Stopped in today to see the new Subaru CrossTrek at our dealer (we have a Forester) and started chatting about gas mileage. I think it shows an average of 23-25 ? I had to stop in for another reason and was mainly curious. Just the way I am. Told them we were considering a C and how great the gas mileage was and the response...."But it's a Prius" .... Well, yes, it is and the FE could kick the Forester's butt - twice!
When I used to drive a Forester XT, I got 20-21 mpg and had to get gas every 3 days or so. What a waste of time.
What else do you expect them to say? Of course they will give you a million reasons why you need to buy a Subaru instead of Toyota... )
I have owned 4 Subaru cars and they were obviously great in the snow. I still smile when I remember how I drove past Ford 4wd pickups that were stuck in the snow. However, Subaru chose to increase engine displacement and vehicle weight in an attempt to become a Volvo (in price). This had a negative impact on fuel consumption. As an alternative, I bought Prius cars and purchased dedicated snow tires mounted and ready for winter. A Prius with snow tires is not a match or a Subaru, but it is sufficient.
Subaru built the most advance high MPG car after the fuel crisis of the 1970's. They had my loyalty, as well as all my friend's loyalty... It's wagons held tons of stuff, had 4-wheel drive and could get better than 32mpg... Then in the 1990's they turned into crappy bulky gas guzzlers with the only remaining redeeming value of durability and 4-wheel drive. Is it any wonder why Toyota beat them again and again and again? Subaru is like a mean ex-wife that spent all my money. They'll never get another penny from me! Though I sure am gonna miss my 4-wheel drive when the snow returns...
I enjoyed owning a Forester when I lived at 5000 feet and worked at 6500 feet (snowed ten months of the year) Now that I live at 160 feet, and can drive for 125 miles with gaining or losing 50 feet, AWD is just less needed. I would still recommend a Subaru in Elko, NV but I no longer live there.
Just think how much you will smile when filling up at the gas station. I know people who are terribly uneducated and believe everyone who owns a hybrid is a hippie/tree hugging environmentalist. Not much of a hippie, too uptight but would rather hug a tree than see it destroyed and yeah, I really hate what is left of the landscape after strip mining e.g. (in the Panamint mountains of Death Valley). So I guess they are partially right.
