I agree Forester and Outbacks are not head turners, they're meh. I think they're coming out with a new generation for Outbacks next year. I love the look of my 24 Crosstrek, hopefully the Outback is a huge improvement too.
That pic I posted is the upcoming Outback. Disgusting!
I like the Crosstrek even though it's a bit gutless. To me it should be most geared to work as an off-road beast and somewhat nimble city car.
Whereas the Outback (and Impreza) should feel in any conditions like a full-size sedan saloon feels on a summer highway. In my limited test drive of a 5th gen it felt more like a truck to me than a car or even crossover (but honestly not enough of a highway test to really judge). I have a Honda Crosstour which delivers the wagon=car thing...I've never driven anything else that feels so planted to the highway
The Forester can continue to be for soccer moms who wear pristine Patagonia puffers.
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Also annoyed at the lack of vans. I bought a super high mileage Ford Transit Connect a couple years ago basically on a lark. Had so much fun with it, but the lack of reliability due to it being a POS made me sell it. I outfitted the back into a party zone almost like a pillow pit so you could hang in it to pre-game before/during festivals/parties/whatever.
I test drove one of these when they came out, and I was a big fan. A little underpowered but was surprisingly fun to drive, and I was a big fan of all the glass. The only thing I hated about it was the plastic-fantastic interior and the over-designed spaceship dashboards that Ford did in those days.
Pitched it to my wife to try it as a family car, but of course that was a nope because minivan.
Yeah, we still have our Sportwagen, too. It's such a great car. Mine is the base manual and damn has it ever been terrific. Boggles my mind they didn't sell enough and axed it. People are out of their minds to want a CUV over something like that.
Also annoyed at the lack of vans. I bought a super high mileage Ford Transit Connect a couple years ago basically on a lark. Had so much fun with it, but the lack of reliability due to it being a POS made me sell it. I outfitted the back into a party zone almost like a pillow pit so you could hang in it to pre-game before/during festivals/parties/whatever.
I would love to lease a new one for my business. In many ways they're a lot better than a truck. Discontinued a couple years ago, though. Again, I don't get why. Feels like they were everywhere. Perfect small delivery/work vans.
I drove by a VW dealer the other day and saw the new electric microbus…. I gotta go test drive that. Hope it starts a trend.
I drove by a VW dealer the other day and saw the new electric microbus…. I gotta go test drive that. Hope it starts a trend.
It's a cool looking van (especially in the funky colors) but:
1) $$$
2) Being all-electric with underwhelming range makes it less than ideal for road trips, which to me kind of defeats the point a bit. Would've been perfect as a hybrid.
I'm glad to see VW selling something with personality again, but still would rather just have a T6.
Last edited by Table 5; 02-08-2025 at 07:21 AM.
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I will say this as a guy who owned a very nice Genesis: I liked it in every way. Impossible to love, though. Something just falls short owning one irl even though on paper they check more boxes than their competitors. Something soulless going on there.
I would recommend them to someone who likes cars and wants a really nice one with some excellent perks and more options than other vehicles; however, they are just not for car guys who want to love their car.
I've been thinking about what you said here since I'm probably going to replace my 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe this year.. The G70 sedan was on my short list for a replacement because as you say it checks the boxes and seems to be good value for money.
I love cars, but I guess I don't really know if I'm a "car guy" in the same way that you guys are car guys.
I really like my caddy, but it's the first car I've owned that has more than 200hp and the first coupe I've owned. I like how unique it looks. So it's clearing a pretty low bar.
But I don't know if I would appreciate that next level.. Audi S5 (or omg the RS6), BMW 440i, that CLE... would I feel enough of a difference to justify the cost (or justify getting an older one vs a new Genesis)?
Or would the difference be lost on me.. I guess there's no real way to know without trying.
Cause there's a Aventurine Red III Metallic 440i on Facebook
Or do I get a G70 until I can afford a newer Panamera. I mean there's older Panameras with relatively low kms but that seems like a money trap.
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It's a cool looking van (especially in the funky colors) but:
1) $$$
2) Being all-electric with underwhelming range makes it less than ideal for road trips, which to me kind of defeats the point a bit. Would've been perfect as a hybrid.
I'm glad to see VW selling something with personality again, but still would rather just have a T6.
Oh yeah I bet… I don’t even want to know. Just drive it once for fun… I’m stuck with my sportwagon until it dies.
That pic I posted is the upcoming Outback. Disgusting!
They've never been pretty, but they at least didn't look like every other CUV out there. Ever since the 4th generation they've been on this path, it's a shame to see them finish it off.
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Yeah, we still have our Sportwagen, too. It's such a great car. Mine is the base manual and damn has it ever been terrific. Boggles my mind they didn't sell enough and axed it. People are out of their minds to want a CUV over something like that.
Yeah my wife has a '19 Alltrack, so a SportWagen with an extra inch or so of clearance. If it had the 2.0 and a little more jam it would be damn near perfect. Even as is possibly my favourite car we've owned. I'm being extremely diligent on preventative maintenance as I have no idea what we will replace it with someday.
Been shopping for Powerstroke and Cummins, with ZF’s and G56. Any diesel guys on here, who love their manuals regret going auto?
Unrelated since I'm not a diesel guy or a truck guy, but after 15+ years of manual only I just got a car with a ZF and was sure that I would badly miss my manual, but I don't. I always drive in manual mode with the paddles so I still feel in control.
Unrelated since I'm not a diesel guy or a truck guy, but after 15+ years of manual only I just got a car with a ZF and was sure that I would badly miss my manual, but I don't. I always drive in manual mode with the paddles so I still feel in control.
I was the same when I transitioned to auto. I still like to control the shifting at times. Don’t miss the clutch whatsoever
I meant the ZF-6 in the Powerstokes, it’s a manual — 5+OD..
I’ve driven the fast autos; PDK, DSG, DCT, ZF touchtronic in a DBS-V.. And the Aisin, 68’s, and the new 10speeds in the Ford P.S’.
Also annoyed at the lack of vans. I bought a super high mileage Ford Transit Connect a couple years ago basically on a lark. Had so much fun with it, but the lack of reliability due to it being a POS made me sell it.
Discontinued a couple years ago, though. Again, I don't get why. Feels like they were everywhere. Perfect small delivery/work vans.
The answer for both of these is the fact that is it was made in Turkey. And ironically - tariffs on US chicken leading to tarrifs on European commercial vehicles imported - the Chicken tax. I think we lose out on a lot of vans here in NA unless we make it here (i.e. Transit). Nice hijinks from Ford to get it over here though:
Quote:
Ford allegedly misclassified and understated the values of Transit Connect cargo vans imported from Turkey between 2009 and 2013, in the interest of paying a lower import tax on those vehicles.
The lawsuit states that Ford Motor Company imported the vans “with sham rear seats and other temporary features”, allowing it to classify such models as “wagons” (in other words, passenger vehicles). That enabled the company to pay a lower 2.5% tax on each van, rather than the heavier 25% “chicken tax” it otherwise would have to pay on imported commercial vehicles. The chicken tax has been a thorn in automakers’ sides since the 1960s, when the U.S. government countered higher tariffs in Europe on imported chicken.
Despite declaring to U.S. Customs that imported Transit Connects were “principally designed for the transport of persons,” the government says “each of these Transit Connect vehicles was immediately tripped of its rear seats and returned to its original identity as a two-seat cargo van” as soon as it cleared the port of entry.
Quote:
Originally Posted by powderjunkie
That pic I posted is the upcoming Outback. Disgusting!
Worth noting that's only someone's rendering. Hopefully it's not as bulky as that - I like my 3rd gen as its great for around town use. I may have to consider a Forester if they supersize it.
Last edited by I-Hate-Hulse; 02-09-2025 at 08:46 AM.
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Yeah, then they'd send the seats and stuff back to Turkey to put in the next shipment of Transits lol. Just kept re-using the seats over and over to get them across the border.
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I was the same when I transitioned to auto. I still like to control the shifting at times. Don’t miss the clutch whatsoever
I'm the opposite (and sales numbers confirm I'm weird). I got a loaner with DSG and paddles and I was all excited to try it out and immediately flipped it into "manual" mode. I had it back in auto by the time I got home from the dealership and never touched the paddles again.
I wish I was like you, as it would sure open up a lot more car possibilities that would excite me.
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I hope wagons make a comeback. Leave trucks to do truck stuff and SUVs to do SUV stuff. Wagons are perfect for family stuff and can still be fun.
It’s the women car buyers that need to be convinced. Keep hammering those pedestrian safety statistics and hopefully they’ll see reason.
I'm with you. I think the biggest problem is that the minivan came out and was objectively better than wagons in a lot of ways. And then the minivan stigma hit, and practicality has been out the window ever since.
A Golf Sportwagen had more cargo room than a Tiguan of the same generation, yet people ate up the Tiguans. An Outback has more cargo room than 90% of SUVs and was as high as a Dodge Ram to get over the "I like sitting higher" argument, and still people would rather grab a lawn mower for pedestrians because "aggressive".
Worth noting that's only someone's rendering. Hopefully it's not as bulky as that - I like my 3rd gen as its great for around town use. I may have to consider a Forester if they supersize it.
There's a bunch of probably real shots like this out there:
Spoiler!
A bit of an aside, but my hope from the Honda/Nissan thing is that maybe some of the more niche vehicles like Element and Crosstour and Fit (crazy that it's now niche?) might make it back in some form, instead of both brands ####ting out the exact same lineup as each other and everyone else.
Element hybrid could be a pretty dope van-life car.
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Stellantis Introduces Pop-Up Ads in Vehicles, Sparking Outrage Among Owners
Quote:
In a move that has left drivers both frustrated and bewildered, Stellantis has introduced full-screen pop-up ads on its infotainment systems. Specifically, Jeep owners have reported being bombarded with advertisements for Mopar’s extended warranty service. The kicker? These ads appear every time the vehicle comes to a stop.
