Why I'm going to ditch Prius for Subaru

Yes. ABS recall in 2010, now the booster recall. Don't forget all the TSBs...

 

Essentially all cars have recalls and TSBs now, even the fourth & last year of highly reliable model designs.

The only thing I'd call out on my former 2010 Prius was the rattles, especially in colder weather.

 

Some people ditch a prius for a Harley or a pickup for a skateboard or a 4 by 4 ...
while some people ditch these things for a Prius - because everybody has different wants / needs. No big deal

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Only the two brake recalls - first firmware and then the hydraulic accumulator. The second recall would not have been necessary had I bought a Prius a few months later.

 

We liked our Suburu Outback, but replaced it with a Prius because we never really needed all wheel drive and preferred double the fuel economy with the Gen 3 Prius.

 

Our ('97) Outback was surprisingly thirsty. To compound that effect, the fuel gauge was very pessimistic. It had a low fuel lamp that would light once the needle was a couple of mm below "E" but it always felt light a tight wire act squeezing more than 225 miles out of a tank before giving up and filling it again.

 

This is an interesting thread because I was fortunate enough to drive a brand new Subie Forester 2014 model. I have a friend who wanted this vehicle because she wanted a small SVU with decent gas mileage. She also has a bad back and needed a vehicle that provided easy entry/exit. I was pleasantly surprised that the vehicle rode extremely well over pock marked roads and seams. The acceleration was adequate and the CVT was very smooth. The base model is similarly priced to a Prius II. I myself would not get one because I love the mileage I get from my new Prius. I still have my 2004 and keep it down in Florida. The 2004 has 209,000 miles and the dealer offered me peanuts for it, so I decided to keep it. Anyway, the Subaru really is lacking in current technology. They don't even offer smart entry/start unless you are willing to spend $30k for their top of the line unit. I don't even think you can get it on the Impreza at ANY price. I was also shocked to find that the lower model Forester doesn't even offer cupholders for the rear passengers. Subarus are notorious for lousy radios and the newly designed 2014 Forester has a radio that sounds like something from a mid 70's car!! Awful. Lastly, the AC systems in their cars are really poor. I used to have a 2002 WRX and I thought by now they would have improved their AC. Nope. Just the other day we had a heat advisory in NE New Jersey. It was in the low 90's and humid. The AC was on FULL BLOW and it just didn't feel that cold. In my 2013 Prius I FREEZE even when I set it to 70 and it is over 90 outside. Overall, I think it's a nice well constructed vehicle but I would NEVER switch from my Prius to a Subaru. Now if they come out with a hybrid with their wonderful AWD system and great mileage to boot, I'd consider it.

 

Look forward to OP's feedback on Subaru when he buys it. I'll be honest, I'm not a total Prius fan neither but the complaints made by the OP are far from it's strengths. My Prius is lowered and I barely scrap anything much less rip off under body panels. Sounds more like OP bought the wrong car for where they live.

 

My 97 Outback is my daily driver. DH drives the Prius. I look forward to reviews of the new hybrid crosstrek by everyday drivers. My Outback isn't going to last forever.

 

Subaru's, been there and not going back.

 

If I wasn't driving 20k miles per year and broke I'd still own a Subaru

 

I sure agree with your qualms about lack of ground clearance, having done a couple minor bottom scrapes myself in an UNLOWERED Prius. We do live in a real world and there are many road debris hazards we don't expect so I think the lowering springs offered on that Performance package are inadvisable for most drivers. It seems now you can order the rear sway bar and aero add-ons WITHOUT the lowering springs which is more sensible but there are times I'd like more clearance so I think your decision is a sound one. Obviously it will also be a LOT better in snow.

 

What, NO REAR CUPHOLDERS! What do they expect pax to do, hold coffee cups with their hands?
You err, however, in dissing the radios in the 1970s automobiles. They were great once all the tubes had warmed up! And betcha your new-fangled digital doohickey doesn't have 8, count 'em 8 tracks like our tape players did! And don't get me started on Me-phones, and who wants to color their teeth blue anyway? Young folks these days!

 

Subaru during the winter salt covered roads , they make this noise ...you know
The noise rust makes eating away at the body ...

 

The car I still dream ab0ut is my '96 Subaru Legacy. It went 240,000 miles without an issue. Sure, it required a quart of oil every 2000 miles. Sure, the catalytic converter efficiency finally dropped enough that the check engine light came on. And 28 MPG is nothing to brag about. But nature could never throw something at it that would turn us around.

At a marginal cost to fuel economy, I could scream down gravel roads at 60 MPH, climb steep mountain sides, bash through the forest, and plow through snow. With all of the abuse I put it through, only the tires ever complained. It took a Ford Ranger rear-ending Su to finally part our ways.

There is evidence that new model years have a higher proportion of problems than the subsequent years, but I too wonder how much this applies to the 3rd gen?

Were the rattles worked out in the later models? I'm thinking of getting a 2010 since I like the third generation and want a 4 year old (or older) car.

 

Ok, let me rephrase that. I would take the 1st year roll-out of a 1st gen Honda or 1st gen Toyota over a 1st gen Subaru any day, especially if it's Subaru's 1st ever hybrid vehicle. And I would definitely take a 1st year roll out of a 3rd-gen Toyota over a 1st year roll-out of a 1st gen Subaru.

tristan91 said: ↑

Personally I would not buy the very 1st year production vehicle of the Subaru Hybrid. Best to let them work out the kinks and recalls for a year (or two) before you get it. Even when I bought my 7th generation Honda Civic (from a company synonymous with reliability), I later regretted getting the 1st year's production (that was 2001). Took a year or two for them to work out some kinks.​

Like my buying a Gen III Prius in August 2009.

​

 

I'm wondering if all you people writing all the negative stuff about Subaru actually owned one, or if you are just acting out of a sense of competition, that your car is better than my car. I have 3 cars at the same time, each one is replaced every 5 years. I've had 3 Subarus, then 3 Toyotas, then 3 Hondas, then 3 Subarus, and I just sold my 2011 Forester to buy a 2013 Prius. That's over the course of 20+ years. Maybe it's because I don't keep a car for 120,000 miles and we're then talking apples and oranges, but Subarus are every bit as good as both Hondas and Toyotas. Out of all those cars, the 3 best vehicles I ever owned were a 1997 Subaru Impreza Outback, a 2004 Honda CRV, and a 2010 Subaru Legacy. Those 3 were all great. Coincidently, they were all made in Japan. Notice I didn't mention any Toyotas there. The jury is still out on my almost 3 week old Prius. My 2010 Subaru Legacy is a 1st generation, 30+ mpg, totally different transmission and body from my 2009 Legacy. They've both been very reliable. My 2011 Forester had the worst mileage of the 3 Subarus, so I decided to replace that one for the great mileage car.

The first time you drive an all wheel drive CAR, it feels like no other car. I drove thru the hurricane last year, and big snow storms here in the northeast. I always felt in total control, that Legacy could get thru anything. Subaru's all wheel drive is everything that it's made out to be. I saw lots of Hondas and Toyota cars stuck on the side of the road. I even saw a Jeep Cherokee flip onto it's side during a blizzard.

This is not 1970 where lots of cars had rust problems. Back then a friend had a Volkswagon and his back seat area rusted thru and fell onto the ground. All cars are made differently these days. I live by the Jersey Shore. Any idea how that climate affects a car? My cars should be rusting thru, but it's just not happening. Not with Subarus, or my previous Toyotas and Hondas.

I totally get why somebody would ditch a Prius for a Subaru. The Subaru has a much better road feel, better seats and comfort, just not better mileage. An all wheel drive is a great ride. I never heard anyone say that the Toyota driving experience was an exciting one. It is however, a major economical and reliable piece of work, and for someone like me who has to travel 170 miles roundtrip to work, I knocked down my daily gas expense from $28 to $13. That's why I love this Prius, even though my back is killing me from the seats. Next year when I get rid of my 2009 Legacy, I might just get a 2015 Prius. I think Toyota makes a very good car. It's just not so great, that all other cars should suck by comparison.

When I had just Toyotas and Hondas, I'd go on their forums and read Honda owners putting down Toyotas, Toyota owners putting down Hondas. Whatever you own is always the best and everything else sucks, right?
Well, other cars can be good as well. Get whatever you like. I don't think you can make a bad choice between Toyotas, Hondas and Subarus. Just don't buy a Chrysler.

 

This is where my experience differs from yours. I kept my Honda (made in Ohio) 23 years and 235k miles. It now lives less than a mile away, and is still running at 27 years and 285k miles, though less well than when I parted with it. The spouse's Acura is now at 24 years and 185k miles, and running very well. Its miles are low because she retired from commuting quite a while ago.

These cars raised the bar for what my household now expects. The '97 Legacy GT Wagon was holding very close to that bar at 120k miles. But now just past 170k miles, it is falling short. It is parked for a $eriou$ repair-or-replace decision concerning multiple e$pen$ive problem$.

 

I like the third gen outbacks too, like the 2009. The 2010 is a fourth gen and the first year of them so...maybe not so much. They have their problems though rattles aren't really one of them unless they spent their whole lives on upaved roads which will rattle anything loose on any car. Mostly head gaskets. Mine is a 97 (made in Indiana) and I just had new catalytic converters welded in, so I've got to get a few more miles out of it for the investment.

 

I could very well be wrong, but I attibute your great experience with certain cars by the way you care for your cars, not necessarily the brand of the car. Even though I don't keep a car anywhere near as long as you, I maintain the hell out of them. I do all my maintanence early, way before they are recommended or needed because when I'm on the road at all hours, I can't afford a breakdown. Nothing guarantees that still won't happen, but I like my odds. I commend you for your efforts. Anybody who can keep a car going that long is definitely doing things the right way.