Test Drive: Subaru Impreza & Crosstrek

"CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever" (carsoffortlangley)
11/01/2019 at 20:09 • Filed to: None

Today I test drove, back to back, the Impreza and Crosstrek which are the leading candidates to replace the Claims Kia. The drives were pretty short and the Impreza was actually the SALESMAN’S PERSONAL CAR, because he was super nice and didn’t have a manual Impreza in stock. Driving a stranger’s car was weird.

The sales “ man” was like...20. Nice kid (God, am I old now?) but obviously inexperienced . He offered me $12,000C DN for the Kia as a trade in. That’s $1,000 than the price I paid for it a year ago.

My target replacement is still winter or spring 2020. This depends on my job situation improving, if I can bill more hours, I can easily snag one.

My requirements are essentially:

New or preowned, max age 2 years old

Less than $25K (flexible within $2-3K)

Manual*

AWD/4WD

Less than 35,000km/22,000 miles if used

*Unless used “ luxury” sedan like a Cadenza, Genesis or whatever.

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Ride height is nice, you forget what you’re missing when you drive wagons, hatches, sedans and old trucks exclusively.

Manual feels good. Not sporty, but not as vague as the Kia’s. Acceleration is meh as is top speed, but that’s OK. The artificial rev hang in both cars is atrocious however, something the salesman told me he still hates in his Impreza.

Driving in an urban environment , obviously I can’t speak to the AWD, but given the CX-3's part time was OK in the snow, I would guess the S ubie’ s are pretty darn good.

The Crosstrek is obviously better looking and the better overall car of the two, but I am not sure if I can justify the extra $6,000-$7,000 on my work car/DD over an Impreza.

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Again, this was not a dealer car, this was the personal car of the saleskid. Right away, this car felt more....well like a car. Everyday driving would likely be better, but with !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , the Crosstrek wins out.

The steelies the base model come with would need to go and the aftermarket support isn’t as good. But, it is cheaper...

DISCUSSION (38)

Wacko > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/01/2019 at 20:13

The 2.5 forester can be found with a manual too.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Wacko
11/01/2019 at 20:14

They just sold the one they had.

AestheticsInMotion > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/01/2019 at 20:18

Crosstrek aftermarket would allow you to easily pivot into moderate off-road/overlander in a few years....

Under_Score > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/01/2019 at 20:23

“Under_Score, no.”

(Really pisses me off that cars.com updated so you can’t see the CARFAX in the app, stupid update.)

Hey, check out this car I found on Cars.com: https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/791739533/overview?aff=share_other

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/01/2019 at 20:27

I would look for a 2.5 L forester

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Under_Score
11/01/2019 at 20:27

lol, I’ve considered it

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
11/01/2019 at 20:28

yeah? I’ll look into it

benjrblant > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/01/2019 at 20:32

$12k trade for the kia? That sounds like a heck of a deal. I support this decision to move to a CrossPreza

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
11/01/2019 at 20:34

I looked at a few, looks like used with 50-60,000km they are in the price range, typically 3-4 years old.

What’s good about them?

Under_Score > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/01/2019 at 20:35

A/C!

Oh wait, that budget is kind of big, though. Ooh...

Hey, check out this car I found on Cars.com: https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/788897887/overview?aff=share_other

vicali > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/01/2019 at 20:55

More room inside and underneath..

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > vicali
11/01/2019 at 20:56

There’s a nice on in Vernon. https://www.autotrader.ca/ico/subaru/forester/vernon/british%20columbia/5_46256544_ct2005329102220302/?showcpo=ShowCpo&ncse=no&ursrc=hl&orup=3_11_11&sprxo2

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > vicali
11/01/2019 at 20:56

There’s a nice on in Vernon. https://www.autotrader.ca/ico/subaru/forester/vernon/british%20columbia/5_46256544_ct2005329102220302/?showcpo=ShowCpo&ncse=no&ursrc=hl&orup=3_11_11&sprxo2

vicali > AestheticsInMotion
11/01/2019 at 20:59

Crosstrek aftermarket? Subaru parts all come in two types ; na and Turbo- often parts fit both..

Wheels swap between Impreza/ crosstrek/ forester/ outback.. most suspension parts swap back and forth too if you are careful about the gen/years.

I wouldn’t choose one over the other based of ‘aftermarket support’

Wacko > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/01/2019 at 21:00

If you liked the ride height of the Crosstek, the forester is even better, and you get 30ish more HP than the 2.0

AestheticsInMotion > vicali
11/01/2019 at 21:26

Fair enough. You just see way more Crosstreks done up to camp a few days down some fire roads than you do Imprezas

AestheticsInMotion > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/01/2019 at 21:27

You mentioned wanting a small, capable,ccheap awd crossover. Have you considered a Renegade ?

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > AestheticsInMotion
11/01/2019 at 21:34

Eh... Yeah but I want my next car to be a 10 year deal

AestheticsInMotion > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/01/2019 at 21:37

That's more than fair.

vicali > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/01/2019 at 21:43

Nobody except dealers use autotrader.

Kijiji if you are buying from old people and everything else is on marketplace.

Having said that, Hil ltop Subaru in Vernon is a good little dealership. Anthony’s Subaru owns both Ke lowna and Penticton dealerships.

I would check both of their sites.

Looks like this one is at Valley Mitsu

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/penticton/2014-subaru-forester-sunroof-harmon-kardon-audio-navigation/1465226231

vicali > AestheticsInMotion
11/01/2019 at 21:46

millennials be inventing everything..

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > vicali
11/01/2019 at 21:52

I don’t have FB, so marketplace is a no go. I will be financing it/trading in the Kia, so dealer route is the way to go.

I also only am interested in a manual, which cuts down the crowd of candidates a lot.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > vicali
11/01/2019 at 21:52

I don’t have FB, so marketplace is a no go. I will be financing it/trading in the Kia, so dealer route is the way to go.

I also only am interested in a manual, which cuts down the crowd of candidates a lot.

vicali > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/01/2019 at 21:59

We rolled the dice with the EJ25 on ours - most have been headgasketted by now. Newer ones have oils burning problems and Xt sometimes starve turbos.. I’m saying th ey aren’t particularly trouble free, but they are terrific in snow and dirt - and more than make up for it. You see a lot of people buying their third and fourth Subarus. We will most likely get another in the next few years.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > vicali
11/01/2019 at 22:30

I just wonder.. for the price. A moderately used forester vs. a brand new crosstrek....

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/01/2019 at 23:11

The Forester is basically a Crosstrek with a bigger motor. Seriously it’s the same chassis and the same size except the more upright rear glass gives it some more cargo room. It’s only 25 hp but it comes on quicker and makes a big difference and it’s why I bought a Forester instead of a Crosstrek. Now all that being said, the manual went away with the current generation so any used manual Forester you look at would be the older chassis. I believe the 6MT in it is the same unit as the one in the current Crosstrek. You described it well - it’s far from the worst manual I’ve driven but it isn’t really sporty.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/01/2019 at 23:12

They drive like an Impreza but have much more room. I’d stay away from any Subaru older than a 2016 due to oil consumption.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/01/2019 at 23:27

I paid US $16,900 for my 2014 6MT certified pre-owned in 2015 with a little over 30,000 miles (50,000 km). Its now at 85,000 miles and the only work I’ve had done outside of routine maintenance and minor recalls (and destruction of a wheel caused by my own idiocy) was the common oil burning issue. That lead to a warranty engine replacement around 50,000 miles but it wasn’t catastrophic - just a bring it in when you can thing. I think the FB25 has been revised to mostly sort that out since 2016 or so. Overall it’s been a great little car and I’m really happy I bought it instead of a new Crosstrek. One thing to keep in mind when looking at used Subarus - the FB motors require spark plugs every 100,000 km and it is not a job you want to do yourself on a boxer motor. They also need brake fluid and possibly differential oil at that service so budget another $750 or so (just a guess at Canada prices) for that service if you look at a used one getting close to that point.

Boxer_4 > vicali
11/02/2019 at 10:02

Many of the newer models have moved to 5X114.3 PCD, so you do have to watch more when swapping around. I believe the Impreza, Crosstrek, and BRZ/86 are the only new models remaining with a 5X100 PCD.

I agree though, the aftermarket for these are all fairly interchangeable as long as you know what you are doing.

Boxer_4 > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/02/2019 at 10:30

As others are saying, it might be worth trying a Forester on for size for comparison. The previous generation (SJ) could be had with the 6-speed. I’d stick with the ‘17 or ‘18 model years, as those were the facelift models. I believe there were some minor chassis & suspension improvements, too. The Forester has the FB25 which has 18 more horsepower and 22 ft-lbs more torque than the FB20 found in the current Crosstrek/Impreza. The SJ in Premium manual trim weighs ~200 lbs more than the Crosstrek in a similar configuration.

I’ve driven a pre-facelift and facelift SJ, as well as the current Crosstrek (GT). In my opinion , the Crosstrek drives better - the new global platform is nice and well sorted . The design of the Forester gains you a fair amount more interior space, especially for cargo.

You can’t really go wrong either way, its mainly personal preference.

Boxer_4 > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
11/02/2019 at 10:36

Kinja'd!!!

Where’s your sense of adventure? I’ve done spark plugs twice on Subarus - an ‘03 WRX and an ‘09 Forester. Honestly, I’ve had a worse time changing spark plugs on an ‘88 Camaro with the 2.8 V6.

Bryan > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/02/2019 at 11:14

Unless you deal with gravel or off road situations, the Crosstrek isn’t worth the lower MPGs for the same sized car. Spend the extra cast to get a trim with blind spot warning, comes in handy more O ften than the ground clearance.

404 - User No Longer Available > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/02/2019 at 11:40

For a moment I thought that was the car you actually test driven in the first pic and why did it have Ontario plates, only to find out that Kinja hides captions until you click and expand the pic, lol.

So Kinja, what’s the point of captions again???

ClassicDatsunDebate > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/02/2019 at 12:03

Id also encourage you to have a look at a used Fozzie. The trick with any used EJ25 vehicle (even more so than your average used car) is to try to find one with a very fastidious PO. From experience, these engines hate being ignored. It’s the difference between a very reliable car and a money pit. I know that this can be said for any used vehicle but for some reason it’s more imperative with the EJ25.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Boxer_4
11/02/2019 at 18:49

My sense of adventure is putting my kids and dogs in the car and going as far as possible down randomly-selected unmapped single-lane dirt roads in the SFNF, pitching a tent where the rocks get too big for the Forester and spending the night rather than in the garage :) Seriously though you make a good point- the plugs aren’t really any worse than a lot of other cars - especially the firewall side of most transverse V6’s... I do think the latest generations of Subarus have less room than the older ones . You’ll need one more U-Joint in that setup to do an SJ Forester. Definitely doable at home but I’d rather pay the dealer who will get it done quickly than mess with it myself.

Ivan > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/03/2019 at 12:33

I wasn’t happy wiht manual Crosstrek transmission

gear ratio issue plus AT has a lower gas consumption

and X mode for steep hill up a nd down. Don’t get a

used Crosstrek with long engine block with

catastrophically oil consumption a nd 5gears MT.

Please check Crosstrek forum for the comming

problems. Good luck,Parahiker!

Boxer_4 > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
11/03/2019 at 18:16

I’ll certainly keep that in mind with the reduction in space. At least I won’t have to worry about that for a while in the new Crosstrek. The Forester with the EJ253 required plugs every 30,000 miles (Laser Platinum) rather than every 60,000 called out for the FB engines (Laser Iridium).

That reminds me, I need to pick-up a 14mm spark plug socket at some point now with the proliferation of FB engines in the friend circle’s fleet: SH Forester w/FB25, SJ Forester w/ FB25, and GT Crosstrek w/FB20. We’re still youngish and find it fun, so that helps!

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Boxer_4
11/03/2019 at 20:20

So I don’t know for sure if there is less space but from watching a few YouTube videos it seems FB25 is a little bit wider. I believe the dealers loosen the engine mounts and jack the motor up a few inches to make it easier.

I actually still find these kinds of jobs fun even if I’m not very fast at them but I am at the point in life now where other things tend to be more fun. I still do oil changes, tire rotations, brakes and little things like air filters and bulbs at home but that’s about it. Enjoy being young-ish while you still can!