New Car to replace 2001 Cherokee

fortcollinsaudi

Forum Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2014
Messages
4
Location
Fort Collins CO
Car Year
2001
Car Model
Jeep cherokee
Transmission
4
We are hikers. We are not 4 wheelers, but sometimes we must travel the roads to get to the hikes. Sometimes, I admit its interesting. we have done all the passes around Lake City and Silverton, or at least most. We have also did the Bench road in Utah and others.

The Cherokee does great off payment, really crazy what a stock Cherokee will do. But it is getting flaky - dash instruments go out, window switches broken, oil leaks... It gets 23 on the HW and thats not enough.

So we are looking at new cars. Subaru seem like a good choice. We like the basic Impreza and it gets 36, but not sure if its going to get us over rough roads. That is my biggest question. What will a stock basic Impreza go over and still be in good shape.

We find the new Forester too big and the ride is not as good as the Impreza. I am pretty sure it would handle the road we would want to travel.

The Outback gets 30 mpg which is not really high enough - maybe I should stay with the Jeep and get it fixed. Is the Outback the best wheeler that subaru makes?

I do not really like the jacked up impreza and review say it does not handle as well as the basic impreza.

Can anyone give us advise to help make a selection. Other cars? The car is not important to us as long as we get there and the mpg is good.

Thanks!
 
Gidday FCA

A warm :welcome: to the ORS forum, mate ... :ebiggrin:.

One of the reasons I traded my '93 Impreza in on an MY06 (2006) Forester was for the clearance and any/off road capabilities. The Impreza was good, but just didn't have the clearance. Basically a 110 mph AWD sports car (even though mine had the asthmatic EJ-18 engine). For all its lack of power off the mark, it was one of the best touring cars I have ever driven, and I've driven some real beauties!

The 2.5L N/A Forester does not handle quite as well as our old Impreza, but still well enough to tour very, very fast on winding roads ...

The EJ-253 (N/A) gets above 80% of its maximum torque from about 1200 rpm to the red line, and above 90% from about 1800 rpm to the red line. Having lots of torque low down makes it very tractable to drive and a real pleasure both on and off road.

I have taken it to some places that would have wrecked my old '68 Landcruiser deep well ute. The LC was all but indestructible though. The Forester is not.

On the highway, I get around 7.3-7.6 L/100 kms (that's around 31-32.2 miles/US gallon). Two adults + a moderate amount of gear on board.

Around town it's more like 11.5-12.5 L/100 kms (that's around 18.8-20.5 miles/US gallon). I am not the sort of driver who takes from one set of lights to the next to reach the speed limit, however ... :lildevil:.

IMHO, the MY06-MY07 Foresters (series II SG) were the best of breed to date. The MY09-MY10 with the EJ-253 and 4EAT Sportshift auto were probably a better family car (bigger all round). We have one of each.

I drive the 2006 2.5L N/A with 5MT and dual range gearbox. My SWMBO drives a 2009 2.5L N/A with the 4EAT auto with the Sportshift.
She prefers hers; I prefer mine. Just as well, I guess ... :poke: :iconwink: :lol:.
 
G'day fortcollinsaudi & :welcome: to ORS.

As for an Impreza, I can't say, as I've never had one.
I can say that a SG Forester (MY05) is more than capable on the dirt :)

Regards
Mr Turbo
 
Hey thanks for both the replies! Reading here and looking around a bit, it sounds like the Forester of a few years ago are the cars to get. I was hoping to buy new this time. I am still considering the Impreza, but have no info on how it would do on the dirt. I know 5.9 inches off the ground is a problem, but it would be a good car for most everything else. My GF voted for a Prius last night, like the mileage but that rules out more back roads. I may fix up the Jeep for one more summer.

To bad the new Subaru are lacking. I do not understand the lack of comments about the outback. I was moving in that direction.
 
Gidday FCA

Impreza, Legacy and Outback all lack good approach, hang and departure angles. Forester isn't bad.

I would also keep your Jeep, if I were you.

Work out the sums on fuel and maintenance.

A well looked after and maintained Forester is just run in at 100,000 kms ...

From my Batphone
 
fortcollinsaudi said:
... I do not understand the lack of comments about the outback...
Click to expand...
Since this is an 'offroad' forum my guess is that most of the posters consider the Outback to be less suitable for 'offroad' work that the Forester because of it has more overhang at each end. However, the running gear is similar.

I consider my Outback to be a great dirt road runner - it's comfortable and secure on the typical unsealed roads in the bush and the occasional unformed bush track. I would not take it bush bashing up or down steep, stepped fire access tracks or through mud holes because I can't afford to have it damaged. Mine is everyday transport, not a boy's toy.
 
fortcollinsaudi said:
The Cherokee does great off payment, really crazy what a stock Cherokee will do. But it is getting flaky - dash instruments go out, window switches broken, oil leaks... It gets 23 on the HW and thats not enough.

The Outback gets 30 mpg which is not really high enough - maybe I should stay with the Jeep and get it fixed. Is the Outback the best wheeler that subaru makes?
Click to expand...

RB, the Jeep may seem like a good deal to hang on to, but I can see why fortcollinsaudi wants to trade in. Jeep may made be assembled in USA but its made in Mexico & the QC isnt there. They have a horrible reputation for poor reliability, even off the showroom floor, & at 13yo its gonna start costing him big money to maintain it.

fortcollinsaudi said:
I do not understand the lack of comments about the outback. I was moving in that direction.
Click to expand...

grump said:
I consider my Outback to be a great dirt road runner - it's comfortable and secure on the typical unsealed roads in the bush and the occasional unformed bush track. I would not take it bush bashing up or down steep, stepped fire access tracks or through mud holes because I can't afford to have it damaged. Mine is everyday transport, not a boy's toy.
Click to expand...

There's a lot of happy Outback owners on here, mostly older models. The consensus is that the new OB is uuuugly! The SH & SJ Forester, while much bigger, have some great offroad electronic aids. But certainly the most popular Subie on here would be the SG Foz with the SF Foz close behind.

There's been much discussion about the relative merits of Forester vs Outback.
The Foz has better ground clearance, esp fr & rr overhang but the OB has much better boot space.
There are also visual differences, the new Foz doesnt look too bad but is too big. The new OB imo is dog ugly & too big.
They both have X-mode AFAIK ("eye sight" is also a brilliant safety option).

You can cheaply & safely fit a 2-3" lift kit in the older models but if you're buying new this prob isnt an option lol
 
Cannot say much now, but in brief:

If you want an OB with actual offroad abilities for UT, CO, AZ only the 4th Generation will do, 2010+.

Forget older Subarus for offroad in the southwest, except 2009-13 Foresters.

I would not want a 2.5 CVT OB, however, especially not in the San Juan mntns.

Mine is a 3.6 with skid plates, half an inch lift and AT tires and has done some serious stuff. I get up to 27+ mpg on the highway with AT tires and 20-21 in town. Make it 5-6 on real Jeep trails, but we are talking a few miles of rocky hills here and there.

If you want off-road AND mpg, look for a new Forester with xmode.

Best offroad Subarus at present are the newest Forester with xmode and the IV gen 3.6 5eat OB.

Angles are better on the Forester but still bad compared to true offroaders. Crawling and line picking can go a long way in many, but not all cases. Cannot drive a subaru over rocks as a Jeep, it is a car. Gotta go inch by inch over moderate by Jeep standards stuff.

Absense of low range is a pain on steep, loose descents.

All in all, if I were in Colorado, I would have the FXT with xmode as my top choice. People have bought it for like 27000 new.
 
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I forgot about the Impreza.
No chance to do any offroad in the southwest. Regularly maintained unpaved roads-sure, but unmaintained or rarely maintained stuff-no chance, not with the ubiquitous rocks we have all over the SW.

The raised XV version sounds right for you but I would not trust that powertrain on high elevations or take into a deep canyon or wash that does not have an easy exit since I trust neither its CVT, nor its power.
 
Good Monday morning! I have read all the replies several times each. Thank you all very much.

I now have a better understanding of the Subaru models and what they will do. I looked at used Foresters and they are crazy high here. 80,000 miles and still at $16k. I would rather have the first 80k than the last! Also when you look at the mpg the Jeep's 23 is not that far from the 27 to 30. So with a new Subaru I get less troubles, but less climbing and the jeep is so good at the steep. I may get the oil leaks fixed and do some other fixes and drive it for a few more years. I may get a Prius for the rest of my driving, although part of me thinks the Impreza would be more fun.

I am disappointed in cars in general. What if they were not about style. What if dependability, long lasting, function, and mpg was driving the development. The car companies would be getting less money and the earth would be getting less beat up. And I might find a car that was better for me!
 
Wonderful photographs FCA. Thanks. I just love that sort of country.

As for the used prices of Foresters, we paid about $19K for roo2 with 60K miles on it, and $25K for the SH auto with 36K miles. Both perfect condition, top-of-the-range, N/A 2.5L with EJ-253 engines. These cars are good for about 200K+ miles, or 20 years, whichever comes first.

I completely agree with your philosophy.

From my Batphone
 
Hello FortCollingsAudi, or should I say good midnight?:lol:

Anyway, your pics tell me a lot:cool: I LOVE southern Utah.:) Hopefully, once the kids are no longer so little we can get into some moderate hiking as a family (serious is not to our liking). My body can surely use some hiking:ebiggrin: However, climbing up Bryce or Horseshoe Canyon with a kid on my back is about as tough as I go:lol: Love Lower Calf Creek Trail, too.

Back to cars, well, how much effective ground clearance do you have? What kind of skid plates do you have? I would love to know. My Primitive skid plates seem WAY tougher than what I have seen stock on off-roaders. Well, in truth, I also need them more.

I have not yet made my way to the Maze, but from what I know it sounds like a place that is not for any stock Subaru. A stock Subaru will pull off some stuff in southern Utah and do quite well in mud, but beyond that the worries of traveling over rocks in an unprotected car with limited clearance are just not worth it. I hit the undercarriage with a bang on a moderate step some 30 miles off-pavement in Capitol Reef last summer--no trouble, but that was it for traveling w/o a full skid plates package.

Of course, the good news is that even a modified Subaru will feel luxurious on and off-pavement after a Jeep. My Outback's off-road ride must be experienced to be believed. The Forester will not be that good, but you will not know it:poke:

You seem like somebody in need of a modified Turbo Forester. I believe that a 2009-13 car will do, but buying a used turbo is an art in itself.

For anything moderate by Jeep standards, you will need an absolute minimum of 8.7 of effective ground clearance to skid plates and 9.2 to exhaust components. That means at least 0.5 inches of lift to compensate for skid plates and lift the vehicle a bit overall. In your case, you may want to consider either a 1.00 inch lift kit and/or raised King Springs, and/or larger tires.

I did a serious Sedona trail in my OB recently, stunning the Pink Jeeps. I have 8.6 of effective clearance to skid plates due to tire wear, 9.1 to exhaust components (but cats are protected by AT plate), and about 10.75 to structural components. Front bumper has more than a few scratches underneath but still looks almost like new.

I plan a notch larger tires next time (225-65-17 instead of 225-60-17).

With that I would feel fairly confident of going anywhere I care to go, including the various mountain passes in San Juan. I do not know if it would suffice for the Maze, though.

PM me if interested in what exactly I have done or plan to do.

As for what you care about in a car: I agree, except for mpg. It is unrealistic to want proven reliability and durability + latest tech. Something has to give. That is why I own an H6+5 EAT Outback, arguably the most dependable Subaru you can buy--coupled with Subaru's best AWD:lildevil: The new Forester is a notch more capable off-road due to angles and x-mode crawling/hill descent aid (or is it really a CVT aid???) but a turbo/CVT combo does not hold the promise of my powertrain: I am happy to be proven wrong, but not be the test mule:lildevil:

Happy hiking in the land of canyons...it is unbeatable!
 
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