[shmoeman]

My wife currently has an 06 Forester. Last month, I purchased a 2012 Patriot. Obviously it is very difficult to compare a 2006 Forester to 2012 Patriot, but I will offer my two cents. I prefer the Patriot (for me) for a couple of reasons. First, it has far more leg and headroom than the Forester. I'm 6-2 and simply can't get the Subaru seat back far enough to accommodate my legs. Second, I like the higher seated position off the ground.

That being said. My wife likes her car better. She feels the Patriot is "too big" even though it is only slightly larger than her car.

As for performance, both are very comparable to driving in the snow. The Jeep actually fared a little bit better during a storm in March when I took it out and tried to make it slide on snow-covered roads. The Subaru can slide (when you try to make it happen), the Jeep did not (though I gave it a good try). New tires on both vehicles so that was not the issue.

The CVT of the Jeep.. definitely takes some getting used to. Though it does have the "auto stick" function where you can "shift" gears manually, even though it is not a manual transmission. I don't use this feature though.

Engine noise on the Jeep is louder than the Subaru. But the Subaru suffers from severe wind noise coming around all of the passenger windows. So overall, the Jeep is a bit quieter, particularly on windy days. On long trips, if windy, the Subaru can give me a headache it is so loud.

Overall, these are two extremely comparable vehicles. The Subaru has a history of running forever, which I hope is true. I've already had to put some money into it (71,000 miles), but that is to be expected I suppose. The Jeep is brand new, so I shouldn't be putting anything into that for the next 3-5 years.

 

[ddavidv]

Buy something that steps away from the pack, not something that everyone else owns. You will thank yourself later.

Around here, that means I would buy a Patriot. :lol: Foresters are literally around every corner. The wife and I used to play a game, Spot The Foz, when we first got ours. It hit home just how many of the things are out there. We literally can't travel more than 5 miles without seeing at least one. The baby Jeep? Might see one per day.

To the last poster, thanks for your view. The Patriot I think is comparable to even an older Forester because it really hasn't changed at all (aside from an interior upgrade) since it was introduced. Being that I'm shopping used (2007-2010 Patriot), for a comparable price any Forester will actually be older than that (prolly 2004-2007). My self-imposed price ceiling is $10k.

As the price of fuel climbs ever higher, that cost difference between Premium and Regular becomes more significant. I don't see it getting any better over time. I had to listen to complaining about the cost of Premium long ago during a period where the Impreza wouldn't run right on regular (can't recall what it took to fix that; something easy). I know the Mrs wouldn't be happy doing that again regardless of the power under her right foot.

The dilemma continues to be finding a 4x4 Jeep with a stick. Have found a few 4x2's and am actually starting to question needing more than that. A couple snowfalls a year does not equal the added expense (around $1500) and decreased fuel mileage of AWD. On the flip side, since I sell my own cars vs trade them the ability to get rid of a 180,000+ mile 4x2 Jeep concerns me, as well as that mental block of being a poseur who drives a Jeep that can't go off road, even though we never have in any other thing we've owned.

I'm hoping to test drive the 4x2 next week just to see if it's even a contender. I may come away hating the thing and all of this will be moot. We'll see.

 

[bashfulbernie]

The Patriot is a much lower value car. If it is not half the price of the Foz, don't bother.

 

[ddavidv]

Today may be the day...found a 4x4 stick, no sunroof, in a nice color, one owner and service history. The Missus has to drive it but I suspect she'll fall in love.

The price difference between these two surprisingly similar vehicles is huge. If I pay the asking price (and I don't intend to) on this Patriot, it will still be impossible to get a Forester as new as this '08 that doesn't have twice the miles on it. In fact, I'd be lucky to move up 2-3 model years vs the 6 with the Jeep. Subaru's reputation, like Honda and Toyota, seems to carry the resale value in spite of how many there are out there to choose from. The Patriot is much more difficult to find (at least with a stick) and has depreciated slightly more, but with it cheaper to buy and seemingly cheaper to fix (and better fuel mileage) it balances out.

Exhaustive research has taught me that, aside from front end parts (ball joints, struts, tie rod ends) very little goes wrong with the Jeeps. I'm as surprised as anyone that I'm considering a domestic vehicle. The Forester is not infallible, however. Living with it for the last 5-6 years has exposed some shortcomings that make it no longer the ideal vehicle for our purposes. If we wanted to stay with Subaru, I'd probably push for a Legacy wagon instead.

 

[shmoeman]

I've only had mine a month, but I love my Jeep Patriot. Of course anybody would love a brand new car over a used one. My wife still prefers her Forester. She says the Jeep is too big.

And I wouldn't say the Jeep is a "much lower value" automobile. But that's just my opinion. Is it cheaper? Absolutely. But much like Subarus, I don't see very many used Jeeps for sale either.

 

[ddavidv]

I've only had mine a month, but I love my Jeep Patriot. Of course anybody would love a brand new car over a used one. My wife still prefers her Forester. She says the Jeep is too big.

You know, we both had the same impression of the Patriot; it's bigger. But it's not! I just parked them side by side and they are maybe 2 inches different in length (the Foz may actually be the longer of the two). The Jeep feels more massive, and of course you sit higher in it.
So anyone interested in a 2002 Foz 5 speed with 170,000 miles and WRX suspension? :biggrin:

 

[shmoeman]

Agreed.... it is but isn't. It definitely sits higher and it has far more leg room in the back seat (at least more than my 2006). I can't sit in the back of that car without my knees hitting the front seats. Doesn't happen in the Jeep.

 

[chaibill]

looks like the 07-08 patriot would have the least toxic interior.

 

[daveg3588]

The 09+ Forester has all the leg room you and head room you might need. I have a 6'6" buddy who fits comfortably in the front, and son with 13 sneakers who fits in the back.