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Forester Wilderness or Sport? - SOLVED!

18K views 42 replies 18 participants last post by  kiwikidusa  
#1 ·
Even after having pulled the engine of my 2005 to replace the clutch, pulleys, belts, water pump, and all engine seals to give my 2005 Forester XS a new lease on life for another 100,000 miles (now at 216,000 miles) I realized parts are going to become harder to get. So I reached out to the local dealer to ask them the difference between a Sport and Wilderness and how the extra cost is justified. They weren’t helpful. So I’m reaching out to the experts here.

I’d like to know:
1. At 65 or 70 mph what is the rpm of the Wilderness in top ‘gear’? I understand the 1st ‘gear’ ratio is quite a bit lower on the Wilderness and the final drive ratio hence it can tow more than the other Foresters and the economy is not as good.
2. The Wilderness has better clearance. Is this due to stiffer springs or are the struts and springs different or is it just lifted along with the higher profile tires?
3. How does the Wilderness handle compared to the Sport?
4. Why the $3,000 difference? Is it worth it? What are you getting?

Yes, I hear you yelling ‘How do you intend to use it!?’ Indeed this is my conundrum. If I was back home in the mountains of SoCal it would be easy. The Wilderness. But, I’m presently in Northeast Ohio for a few more years so a Sport would be better suited. However, I drive back West sometimes and go off road in the deserts and mountains of California, Idaho, Nevada and Colorado.

I look forward to your responses. Thank you.

► Moderator edit - The answer can be found on post #40 in this thread!
 
#2 ·
I've often wondered the same thing - I'll be in the market for a new Forester in 2025 or 2026 - and my initial thoughts are the lines between Forester / Outback are getting blurred. I'm not sure a lot of people are buying Wildernesses to tow more, even though it can, when for that price you can be in a decent Outback with more engine options. I'll be following this thread for real-world accounts from those who own either of these models.
 
#3 ·
Sport still has class leading 8.7 ground clearance. The main draw is the economy unibody and mpg efficiency.

If you want even more ground clearance and towing at the expense of mpg, get a ladder frame taco, 4runner etc.

The taco hybrid reportedly specced at 30mpg hwy and is more capable than a crippled 28mpg hwy wilderness spec.
 
#5 ·
kiwikidusa

As far as the differences, i.e. Winderness vs. Sport, it's primarily offroad vs on road focus.

The Wilderness doesn't have different CVT ratios ("gears"), the extra power comes from a lower final drive ratio in the differentials. This gives you more power in the Wilderness for a given ground speed at the expense of lower mpg's on the highway, because the engine is turning more rpms than the sport at the same speed on the highway.
This is why there is a difference in the EPA sticker ratings.
The Sport will get you better highway mileage due to the final drive difference and less wind resistance due to its slightly lower stance.

The Wilderness gives you a 9.2-inch ground clearance, vs. 8.7 on the Sport and the suspension is modified to accommodate that. If you planned to lift the Sport, that would eat some of that increased cost you noted.

The Wilderness has a higher towing capacity of 3,000 lb vs. 1,500 lb, and is an advantage if you plan to tow but if you don't, it isn't.

The Sport and Wilderness have the same interior volume, overall quality score, and engine power, but the Sport has the advantage in terms of new vehicle base pricing, as you noted.

The Wilderness comes with all the "add-ons" for off-road capabilities that are warrantied by Subaru, making it generally good to go from day one, but if you stay on the pavement, that only gives you a "look", if you like that.

Keep in mind that a Subaru in the "normal" trim configurations is a quite capable AWD vehicle, but if you plan on more offroad than highway, and on roads that are more primitive than maintained, the Wilderness is more capable.

If you do mostly or all paved road or highway, the Wilderness advantages disappear, except for a higher tow rating and a different look if you find that appealing, but the Sport might be a better choice.
 
#8 ·
I hope somebody will finally answer the question, what Revs/Mile does the Wilderness give at max CVT ratio. When I was a young (boomer) child the then-Auto-Director of Consumer Reports published this number for every car in their April Auto Issue. Revs/Mile obviously equals RPM @ 60 mph, easy to observe when you're driving constant speed on a level road. The Wilderness and all other 2.5L Foresters have TR580 CVTs so I believe the spread between min and max gear ratios is the same for all. The extra revving of the Wilderness is due solely to its lower final drive ratio. My XT, on the other hand, has a TR690 CVT (like 2.4 turbo Outbacks and Ascents, and 3.6 H6 Outbacks). My '17 XT cruises at 1800 rev/mile, and I have a suspicion that the TR690 has a narrower spread between the ratio extremes - its takeoff from a standing start isn't that magnificent, either. I've seen tables of the supposed "gear ratios" of the various Forester models when they are used with shift paddles in "M" mode, but checking the math, it appeared to me that M mode "1" and "6" (or "8" or whatever) do not necessary all lock the transmission in their most-extreme gear ratios - there were some inconsistencies in the max/min ratio of ratios I plugged into my calculator.
 
#9 ·
Re the CVT oil cooler of the Wilderness, if you truly do nasty off-road steep climbs, that and the final drive and the higher clearance will help whether or not you're towing a trailer. I myself though would think that the major loss of highway fuel economy is a much more important factor if you do any long road trips at all.
 
#10 ·
@DragonSubie7 brought up pretty much all good points, just a few things to add as I did make the switch from a '19 forester sport to a '22 wilderness myself.

You were right with the CVT ratios, the wilderness is "geared" more aggressively than the sport with the CVT ratios (4.07:1 in the FW vs 3.6:1 in the normal trim for the 1st ratio) alongside the more aggressive final drive. Just an FYI, that also allows it to handle larger tires and more weight a lot better than a sport, as my ironman lifted FW with a tire carrier, winch bumper, full underbody protection and rock sliders, along with heavier 235/65r17 ATs, moves just as quick, and gets the same MPG as my previous ironman lifted sport with just underbody skids and smaller 225/60r18 ATs.

Now to answer some of your questions, the lift is only given by half inch longer struts, no spacers, and the tires are the same size as the standard trims, just a light duty AT. I also don't quite remember how the suspension handled compared to the sport as my sport had an Ironman lift kit, but I did find the wilderness suspension too soft for my liking.

To me, the extra cost was worth it as the CVT and the final drive were tuned/geared for more offroad use, it comes with a factory installed and warrantied CVT cooler, and when I got my FW, to me, it seemed like the perfect mix of city driver and capable offroader, as while the sport is capable offroad, it cannot hold a candle to my FW.

If you don't plan on leaving the pavement though, the FW offers no benefits other than towing.
 
#16 · (Edited)
@DragonSubie7 brought up pretty much all good points, just a few things to add as I did make the switch from a '19 forester sport to a '22 wilderness myself.

You were right with the CVT ratios, the wilderness is "geared" more aggressively than the sport with the CVT ratios (4.07:1 in the FW vs 3.6:1 in the normal trim for the 1st ratio) alongside the more aggressive final drive. Just an FYI, that also allows it to handle larger tires and more weight a lot better than a sport, as my ironman lifted FW with a tire carrier, winch bumper, full underbody protection and rock sliders, along with heavier 235/65r17 ATs, moves just as quick, and gets the same MPG as my previous ironman lifted sport with just underbody skids and smaller 225/60r18 ATs.

Now to answer some of your questions, the lift is only given by half inch longer struts, no spacers, and the tires are the same size as the standard trims, just a light duty AT. I also don't quite remember how the suspension handled compared to the sport as my sport had an Ironman lift kit, but I did find the wilderness suspension too soft for my liking.

To me, the extra cost was worth it as the CVT and the final drive were tuned/geared for more offroad use, it comes with a factory installed and warrantied CVT cooler, and when I got my FW, to me, it seemed like the perfect mix of city driver and capable offroader, as while the sport is capable offroad, it cannot hold a candle to my FW.

If you don't plan on leaving the pavement though, the FW offers no benefits other than towing.
Thank you for that. I was wondering if they were using different struts or spacers for the lift. Yeah it’s hard to justify a Wilderness being in Northeast Ohio, easy to justify back in SoCal where I was only 5 minutes from off road trails up to the mountains or down to the southern Mojave desert 🏜.
QUESTION: doesn’t the lift kit and larger tires mess up the CVT and how it shifts? With my Forester XT manual in Japan I put beefier higher profile tires on to get a lift for off roading around Mt. Fuji and the mountains behind my home only the indicated speed would change by a few mph. I know with my Africa Twin DCT I can’t change the front or rear sprocket sizes as the DCT transmission is expecting certain inputs which get messed up with different sprockets.
 
#11 ·
Regarding the price difference - you're getting more equipment (and some different) in the Wilderness vs the Sport. In some cases, that equipment is part of the optional package in the Sport - like the upgraded Starlink audio, rear auto braking, and a few more things.

As mentioned by others - most of the mechanicals are the same - with the differences being the longer struts and slightly raised clearance and the different final drive. You have 17" rims and tires vs 18" rims and lower profile tires. Both have Subaru's vinyl seating surfaces but the Sport has cloth inserts vs all vinyl (Startex) in the Wilderness.

Wilderness adds a front-view camera (not available Sport), dual zone AC (n/a Sport), full size spare (n/a Sport),heavier duty roof rack rails, a one-touch rear seat back folding mechanism. The Wilderness also has different front and rear fascia panels, body side molding and wheel arch molding.

Personally, I'd probably get the Wilderness only because to some extent I do go off-road here in your native SoCal. I've had a few Sport trim levels as loaner/rental units over the years and didn't see the appeal when compared to my 2014 SJ Limited. The Wilderness is probably what I would buy if I needed to replace my Forester today and that's mostly because that's where my build for my SJ has gone... It's sort of a pre-wilderness Wilderness.
 
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#12 · (Edited)
FozzieBalou and Jess pretty much nailed it. Main differences of what I know:

FW: CVT has more "torque" and the final drive are tuned/geared for more offroad use.
FW: 9.2" ground clearance vs. 8.7" on Sport (longer coils/shocks).
FW: aluminum front bash/skid plate.
FW: higher towing capacity (likely due to the re-tuned CVT).
FW: factory-installed and warrantied CVT cooler.
FW: front-mounted camera.
FW: Startex water resistant upholstery.
FW: roof racks can hold significantly more weight (800lbs. static?).

For what it's worth, I had a '22 Forester Wilderness for almost a year. The only thing I did (outside of window tint), were wheels and a bit larger tires. I could never get advertised mpg unfortunately, and it also had an annoying high-pitch whine at a specfic highway speed that Subaru said was "normal."

I sold the FW and purchased a '23 Sport that I put an Ironman ATS lift on, plus wheels and bigger tires, thinking I could do much of what I planned to do with the FW. (The Sport version also includes dual XMode like the FW). I've been happy so far. I'm pretty sure I would've kept my FW if I didn't have those two issues.
 
#18 ·
FozzieBalou and Jess pretty much nailed it. Main differences of what I know:

FW: CVT has more "torque" and the final drive are tuned/geared for more offroad use.
FW: 9.2" ground clearance vs. 8.7" on Sport (longer coils/shocks).
FW: aluminum front bash/skid plate.
FW: higher towing capacity (likely due to the re-tuned.
FW: factory-installed and warrantied CVT cooler.
FW: front-mounted camera.
FW: Startex water resistant upholstery.
FW: roof racks can hold significantly more weight (800lbs. static?).

For what it's worth, I had a '22 Forester Wilderness for almost a year. The only thing I did (outside of window tint), were wheels and a bit larger tires. I could never get advertised mpg unfortunately, and it also had an annoying high-pitch whine at a specfic highway speed that Subaru said was "normal."

I sold the FW and purchased a '23 Sport that I put an Ironman ATS lift on, plus wheels and bigger tires, thinking I could do much of what I planned to do with the FW. (The Sport version also includes dual XMode like the FW). I've been happy so far. I'm pretty sure I would've kept my FW if I didn't have those two issues.
Well that’s good to know. Suffering a whine for 12 to 14 hour stretches would be most irritating 😠.
 
#13 ·
I haven't found there to be all that much difference in mpg. MY2020 Touring (Canada) got 8.7L/100Km or 27mpg and MY2023 Wilderness gets 9.4L/100Km or 25mpg. As far as I am concerned both are mediocre as far as mpg goes. In fact if mpg was my main motivator I would be looking at hybrids or smaller cars maybe even a sedan like the Jetta.
My main needs were looks, visibility, safety and able to handle adverse conditions in that order. With that in mind I think 25 was more than satisfactory mpg... I also came from a thirsty 5.7 Hemi so 25 is great fuel economy.
 
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#20 ·
I did consider a RAV4 Hybrid XLE, but $44,000+ is too rich for my blood. Plus I’ve had Subarus for years so know them inside and out, but now you need a computer to talk to the computer to ‘relearn’ or ‘set’ stuff you replace or modify.
 
#21 ·
I considered both and went with the Wilderness. Even though my Forester Wilderness will most likely never be taken off road I really like the front camera when pulling into parking spaces. Now in my mid 60's, I know that feature will be helpful in the future. I also liked the full size spare tire, Star Tex material for the seats, and then just the look. AND the biggest thing is ............. my wife liked it too. :)
 
#23 ·
You can see how torn I am between the two. The CVT cooler is huge, but I didn’t appreciate the front camera, I’m just behind you in age so that functionally would be a strong consideration. Could you let us know if you experience a whine at certain freeway speeds? @WilderMike didn’t mention the speed the whine occurs at though. For me that would be a deal breaker. I’m not driving for 12+ hours with a whine; I’d rather ride my motorbike.
 
#24 ·
I’ve been going through some Wilderness posts and they mention the soft suspension. Especially rear when loaded out with a heavy trailer with high tongue weight. Is there a noticeable difference between the Sport and Wilderness in everyday driving? And does the Wilderness really sag a lot when loaded?
 
#28 ·
Even after having pulled the engine of my 2005 to replace the clutch, pulleys, belts, water pump, and all engine seals to give my 2005 Forester XS a new lease on life for another 100,000 miles (now at 216,000 miles) I realized parts are going to become harder to get. So I reached out to the local dealer to ask them the difference between a Sport and Wilderness and how the extra cost is justified. They weren’t helpful. So I’m reaching out to the experts here.

I’d like to know:
1. At 65 or 70 mph what is the rpm of the Wilderness in top ‘gear’? I understand the 1st ‘gear’ ratio is quite a bit lower on the Wilderness and the final drive ratio hence it can tow more than the other Foresters and the economy is not as good.
2. The Wilderness has better clearance. Is this due to stiffer springs or are the struts and springs different or is it just lifted along with the higher profile tires?
3. How does the Wilderness handle compared to the Sport?
4. Why the $3,000 difference? Is it worth it? What are you getting?

Yes, I hear you yelling ‘How do you intend to use it!?’ Indeed this is my conundrum. If I was back home in the mountains of SoCal it would be easy. The Wilderness. But, I’m presently in Northeast Ohio for a few more years so a Sport would be better suited. However, I drive back West sometimes and go off road in the deserts and mountains of California, Idaho, Nevada and Colorado.

I look forward to your responses. Thank you.
I had a similar situation. Initially I was trying to decide between the Premium and the Sport. But I drove the Wilderness just to see if it was any different. The Wilderness seats fit my legs much better and that begins to mean something when you hit your 60’s (I am 62). This would be the first new car I had ever purchased, so I dug into the details a bit further. I didn’t want to spend $3000 more needlessly. So I teased out the differences that mattered to me.

I found that since the chassis is the same, you can easily put a full-spare in the Sport, you just need a different foam piece that goes over the top of the spare. I figured I could either buy it, or fabricate something.

But I couldn’t get over the cheesy ‘all season’ tires on the sport. Helena, Montana can get snow any month of the year, so I run Michelin Defenders on all of may cars as Summer tires and Blizzaks or Michelin IceX for the winter. I also drive a lot of forest service roads- some of which have 16 inch deep ruts from rain runoff. I find myself on the continental divide about 20 times during the decent weather months. Those stock all seasons would never have cut it.

When I looked at the prices for the upgrading the tires after purchase, and I realized that buying the Sport would require me to purchase two new sets of tires and a spare rim and 1 addition tire to match the summer tires, too. I would have been approaching $2000 aftermarket.

I also preferred the ride in the Wilderness when I compared it to the other two sub-models. It just felt better- but I only drove them each for about 20 mins. I can’t really qualify what the difference was.

So, better tires, a full-sized spare, better comfort, and a better ride made the price difference a lot smaller. Yes, there are other differences- gearing, 8 ‘gears’ vs 7, front camera, etc. The last bit for me is that my utility trailer is a bit heavy and having the extra towing capacity would be nice. So, I ordered the Wilderness. I’ll know more in 45 days when it arrives.

Hope something in this story helps, Good luck!
 
#31 ·
I had a similar situation. Initially I was trying to decide between the Premium and the Sport. But I drove the Wilderness just to see if it was any different. The Wilderness seats fit my legs much better and that begins to mean something when you hit your 60’s (I am 62). This would be the first new car I had ever purchased, so I dug into the details a bit further. I didn’t want to spend $3000 more needlessly. So I teased out the differences that mattered to me.

I found that since the chassis is the same, you can easily put a full-spare in the Sport, you just need a different foam piece that goes over the top of the spare. I figured I could either buy it, or fabricate something.

But I couldn’t get over the cheesy ‘all season’ tires on the sport. Helena, Montana can get snow any month of the year, so I run Michelin Defenders on all of may cars as Summer tires and Blizzaks or Michelin IceX for the winter. I also drive a lot of forest service roads- some of which have 16 inch deep ruts from rain runoff. I find myself on the continental divide about 20 times during the decent weather months. Those stock all seasons would never have cut it.

When I looked at the prices for the upgrading the tires after purchase, and I realized that buying the Sport would require me to purchase two new sets of tires and a spare rim and 1 addition tire to match the summer tires, too. I would have been approaching $2000 aftermarket.

I also preferred the ride in the Wilderness when I compared it to the other two sub-models. It just felt better- but I only drove them each for about 20 mins. I can’t really qualify what the difference was.

So, better tires, a full-sized spare, better comfort, and a better ride made the price difference a lot smaller. Yes, there are other differences- gearing, 8 ‘gears’ vs 7, front camera, etc. The last bit for me is that my utility trailer is a bit heavy and having the extra towing capacity would be nice. So, I ordered the Wilderness. I’ll know more in 45 days when it arrives.

Hope something in this story helps, Good luck!
Thank you it helps a lot! I love Montana you’re very lucky to call it home. So many stunning places to go and things to do.
 
#35 ·
I haven't noticed any changes in the responsiveness or "shifting" with the larger tires, just that the speedometer is off by a couple mph. I imagine that it is slightly more sluggish than a stock wilderness though.

As for the whine, I also heard it, but that's just the tires, once I swapped the stock Yokohama G015s for the larger Nitto Nomads, that high pitched whine was replaced by a lower pitched hum that most ATs have.
 
#36 · (Edited)
Yea, pretty sure the whine is from the AT's. I have a 22 FW and only hear the tire noise when I'm not listening to music or a podcast... which is almost never so it doesn't bother me. I really like the upgraded HK stereo system and almost always have something playing. Just enjoy the upgraded sound system and don't drive in complete silence 😅

As far as MPG, I get 23.2 average (combined). It is a bummer not to get the advertised MPG's, but it's only off by 1 mpg. For all the other things that you get with the FW (which has already been listed several times above), I think it's very worth it.

The only thing that I don't like is the body roll when cornering on tight mountain highway turns. It's unsettling, but I know it's a consequence of the increased ride height and "off-road" tuned suspension. Subaru gave it a softer ride on rough roads, rather than a stiffer ride. I'm tempted to do something about it (springs or completely new coil-overs), but I have taken it off road a few times and have noticed it handles rough terrain like a champ. Very smooth. Also nice for all the potholes in CO highways. I'll probably just accept the increased body roll for the smoother ride.
 
#37 · (Edited)
The "whine" in my '22 Forester Wilderness (always between 73-76 mph) had nothing to do with the tires or a roof rack or even wind noise (I even swapped out the tires and I never installed a roof rack). The sound was a high-pitched ringing that literally sounded like radio feedback/interference. My local Subaru tested it on their dyno (?) and they heard it too. It received a clean bill of health from Subaru America but my peace of mind was too valuable so I sold it.

Regarding the body roll on your FW, some of that can be attributed to the increased ride height (9.2" vs. 8.7"). I'd recommend looking into springs/coilovers as you mentioned. I have the Ironman ATS 2" lift system in my '23 Sport (non-heavy/spec-C) and I've noticed less body roll and the car definitely feels more "planted" than before. The ride is only a little bit stiffer than stock and is great on gravel, dirt and washboards so far...

-- Mike
 
#39 ·
I went with the wilderness. I had a crosstrek sport and liked it a lot and the sport trim offered a lot that I wanted. The wilderness forester offers a few things over the sport that I liked and wanted.
Full size spare is a huge plus. Sure you can make one fit on the sport but then the added cost and making the tpms work is a hassle and cost. I like the out of the box 5 tire rotation with matching rims and tires plus a full size spare. I like the look of the wilderness rims more and I also like the smaller rim size.
Lower gear ratio, better towing, better cvt cooling all are a plus for me. I am not going to use this as a serious offroad vehicle but all the little things subaru put in are nice to have. I have other vehicles to tow with but if for some reason I use the forester I like the higher rating. I’d rather tow 1,000 with a vehicle rated at 3,500 rather than one rated for 1,500. I like the idea of better cvt cooling in general. The extra lift is just so minor it was never a factor.
Front camera seems useful to have as an option. It is something that I never thought I would use but can see it becoming nice to have. Even with the very very poor quality. Maybe someone will offer a better quality replacement camera one day.
I like the overall look, give me all the plastic cladding, I even added the optional black door cladding. The front bumper, hex fogs, copper trim inside and out just work for me. I loved the gold trim on my crosstrek sport and really really do not like the red trim on/in the forester sport. I like the different seat material and wilderness interior styling overall.
Dual clime zone is a big plus and something I have never had before. My gf wants it hot and I want it colder so this may help with that, some.
One touch flip down rear seats are nice. I usually leave the seats down but sometimes forget they are up and try loading dogs. Nice to be able to pull a lever and flip them down from the back.
The only downside for me going wilderness over sport is MPG. The tires and “gearing” pull that number down. I would have gone with a wilderness style light terrain tire anyways and lost that little extra mpg anyways on a sport. Adding light terrain tires to my crosstrek made a noticeable drop in mpg.
A small jump in price to step up to the wilderness really is worth it for me. If they offered wilderness turbo option I would have had a really tough time deciding on that 🤔.
 
#40 · (Edited)
Thank you everybody for sharing your experience and expertise. But, I have decided to keep my 2005 Forester on the road. I simply cannot justify paying for a Wilderness $37,000 out the door, while losing $5,000 as I drive it off the lot. What burns me the most is why should I pay $10,000 for features I will never use and would be constantly turning off. If I spent $5,000 on my old 2005 I’d have a new engine and upgraded suspension system: therefore a new car. In my opinion there are just too many negatives. I wish Subaru would offer a basic version without all the crap and associated more affordable price and vastly improved reliability. Funny thing is my Subaru dealer friend agrees with me. I wish you all happy motoring in your new Foresters, also remember defensively drive at all times!
 
#42 ·
Even after having pulled the engine of my 2005 to replace the clutch, pulleys, belts, water pump, and all engine seals to give my 2005 Forester XS a new lease on life for another 100,000 miles (now at 216,000 miles) I realized parts are going to become harder to get. So I reached out to the local dealer to ask them the difference between a Sport and Wilderness and how the extra cost is justified. They weren’t helpful. So I’m reaching out to the experts here.

I’d like to know:
1. At 65 or 70 mph what is the rpm of the Wilderness in top ‘gear’? I understand the 1st ‘gear’ ratio is quite a bit lower on the Wilderness and the final drive ratio hence it can tow more than the other Foresters and the economy is not as good.
2. The Wilderness has better clearance. Is this due to stiffer springs or are the struts and springs different or is it just lifted along with the higher profile tires?
3. How does the Wilderness handle compared to the Sport?
4. Why the $3,000 difference? Is it worth it? What are you getting?

Yes, I hear you yelling ‘How do you intend to use it!?’ Indeed this is my conundrum. If I was back home in the mountains of SoCal it would be easy. The Wilderness. But, I’m presently in Northeast Ohio for a few more years so a Sport would be better suited. However, I drive back West sometimes and go off road in the deserts and mountains of California, Idaho, Nevada and Colorado.

I look forward to your responses. Thank you.
I currently own a 2020 sport with 48,000 miles on it--not one problem. I have wrestled with this question myself and personally, although we all think we're going to do some serious off roading--how much do we actually do?? I'll keep the sport with the slightly better fuel economy--the are campers now by Sylvan sport that the sport can easily tow--x mode is the same but for the 4:11 gear---couple thousand bucks less for sport and in my opinion--it looks a bit better
 
#43 ·
Thanks! But, I decided I’m not paying an extra $5,000 to $10,000 for driver assist and other features I would never use and be constantly turning off. I’m keeping my 2005 Forester until one of us gives up the ghost. And it’s far far cheaper to keep on the road. Any repair is easy and cheap; I don’t need a bidirectional computer reader for relearn processes. I just spent about 1 car payment for an entire coolant system refurbish, new everything with OEM parts. Anyway, the new Subarus look like Fords 🤮
 
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