New Forester!

[ifcar]

I'd fuss a bit if I spent $20,000 and up on a truck that disappeared...

[S204STi]

As for the Forester, I think it looks great, and it should be a success.

The only thing I dislike is using the Impreza interior.  The previous interior was much more useful and fitting, I thought.

[ifcar]

It too, of course, was very similar to the correlating generation of Impreza.

[MrH]

The steering wheel is also on the wrong side!

Learn something new everyday. 

[Eye of the Tiger]

It's hard for me to read those Japanese letters, but did I see something about a turbo H6 motor in this thing?

[Soup DeVille]

If I had a cabin in the mountains and wanted a small Jeepish vehicle to leave there year-round, I'd think about the Vitara.  It has low range in its T-case, and it's cheap and unlovable enough not to fuss too much about it being stolen or lost in a mud slide.

Those kinds of attributes rarely make it into the sales pitch.

It's ugly and disposable! Buy two, they're small.

[FordSVT]

Those kinds of attributes rarely make it into the sales pitch.

Well, maybe it should. It's how they've sold Jeeps for 50 years and I don't see a line-up to by Grand Vitaras. As a family vehicle there are many better choices, it's strengths really are, IMO, it's rugged quality. I don't think it's ugly, but it's certainly amongst the most truck-like of the small SUVs. It's no XTerra but I wouldn't be scared to death to drive it down a bumpy road like I would be in a RAV4 or CRV.

[ifcar]

A standard passenger car can handle a bumpy road.

[FordSVT]

A standard passenger car can handle a bumpy road.

  I thought it was pretty obvious I was using hyperbole to make a point, but I guess I shouldn't count on someone not nit-picking to death everything everyone says around here in a vein attempt to look intelligent, even Mods.

[ifcar]

That was not my intention. It's more that I see an all-too-frequent underestimation of the capabilities of car-based SUVs. Yes, they're just passenger cars with a higher ground clearance and available all-wheel-drive, but that is enough to handle a great deal of off-road behavior short of pure recreation.

[Soup DeVille]

Well, maybe it should. It's how they've sold Jeeps for 50 years and I don't see a line-up to by Grand Vitaras. As a family vehicle there are many better choices, it's strengths really are, IMO, it's rugged quality. I don't think it's ugly, but it's certainly amongst the most truck-like of the small SUVs. It's no XTerra but I wouldn't be scared to death to drive it down a bumpy road like I would be in a RAV4 or CRV.

Have you seen the resale prices on Wranglers? I certainly wouldn't call them disposable by any means.

[S204STi]

Have you seen the resale prices on Wranglers? I certainly wouldn't call them disposable by any means.

Resale on those things is disgusting.  I see 5-10 year old Wranglers regularly going for nearly $20k.

[FordSVT]

Have you seen the resale prices on Wranglers? I certainly wouldn't call them disposable by any means.

You're the only one calling anything disposable, I was responding more to R-inge's comment than yours. There is nothing wrong with rugged.

And yes, Wranglers have awesome resale. There's nothing else on the market like it and everyone from teenage girls to hard-core off-roaders always have their eyes out for a used item. Even half-beaten to crap old CJs and YJs will get $5000+ as long as the frame is good and the body doesn't need much work. Working motor is optional, the hardcore guys swap them in most cases anyways.

[the Teuton]

You're the only one calling anything disposable, I was responding more to R-inge's comment than yours. There is nothing wrong with rugged.

And yes, Wranglers have awesome resale. There's nothing else on the market like it and everyone from teenage girls to hard-core off-roaders always have their eyes out for a used item. Even half-beaten to crap old CJs and YJs will get $5000+ as long as the frame is good and the body doesn't need much work. Working motor is optional, the hardcore guys swap them in most cases anyways.

And no one knows the difference between them and CJs, so if you're insane and cheap like me, you'd probably be better off looking at one of them.

[FordSVT]

And no one knows the difference between them and CJs, so if you're insane and cheap like me, you'd probably be better off looking at one of them.

Most definitely. I'd never buy one unless I intended to put it on it's roof at some point, and I'm sure as heck not going to do that with a $15-20,000 late model TJ. Some light trucking, a bit of mud and an open top is the reason most people buy them, which is fine. Let them buy new ones so the enthusiasts can buy them for four figures and build on them.

[Soup DeVille]

And no one knows the difference between them and CJs, so if you're insane and cheap like me, you'd probably be better off looking at one of them.

They have square headlights.

[Soup DeVille]

Most definitely. I'd never buy one unless I intended to put it on it's roof at some point, and I'm sure as heck not going to do that with a $15-20,000 late model TJ. Some light trucking, a bit of mud and an open top is the reason most people buy them, which is fine. Let them buy new ones so the enthusiasts can buy them for four figures and build on them.

They're pretty hard to get on the roof. They like laying on their sides occasionaly, but even that takes concerted effort.

They don't really seem to mind though as long as you give thoil to drain back out of combustion chambers. I'f you're an impatient type, just pull the sparkplugs and crank the starter.

[nickdrinkwater]

Looks boring.  It looks about five years old already.

[FordSVT]

They're pretty hard to get on the roof. They like laying on their sides occasionaly, but even that takes concerted effort.

They don't really seem to mind though as long as you give thoil to drain back out of combustion chambers. I'f you're an impatient type, just pull the sparkplugs and crank the starter.

I was kidding. I'm just saying the only reason I'd ever buy a Jeep is if I was going to do things with it that the average human being wouldn't dare do with a new truck, and that it wouldn't be anything close to stock.

[S204STi]

Looks boring.  It looks about five years old already.

That pretty much nails the Subaru styling curve, BTW,

[TBR]

When is this coming out? I'd like to put a XT Limited on my mom's shopping list (despite the fact both of my parents drive like extremely old people, they don't think 165hp in the Outback is enough), but the AT of the new model could be a deal breaker (and, if it isn't then Subaru probably won't make the list this time around).

[Eye of the Tiger]

pretty much just lesbians drive Foresters, so I dont know why all you guys even care

[FordSVT]

pretty much just lesbians drive Foresters, so I dont know why all you guys even care

And middle-ages ex-hippies. A friend of mine's parents are total granola eaters and own a Forester and a WRX. Nice cars, total hippies. One's a pro-bono attorney. I can go to them for weed. 

[S204STi]

pretty much just lesbians drive Foresters, so I dont know why all you guys even care

I dig the Forester, and in fact would like to put my wife in one of these new ones if she wasn't so dead-set on a pickup truck.

[S204STi]

And middle-ages ex-hippies. A friend of mine's parents are total granola eaters and own a Forester and a WRX. Nice cars, total hippies. One's a pro-bono attorney. I can go to them for weed. 

My kind of people!

[CALL_911]

And middle-ages ex-hippies. A friend of mine's parents are total granola eaters and own a Forester and a WRX. Nice cars, total hippies. One's a pro-bono attorney. I can go to them for weed. 

Do they also listen to Phish?

[FordSVT]

Do they also listen to Phish?

They've seen them a dozen times. Used to go see the Dead too. I actually went with them to see Dave Matthews in Montreal a few years ago. Don't get me wrong, they're really good people. Successful too.

[the Teuton]

I'm trying to get my mom to replace her van with a Forester.  Does that make her a lesbian, Nick?

[Eye of the Tiger]

I'm trying to get my mom to replace her van with a Forester.  Does that make her a lesbian, Nick?

No, it just means you're trying to make her a lesbian. The choice is hers. 

[the Teuton]

No, it just means you're trying to make her a lesbian. The choice is hers. 

It's most-likely going to be a PT Cruiser or a Forester, but she's really liking the security of AWD lately.  For someone who's owned mostly RWD cars in her life and drove commercial Mercedes-Benz diesel trucks for her dad, that kinda surprises me.