Hello everyone! I am an Australian from Sydney, and for the past few years have been driving my dad's old 2007 Forester. Unfortunately is has recently been written off I'm looking for a replacement. After doing a ton of research I eventually decided that a Subaru was probably the best car for me after all, but am still undecided on which one I should get. The two things I am still tossing and turning over are Forester vs Crosstrek and Diesel vs Petrol.
The whole reason Subarus appeal to me is because I live in the city but am a fisherman who loves to go on adventures into the bush, so having a car that can do it all is very important to me. I want something with decent fuel economy that drives comfortably, but can also handle off roading. And while storage space isn't much of a concern roof racks are super important, because I'm often lugging around my kayak on the roof.
Because of this an Crosstrek seems like a perfect fit, but I am hesitant because of the lukewarm reception it seems to get. Seeing it is notoriously underpowered I'm not sure how it would cope with a 30kg kayak on the roof and a bunch of fishing gear in the boot and back seat, let alone if I wanted to go with a friend and put two on there. Because of this I am leaning more to the Forester, but I really do greatly prefer the looks of the Crosstrek, and have always preferred smaller cars. While I'm sure any car would easily handle 90% of what I throw at it, it is the 10% of off the beaten path driving I do with a fully laden car that worries me about the Crosstrek. Would it be able to handle it, or would I definitely need the extra power of a Forester?
The second thing I was curious about between Crosstrek and Forester is in terms of servicing costs and fuel economy. While I have some money saved up and want to invest in a decent car because I drive quite often, I am a student so keeping servicing costs and fuel costs as low as possible is a priority. The Crosstrek seems to boast better fuel economy, but how do servicing costs compare between the two?
Lastly, I am unsure if the sort of driving I do is more suited for diesel or petrol. I am luckily in walking distance of my university, so all of my driving is either quick trips to the shops or any other local spots or long trips out to the bush of an hour plus both ways. I'm also a big road trip fan which I try to find time for at least a few times a year which is something I am definitely considering. I know petrol tends to better for short trips and diesel for long ones, but what I do seems to fall squarely in the middle.
Thanks for reading if anyone made it this far, I know it was a bit of an essay so sorry for that. Any help is greatly appreciated, I'll post updates once I've eventually bought my new Sub :smile2:
The whole reason Subarus appeal to me is because I live in the city but am a fisherman who loves to go on adventures into the bush, so having a car that can do it all is very important to me. I want something with decent fuel economy that drives comfortably, but can also handle off roading. And while storage space isn't much of a concern roof racks are super important, because I'm often lugging around my kayak on the roof.
Because of this an Crosstrek seems like a perfect fit, but I am hesitant because of the lukewarm reception it seems to get. Seeing it is notoriously underpowered I'm not sure how it would cope with a 30kg kayak on the roof and a bunch of fishing gear in the boot and back seat, let alone if I wanted to go with a friend and put two on there. Because of this I am leaning more to the Forester, but I really do greatly prefer the looks of the Crosstrek, and have always preferred smaller cars. While I'm sure any car would easily handle 90% of what I throw at it, it is the 10% of off the beaten path driving I do with a fully laden car that worries me about the Crosstrek. Would it be able to handle it, or would I definitely need the extra power of a Forester?
The second thing I was curious about between Crosstrek and Forester is in terms of servicing costs and fuel economy. While I have some money saved up and want to invest in a decent car because I drive quite often, I am a student so keeping servicing costs and fuel costs as low as possible is a priority. The Crosstrek seems to boast better fuel economy, but how do servicing costs compare between the two?
Lastly, I am unsure if the sort of driving I do is more suited for diesel or petrol. I am luckily in walking distance of my university, so all of my driving is either quick trips to the shops or any other local spots or long trips out to the bush of an hour plus both ways. I'm also a big road trip fan which I try to find time for at least a few times a year which is something I am definitely considering. I know petrol tends to better for short trips and diesel for long ones, but what I do seems to fall squarely in the middle.
Thanks for reading if anyone made it this far, I know it was a bit of an essay so sorry for that. Any help is greatly appreciated, I'll post updates once I've eventually bought my new Sub :smile2:
