[551602]

Just watched this and was a bit surprised at the Subaru's results.

The new Rogue or Nissan X trail might be a consideration as well.

 

[Beluga]

@GeoSol
As some mentioned, if reliability is important to you, I would check Mazda CX-5... For me and my family it was half size too small, otherwise great vehicle for what it is.

Additionally, I will comment only on Land Rover...
Many mentioned LR poor reliability rating but more then that, I think you should be aware that servicing LR would be way more complicated and expensive even if your LR happens to be trouble free.
My best friend and his wife drive Land Rovers (they always get them new, Discovery and Discovery Sport) so we often compare experience and cost.
Both are decently reliable, nothing crazy but you get the same "treatment" from the dealer for $40k Discovery Sport and $80k Discovery... So Discovery Sport purchasing price wasn't that much higher then my 2015 XT (it is much nicer looking vehicle with lower performance vs XT) but dealer is trying to upcharge them at every visit and quoted amounts are crazy when you consider purchasing price of the vehicle. While my dealer will try to sell my "engine cleaner" at every visit (for like $150), claiming that is Subaru requirement, they will tell me that my both air filters are dirty (that I changed few days ago) and I need brake fluid flush ASAP because my breaking fluid is dark and it is safety hazard (and they already changed it 6months/3k miles ago). All this things are annoying but we are talking about general dishonesty, all those things are not expensive and you just need to be prepared to decline everything. And I have 4-5 Subaru dealers relatively close...

But with LR, they are on the whole different level, every regular visit with 0-3 years old vehicles becomes a struggle to decline unnecessary stuff in tune of $2k or so, with the same dishonesty and more pressure because of your "premium" experience.

If you didn't like your Subaru dealer, check you local LR dealer first.

 

[OriginalTwoTone]

Lets start with the Bronco:
It is definitely a classic off-roader but will probably be similar to a jeep on road. The base 4 door which I assume you will choose is $35k but the price inflates quick with models. Which isn't bad but like others have said will probably not be available till 2022.

Just one correction, the Bronco will have much better on road manners based on IFS vs the Jeeps SFA.

 

[mattmers]

Hey mattmers, I want a vehicle for every day driving and can take off road, I dont off road very much except maybe hunting season or camping. I dont need a off roader monster!

Then I would recommend a crossover with decent AWD and ground clearance (probably 8+ inch). I would not consider the Defender and Bronco.

Quadraria10
The new Rogue or Nissan X trail might be a consideration as well.

I would say that most manufacters have about caught up to Subaru awd. Subaru held the advantage till around 2014 with the introduction of the Forester SJ. The CVT I think has set back the foresters ability to deliver torque and it just does not perform as well at low speeds. I find it disappointing since I would expect them at Land Rover level of traction control by now but they are not. With the popularity of SUVs and crossovers, Subaru needs to innovate or they will be left behind.

 

[TMX]

@Quadraria10

Simple solution - Fit an ARB offroad bumper and go through the moose. No rollover risk and you get to fill the freezer

I'm a Brit and even we don't buy Land Rovers !

Surely the Toyota 4Runner would be a fairer comparison vs the Land Rover? In which case I would go with the 4Runner with the fancy TRD offroad stuff all day long if you're going offroad.

If you're staying on road, a Rav4 Prime on paper is hard to beat; performance, mpg and reliability.

If you want to rule the elk test, look at the Volvo XC90 (Or XC60?), which outperforms each vehicle @Quadraria10 linked

 

[GeoSol]

@rdclark

3 times I went in for electrical issues with head unit and every time i would get the stink eye!! They charged me for an oxygen sensor when it was under warranty and wanted $2K to change my control arm bushings at 55K!!! I was like waaaaat!! why did they fail prematurely? Called Subaru USA and they called them to give me my $$ back for the oxygen sensor, which they said was under warranty.
Supposedly its easier for them to replace the arms than just the bushings.
Subaru, after lengthy debate, picked up the cost of the control arms. Nice of them... BTW, I went to Concordville Subaru to get them fixed.
Back to dealer to get my refund, no apology nothing!! "we are only human, we make mistakes" the only reply i got back!

I just had enough of these games!!!

Forgot to mention, I didn't buy the car from Rafferty, maybe that's why I had issues.

 

[Warren S]

Good topic!! To replace my first and last Subaru I was all over the map. The Forester was relatively cheap but my next SUV will be either a Honda CRV, RAV or CX5... Might go for a Pilot or CX9 if we get another dog.

 

[Kevin]

I'm a Brit and even we don't buy Land Rovers !

Had a RR a long time ago and it developed a gear box leak to which the service manager said "Well, what do you expect, it's a truck"

 

[551602]

Simple solution - Fit an ARB offroad bumper and go through the moose. No rollover risk and you get to fill the freezer I'm a Brit and even we don't buy Land Rovers !

I don't know TMX, do you even have Moose in the UK? A deer can wreck the car. I am sure an elk would do more damage, but a moose would destroy it. An adult male moose can weigh 700 KG or roughly 1500 lb. Besides, I am not crazy about Moose meat.

 

[jwessely]

Well: how about a Mercedes? I am actually thinking of leaving the Subaru line for a Mercedes. Just not certain if I want to deal with the luxury Rigamarole.

 

[Benny_Squach]

What exactly are you looking to use your vehicle for?

Toyota are great, but if your an adventurous type then the Rav4 may leave some to be desired. I drove one for a few years and very much prefer my '14 Forester in just about every regard.

Land Rover? Don't do that unless you have lots of money to throw away. I've got two friends who said that was their worst car purchase ever.

The Hyundai isn't a bad vehicle at all. My mom has one and pulls a trailer half way across the country every summer with hers. It's held up really well so far and the interior cargo space is very impressive. Its comfortable on long drives too.

For the Bronco I'd say just be sure you know what you're getting. Its quite different from other vehicles on your list.

Have you checked out a CX5? One of my roommates drives one and we've all been taking turns driving when we head up the mountains to the snow. It drives really nice but reminds me of a Forster made with no off-road in mind.

Also depending on what you're after you may consider a Jeep Renegade. My dad bought one for when he doesn't want to spend $100 in one trip driving his truck. It does what we've needed it to for light duty off-road.

 

[New_brick_84]

Hello all!
Quoting Bilbo, "I think I'm quite ready for another adventure."
Had the ups and downs with my 14 XT Touring , was a love hate relationship. Dealership(Rafferty Subaru) servicing was the worst.
Subaru problems seem to continue based on my own experience as well as other members postings here. They are NOT the same Subs which were known for the ruggedness and quality.

So Im looking to part ways, my current list of cars are(no particular order):

2021 Bronco
2021 Santa Fe
2021 Defender 110
2021 RAV4

Defender is nice but to get what i like price jumps to 60K, so I think this drops to the bottom of the list. Santa Fe prolly is not on the same level as the Bronco\Defender but it looks great and tech is top notch.
Not sure what other models to put on the list...

Can you guys please give me your suggestions and reasons as to what you would look for?

Thank You in advance...

Did you place a reservation for a Bronco? If not getting one is a long time away.
Weird to see Rav4 and D110 on the same list, but if Subaru reliability didn’t hold up to your expectations I don’t think a Land Rover will.
I vote Santa Fe.

 

[JonDeeZee]

@GeoSol I use to drive a 2015XT. I had a laundry list of issues, but my ownership experience wasn’t so bad since I always had a loaner vehicle. Eventually at 60K miles the CVT died.

I thought my replacement vehicle was going to be a 2019 Tacoma TRD offroad, but I was just too big for it. I previously drove a 2008 FJ Cruiser TRD 4WD and I did not like the MPGs, road handling and steering dead zone, so I did not consider a 4runner. Luckily the Honda dealership was next door, and after test driving the Passport, it was a done deal. I’m surprised you didn’t consider one. The Rav4 and Kia Sorrento aren’t even on the same level, at any level. Offroad, 0-60, size. Here’s a video about why I bought one, and check out the rest of the channel to see where I have taken my Passport. Moderate 4wd trails were a challenging to impossible in the FXT, but easy in the Passport. Oh, and BTW.. if I had to choose between all those vehicles, I’d probably go with the Bronco. Too bad I didn’t have the option back in Feb of 2019.

edit btw, I have 57K miles on the Passport now. Not one replaced part.

 

[New_brick_84]

@GeoSol,
Is this a serious post? You have issue with Subaru quality and you have a LR on you list as a choice?

Bronco is a very different vehicle, better look into a lot more. I have a reservation for one.On the forums there a large group of whiny idiots that think they're buying a cool retro looking SUV and have no clue about it's purpose. Constantly complain about not getting the same feature as other unibody road class SUVs.

If you want something that has some offroad chops, you could look at a Bronco Sport Badlands. Don't confuse the sport and the bronco- two completely different vehicles.

If you don't have a reservation, you're not getting one until some time in 22 and it'll have ADM on it for sure. You're realistically looking at 23 if you don't want to overpay.

Santa Fe- it's a Hyundai. Enough said.

I have a reservation on a Bronco, I’m looking at it as a bigger roomier version of the Wrangler TJ generation which I had three of.
I plan to use it as a daily driver on the freeway which probably is t the greatest idea, but what are people whining about?

 

[Bzimbug]

Hello all!
Quoting Bilbo, "I think I'm quite ready for another adventure."
Had the ups and downs with my 14 XT Touring , was a love hate relationship. Dealership(Rafferty Subaru) servicing was the worst.
Subaru problems seem to continue based on my own experience as well as other members postings here. They are NOT the same Subs which were known for the ruggedness and quality.

So Im looking to part ways, my current list of cars are(no particular order):

2021 Bronco
2021 Santa Fe
2021 Defender 110
2021 RAV4

Defender is nice but to get what i like price jumps to 60K, so I think this drops to the bottom of the list. Santa Fe prolly is not on the same level as the Bronco\Defender but it looks great and tech is top notch.
Not sure what other models to put on the list...

Can you guys please give me your suggestions and reasons as to what you would look for?

Thank You in advance...

Going by your list, I'd recommend the RAV4.
Toyotas are bullet proof. I'd also look at the Honda CRV!

 

[OriginalTwoTone]

I have a reservation on a Bronco, I’m looking at it as a bigger roomier version of the Wrangler TJ generation which I had three of.
I plan to use it as a daily driver on the freeway which probably is t the greatest idea, but what are people whining about?

Good lord just about everything. I stopped going to the forums cause it a downer.

You basically have a large group of dipshits complaining it costs 50k and other SUVs for 50K come with x,y and z.
Then you remind that those SUV aren't real off roaders and it doesn't matter. They still expect the Bronco to have the capabilities of a Wranger with amenities of a Lexus for the price of a Wrangler.

Basically the morons want a G wagon from Ford for 50k.

If you've had Jeep like I have you know what you're getting into. I hate to sound like a snob, but the Bronco is attracting a lot of poseurs who think it's going to drive like their BWM or Audi and just look retro, they are in for a surprise.

 

[TMX]

''Simple solution - Fit an ARB offroad bumper and go through the moose. No rollover risk and you get to fill the freezer I'm a Brit and even we don't buy Land Rovers !''

My comment was made in jest, I thought it obvious by the use of the smiley and not taken to be literal................

However, since you did comment. In the UK, moose are not common sight. As I'm sure you're aware deer vary in size and some get pretty big, even the stags we have native get large enough to inconvenience a vehicle
We do however have LongHorn cattle that get to compact-size car dimensions and it isn't uncommon to meet them on rural roads. Here's an example of a road 10 minutes from me - The speed limit used to be 60mph but was recently lowered due to motorists coming unstuck when meeting a group of the below and quickly running out of talent and over stretching physics.

As you can see, our rural roads are quite narrow and no where near enough space as is afforded on those elk/mooose test - If you tried repeating the test over here at the speed limits, you'll meet a tree - Doesn't matter if you're in a 2020 Forester, Rav4, Hyundai or even a Ford Bronco/Pickup - Actually that might even rollover, flip and end up in a tree.

I've not tasted moose that I remember but have enjoyed elk - How do the 2 compare? If the moose was harvested and less than clean kill (Bang-Flop - I dislike that expression but you know what I mean) it doesn't give the chance for the moose to fill with adrenaline, which can cause the meat to taste "gamey" if that makes sense

Looking up offroad bumpers in Canada, they appear to have the term "Moose bumpers" so perhaps some offroad bumpers are effective against even moose? Perhaps they help with glancing blows vs playing chicken? (Again, said in jest - No self respecting moose would like to be referred to as poultry)

Apologies to the OP for going off topic slightly !

On second thoughts, the Land Rover is probably the safest vehicle as it would have broken down, leaving you on the side of the road, so you'll never meet the moose/cattle etc on the road

 

[wbdubya]

I have a Bronco Sport First Edition coming in within the next week to replace my wife's 18XT Touring. I also have a full size 2 door Bronco reserved that I don't expect to be available until late 2022.
Land Rovers do look nice but the closest dealer is an hour away and it sounds like that trip might be more frequent than I want it to be.

 

[551602]

Actually that Moose test is more an emergency swerve test. The original Moose test I thought tested the windshield and the A pillars' ability to take a hit without killing the driver. Moose are large enough that hitting one basically takes out its knees and the 1000lb + body goes straight at the driver and front passenger. Many of our country and rural roads are no wider than yours and in far worse shape than your picture.
Just peaked at Moose Bumpers, and I don't think one for a car would have a hope. You see them for huge transport trucks and cost close to $7000.

 

[peteinmd]

It depends....

Mostly on-road? A Mazda CX-5 for fun, a VW Tiguan for interior space. RAV 4 has an unusual AWD, not as 'good' (according to many reviewers) as either of these two. Bonus: no CVT...

Light off-road? The Passport is fine, good AWD system too...

Moderate/heavy off-road? Jeep...

All, imho...

I have a 2009 Forester XT, & would not consider any of the Subaru's currently offered. Too many dogs among them, and that CVT...

P.S. - the car has been bullet proof...