First Diesel Subaru
Hi All,
Have been doing some research for quite a while now into getting a diesel Subaru, either Outback or Forester. I've owned two foresters in my time, both 3rd gen, both 2,5 petrols, both manuals, and have nothing but good to say about both of them, save for the fuel cost. I work in the film industry down here in Cape Town, and often fill the car up with film gear, occasionally even towing with the second one. I'll regularly drive hundreds of kilometres for work, with the gear in the back, getting something like 12,5L/100km (about 22,5 MGP UK). Even though I can usually reclaim my fuel cost, it's done at a fixed rate, and I'm still loosing out.
I've long looked at the diesel forester, even test driving a few, and wondered if that wouldn't be the perfect replacement. But I've heard some really bad stories about the diesel Forester, albeit from people who are fairly unqualified to say so, and with little first-hand experience to cite. Hearing adages like "The diesel engine in the forester is too strong for the 6 speed manual", or "Those boxer diesels have a very limited lifespan, and very costly repairs". I've done a fair bit of looking around for advice, most of which has yielded inconsistent results, although I have seen a few times the pre-2010 diesel's running rough before warming up, but this was in colder climates in the UK, so shouldn't be an issue down here in SA.
While originally I was looking at getting a 3rd gen diesel Forester 2011-2013, the only years for diesel Foresters in SA, I'm beginning to consider the 2014-2016 diesel Outback. The idea is that I don't want something that'll give trouble soon, but also let's be honest, the newer Outback's are a big step up from the 3rd gen Forester. The fifth generation Outback was only sold in SA with the dreaded CVT, which I'm not too thrilled about, but could live with. I'm wondering though, if the boxer diesel really does have too much torque for the manual, would the CVT be a safer choice? And finally, I'm wondering if by buying a newer Outback to avoid trouble from a 3rd gen Forester, am I not actually going to buy a more expensive car with a lot more to go wrong on it?
Any advice is appreciated,
Cheers!
