Ida, I don't have a Subaru but I had a friend with a fully-loaded red Crosstrek. It was super nice. Color is very subjective and one should choose what makes them happy.

ooooo I am eyeballing the Subarus. I have a 2017 Kia Sorento that I like, but not in love with. I'm looking at the Foresters.

Not the same model, but I have two friends who have Outbacks and love them.

Half the people in the Northeast drive Subarus. I think for that reason I've always thought about them as a car you buy for the snow. The Crosstrek is very cute.

My sister and her husband both have Suburus.

I agree about the yellow. I am nor a fan if the off colors.

I think they're quite popular in the PNW as well. Not much opportunity to drive in snow where I live, but I would like something that would increase my comfort level in the rain. Not long ago, the antilock brakes kicked in while driving my Kia on wet roads and it felt exactly like I couldn't stop. The car just felt like it was gliding, and at an intersection where I really needed to stop safely! I don't know if an AWD vehicle would be an improvement, but I'd think so.

Subarus are very popular in the Bay Area. I like Foresters.

Just research if you could get more money for your Kia by selling it yourself then trading it in. Selling a car isn’t for everyone, but you might be surprised what you might sell it for, especially if it’s low mileage.

One of my kids has this car. It's a lease as she's been a Subbie owner before. She has the mantra of Subbies are great until they are not. She likes Subaru but doesn't want to own one as it ages again. We are a Subaru town here and it's a dice roll as to whether one gets one with good reliability or a problem with constant repairs. Anyhow she likes this car very much. I've driven it a fair bit on our mountain roads and in heavy snow. It does well. It has good pick up and control on the curves. It has all the features cars nowadays have and she's come to like that.

Her lease comes due in a few months and will roll over into another Subbie since we live in snow country.

I'm on my second Subaru Crosstrek. I live in snow country and the car is as sure footed as a mountain goat in the winter. Love it - seriously, love it so much I bought a new one, same model, just a newer version.

My only reservation for you is that you may not actually "need" 4 wheel drive - and the mileage on an AWD car is a heck of a lot lower than a FWD car. Once I move out of this frozen he!! I call home, I'll get something with better mileage.

My DH, DS1 and DIL all own Foresters. For my DS1 it is his second Subaru, the first was one of the sports models and DS2 used to own a sporty WRX STI. They are all skiers.

I own an older CRV and the Forester just has too many bells and whistles and stuff that I don't need. I never drive it.

Yes, I drive a Legacy and DH has the Crosstrek. I remember liking that khaki color but we went quite traditional. Anyway I am not sure how those non metal colors hold up?

I don't remember the different models, but he got the middle level one and while he is pretty pleased, there are some things he is not thrilled with, but more along the lines of conveniences.

I don’t have a Crosstrek, but I’ve owned Subarus since the 80’s, and have had Outback wagons and one larger SUV, and loved all of them. They are dependable, solid and built like brick you-know-what’s. I like that all Subarus are built as AWD vehicles, and they don’t cheap out on the frame or chassis. I live in snow country, and 4 or AWD is pretty handy here, but speaking frankly, the gas mileage really isn’t very good, as they are heavy, AWD vehicles. Our current Subaru was purchased used, an OK car (we have an army base in our area, we bought it from a soldier) with no rust. It’s a 2005 at 240k miles and counting, and has never given us a problem. I’ll drive it till it dies, and then I’ll part it out, they hold their value well, even at the parting out stage.

I've owned two Subarus, a 2003 Forester and now a 2010 Outback. My whole family in Buffalo has Subarus, too. The Forester was the only car I ever bought new and I drove it almost 150,000 miles before the head gasket went but the clutch held out. I had a 5-speed and I loved driving it and missed that car for almost a year.

I have the 3.6R (6 cylinder) now which is a pretty much a bullet proof car. They no longer make 6 cylinders but either a 2.5 NA (non-aspirated/turbo) or 2.5 with turbo. I've always found the 2.5 slow but plenty of people find it fine. I was going to buy an Outback XT last fall, but now I am barely driving either car I have thanks to remote work, so I've held off. So, this fall I will look at the Outback XT touring or else the Mustang Mach E. It's pretty much down to those two. I need to have an electrician come out to assess if we can have a Level 2 charger, and that could be a factor. I have 126,000 miles on the Outback.

The Crosstrek is small, though, and it's engine was only a 2.0 L. It is now a little bigger. My sister traded her Legacy that had nothing wrong with it for a Crosstrek, then got another Outback when she realized with 5 grandsons and their stuff she could probably use something larger. My BIL has a Forester. But lots of people like the Crosstrek and it comes in fun colors.

Tomorrow is National Mustang Day--April 17!

Got a Subaru Outback in August and my husband loves it. So he is getting a Crosstrek in that Grey/Blue color because I LOVE IT, and it will be my car. Really happy with this car except I think they overdid the tech stuff. You need to scroll thru a screen to get to heated seats and some other stuff I think should be easy buttons to use when driving. I haven't driven the Crosstrek yet, but he says it is a simpler interface which I will appreciate!

My DS has one.....it beeps too much for me. It is that pretty metallic army green. He calls it Gizmo, because it has so many. I prefer to think for myself while I am driving, and not have to constantly discern what THAT beep meant. I guess I am doomed to drive old vehicles forever.

I've been driving a Forester for almost 5 years and have been very happy with it. We were looking at the Rav4 and the CR-V, but as soon as I got behind the wheel of the Forester, I instantly felt "at home". It handles well and I like sitting a little higher than a sedan. I had driven a minivan for over 20 years and was ready for a change, but also wanted a vehicle I could still fit a piece of furniture in!!!

We are a Subaru family! I have an Outback, my husband drives a Forester, and both of our adult sons also have Subarus. One son has an Impreza hatchback, which is the less muscular version of the cross trek. He loves it, has had no problems with it. He’s had it for three years. We really couldn’t be happier with the brand, especially living in Western New York and having all wheel drive for our winters.

I looked at a 2018 Crosstrek last spring. I also looked at slightly used Honda HRV, Hyundai Kona and Mazda CX3. I really wanted to like the Crosstrek. But after driving all of them, the Crosstrek was my least favorite. I thought it was kinda clunky driving. Just didn't handle as well as the others. BTW, they were all AWD. I also thought the interior was not as nice as the others(it was a 2018, don't know if they've updated since).

I ended up buying a 2019 Mazda CX3. I love it... very nimble and fun to drive.

We're buying a Subaru Outback for our youngest daughter, who is a college junior in VT. Everyone in VT drives a Subaru, lol. Best one we have seen had a vanity license plate SYRUP!

we have an outback and used to drive an Impreza. No complaints except I think the 4wd is a bit too much of a drag on fuel economy. Solid and reliable in my experience. My next car will be electric.

My sister has exactly the model/color you are looking at (which is not at all blue!).. and she loves it. She can throw her kayak on top which is a big plus. I think it's cute enough but i am with czarinalex-- i don't think it's as comfortable a ride as the others in the class.

#1DD bought herself a Subaru Outback three days before the State shut down due to *19. An hour after she signed on the dotted line she was back ended. Between the body shop and the Pandemic it hasn't been driven 100 miles this year.

It seems everyone in Colorado drives a Subaru. I have not personally owned one, but my aunt is 86, and has had probably 8 Subarus. She swears by them.

I have no experience with the Crosstrek, but my mom drove (and loved) Subaru vehicles for years. Had good longevity. I agree with an above comment about selling the vehicle yourself instead of trading. In our experience, you almost always come out better. The loan would be a deciding factor for me against the purchase.

Hijack...we were looking into electric cars. I was worried about the range, and the time needed to charge. I really wanted our other car to be electric, but I'm not convinced it is practical for us...although we do have one gas car so it should be OK. I guess I'm just a late adopter for that technology.

Funky - that gray color really looks blue to me!

I had a Legacy, bought in late 1992 with 80k miles already on it (and a rust patch behind a front wheel well) so it was a steal for a 1.5 year old car Drove it to almost 170K. The rust never got any worse.

I loved the way it handled and rode, but the gas mileage wasn't a winner - true of most Subarus, I think. Only problem that I recall is that I had to replace the CV joint boots more than once - and eventually (perhaps because the mechanic said he replaced the boot but didn't actually do it) one of the joints failed.

Thanks to all for the replies! Seems to be the general consensus that many folks really like the brand. I'm going to keep considering it, as there's definitely no need to rush into anything. FWIW, I'm not interested in an EV and gas mileage is not a tremendous concern for me.

Thanks again! Your feedback is very helpful.

Subaru is planning to come out with and EV next year. It will be about the size of the Forester.

Subaru EV article

I have driven a Subaru Forester for over the last 20 years This is my 4th one. One was totaled by garbage truck and I didn't have scratch. If you live in snow country (or even get a little bit of winter weather) it goes through almost anything. It's reliable, I feel safe in it and it handles well. I'm ready for a new one.

I bought a new Outback in 2012 after I had only owned a series of Volvo's since 1981. Including, an S60 R that was a wonder to drive, but a monster to keep in good working order. The Outback was a disaster. I had 2 transmissions within 50,000 miles and since it had no temp indicator on the dash and a faulty cooling system ( a known defect in previous years) I blew the engine at 73,000. It had a very stable and smooth ride, better than the Volvos on bumpy roads. The large open cargo area was great. The seats killed my back and passengers also complained about the seats on long drives. The radio had very poor sound. The pickup was very noticeably slow and lethargic getting on highways. I think the engine has changed since 2012.

As you can see the Subaru left me with negative feelings. I currently drive a 2018 Honda CRV and it is everything Subaru wasn't, but I think it is ugly and every other car is my twin. In NYC there are tens of thousands of car service drivers who drive the exact same car. Still, it is reliable and gets great gas mileage.

Good luck, if and when you buy whatever car your choose.

I've been eyeing that khaki gray crosstrek for months now! The color is just so soothing. I'm looking at both new and used, to save some dinero. And yes, Subarus are everywhere in the Bay area.

I loved my Subaru Forester. It had a long and good life (11 years with some serious travel on it).

Right now I have a Hyundai, which I like, but when the time comes, it will be back to Subaru.

Hbcm, those early models with the CVT should be avoided.

I do have two friends who have Crosstreks and love them. One is single with a dog and and another is married with a dog. No human kids.

Since we subscribe to Consumer Reports, I looked to see what they had to say. I hope I get these screenshots in the correct order.

I have a 2019 Crosstrek. I wanted AWD with higher than average road clearance. I didn't want to spend a fortune and I didn't want to drive a round blob.

It's "fine". The ride is a little rough. I usually buy cars that are peppy, this one seems sluggish to me. I specifically wanted remote start for cold mornings. It can only be done through the Subaru app and the app is not reliable.

On the plus side, I was in an accident a few months ago. The cars behind me were extensively damaged, I barely felt the impact.

My husband has a fairly new one, maybe three years old. He loves it, I drive it once in a while on long rides and the seats are very comfy.

A park ranger drives this one. I adore the color, but it's not available on the 2021 models and I don't want to buy an older version. Still ... orange! How fun!

Because of the very nature of the vehicle, I would expect it to have a rather "trucky" rode. No problem; I'm used to that and don't expect it to be a luxury experience. It's the sporty, outdoorsy aspect that appeals to me.

The orange and the grayish blue are great colors.

LOL.. my niece has the orange (and as i said, my sister/her mom has the Khaki). They are definitely sporty and outdoorsy.

The orange is cute on that car, and would definitely get you noticed.

Bunny, I have a white crosstrek with gray interior and the upholstery stitching is orange. It's a fun touch.

I've fallen in love with the plasma yellow, which is more of a green color. Have tried not to become emotionally involved, but man ... I gotta have this car. 😁

It's a trim model above the Sport, which is what I was originally after, but again, I fell in love with the leather seats and upgraded packages.

YMMV. 😉

My good friend and Pilates instructor just bought this one, Ida. Hers is pretty well loaded so I’m fairly certain it’s the same model. Her other vehicle is a big pickup that hails horses. She and her DH are both tall so that was a consideration for them too. It’s really cute. She loves offbeat stuff, and it suits her.

We had a Crosstrek in a bright blue several years ago as a rental out west. It was stripped down of course as rentals are but we really liked it.

My sister’s Crosstrek hybrid was that color. She called it Kermit, LOL. Yeah, the upgraded packages/higher trim lines are excellent.

Kermit! That's adorable!

I would certainly go for leather. It’s been years since I’ve had a vehicle without leather seats. They really do last longer. Which is a good thing as I keep a vehicle a long time.

Here's the leather seats in the one we're looking at. I dig the stitching and orange "see thru" in the mesh.

I have a 2019 cross trek and she's just fine. This is our 3rd subaru. I don't think you can beat them for safety or reliability. I specifically was looking for AWD and for the safety features as, I figure as I'm aging, I'm not becoming a better driver. I especially like the headlights that turn as you turn a corner and the auto hi/low beam adjuster. The back up cameras, side lane warnings and front collision signals are wonderful. I did turn off the lane drift feature though as, driving winding country roads which I do all the time, I often cross the yellow line and the warning was annoying. But it's great that you can turn these things off. I'd turn it back on on the highway especially if it was late at night and I'd worry about getting drowsy.

I'm looking to give this one to DH and get a new little sweet ride for myself. And one thing I really like about the subaru is how they integrated the screen into the dash so it looks intentional. So many vehicles, they pop the screen on top so it looks like an after thought. I would love to get another subaru for myself, but I'm looking for small, and the subaru sports car is RWD which I won't go back to. So my search continues.

Annie, look at the Hyundai Veloster, it is FWD and handles great. It is adorable and sporty! Veloster

Or check out the Mazda 3 hatchback. My friend has an older version of this and loves it, it handles great in the snowy conditions of NE Ohio. She said she used to live in hilly PA and it was great on the snowy roads there!