolla wagon with a previous model 4 cyl Outback, offered at a hard to refuse price. Since then, she found it too big for her so I gave my son my car and adopted the Outback. First off, I agree, this is a laid back car, perfectly suited to our speed limits and never getting speeding tickets. In August, I headed off to the Olympic National Park from Edmonton. On our run from Edmonton to Kamloops, staying within the speed limits, on a single tank of gas I got 7.0 L per 100 km. Down at Olympia, it was like being at a Corvette convention for Outbacks, they were everywhere. As far as a long distance cruiser, this is a very comfortable car and we didn't experience any of the wind noise you'd mentioned. While there, I also had the opportunity to take the Outback down some rough back roads and I'd have to say, this car rocks in the outback! Now I'm thinking my wife might like the new WRX, just too bad there's no wagon. So if you're not in a hurry, I'd highly recommend this car.
