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I am in the market for a new car. I have a Mazda 3 now. I really like the new Impreza RS. I did have a Subaru before. It was years ago and I had a major problem with it. There came a point when the pedals weren't retracting properly. It turned out the pedals weren't welded properly when the car was manufactured. They had to remove the interior and reweld the pedals. They nearly had to total the car. That and I had a customer service issue. The CD player stopped working and it was covered under the extended warranty. It took 4 months to get the CD player fixed. I kept calling the dealer and getting the runaround. That was the dealer though, not Subaru. When I finally escalated it and went to Subaru customer service, they turned it around within a couple of days. I know I will not go to that dealer again. I would probably give Subaru another shot. Subaru has a good reputation. It is not like Jaguar, known for poor quality. The only person I know who has had bad luck with a Subaru is me. Anybody on here, have you had any recent experience with Subaru?
It depends where you live. If you need AWD because of snow there is a reason Subarus are so popular in these areas. If you live in central Texas there are much better choices.
About the 6-cylinder engine used in the Tacoma through 2023. There is not comparison between this very reliable engine and the new 4-cylinder turbo one in the 2024 Tacoma. You may be saving around 2 MPG, but this 4-cylinder engine has to work at higher RPM than the V6 when towing (for example)...
The new turbo 4 cylinder puts out way more torque at a much lower RPM.
Will you be towing a trailer or camper with your Tacoma?
I have to agree with Gizmo. Why would you worry about your image with respect to your vehicle (or your image with respect to anything in your life for that matter)? Seems ridiculous! But you gotta be you. Buy what you want.
I suppose most people see your car as saying NOTHING about you, unless it's a monster truck or an exotic sports car.
Because a car is so much more than something to get me from point A to point B. I cant buy a boring vehicle, I cant even rent a boring vehicle and have no issue paying more for an upgrade to enjoy my drive.
While I totally agree with you....I certainly disagree with trying to project a certain image. I don't care what you or anyone thinks about me or my car.
While I totally agree with you....I certainly disagree with trying to project a certain image. I don't care what you or anyone thinks about me or my car.
I don't see how it can possibly matter what "image" the owner imagines his car projects because it's entirely possible someone else could see things dramatically differently.
For instance, he mentioned the new Bronco. One person might envision the owner as a really cool dude while someone else could think he's a complete douche.
The new turbo 4 cylinder puts out way more torque at a much lower RPM.
Will you be towing a trailer or camper with your Tacoma?
More than likely I won't, since I have an old Silverado, and a 2013 Tundra. I bought the 2023 Tacoma as a Mother's Day present for my wife. I let her pick between a 2024 TRD Off Road, and the 2023 TRD Off Road (same trim level and price). She didn't want the 2024 model. I already ordered an A.R.E. Overland topper for it, same color paint as the truck, but with a black color horizontal band (trim?) along the bed, then up at the front just behind the cab's back window (like an L-shaped band with the long leg horizontally on the bed, and the short leg vertically on the front corner of the topper). She will probably drive it less than 1,000 miles per year, since she kept her 2010 RAV4 V6
The 4-cylinder engine in the 2024 still has to work harder during towing or driving up hill, helped by the turbo, and can probably move the truck a little faster, but the RPM will be quite high compared to the 6-cylinder Tacoma engine. There are some articles about towing up road inclines with the 2024 Tacoma and fuel consumption/engine RPM. However the 2023 model has a 6-speed transmission, while the 2024 model has an 8-speed transmission, which means that on flat roads the 2024 model's transmission can shift to the 7th or even 8th gear, which translates to lower engine RPM/lesser fuel consumption.
2024 Tacoma RWD: MPG = 20 city/26 highway. 2023 Tacoma RWD with a 6-cylinder, MPG = 20 city/23 highway. The 2024 Tacoma accelerates faster than the 2023 model with a 6-cylinder engine, and I imagine that most people enjoy the faster acceleration of city driving, thus the reason why both Tacoma's consume about the same amount of fuel in the city (?).
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In relation to the Subaru: it does offer one of the best AWD systems for the money, period. There are equal, and even superior systems out there, but at a lot higher cost. If you are into rally racing, there are some Subaru cars setup for racing, still using the same AWD system, but with more powerful engine-setups. But for most consumers, specially the ones who rely on AWD and don't need large and more expensive vehicles, Subaru automobiles are the best bet.
I don't see how it can possibly matter what "image" the owner imagines his car projects because it's entirely possible someone else could see things dramatically differently.
For instance, he mentioned the new Bronco. One person might envision the owner as a really cool dude while someone else could think he's a complete douche.
Yes, I agree image is subjective, but the choosing a car for me is no different than shopping for clothes, buying a house, etc.. they all tell a story about you. If someone wants to interpret my story differently, I dont care.
I was a Toyota mechanic/service manager/parts manager for a long time, and I went to work in a Subaru dealership in San Francisco around 2020. They're good cars. Not up to Toyota standards, but not many makes are. They were certainly better built than the Volkswagens we also carried. Even today, a lot of people think fondly of the older 4 wheel drive Subarus they used to drive.
Subaru is mostly just a lifestyle brand, there's nothing special left because all brands have Turbo and AWD. Even the Prius has AWD models. While they are certainly different than Subaru's symmetrical AWD system, I don't think Subaru's is the best but it's certainly capable just not unique anymore. As for their engines, other than being a boxer, there's nothing else special. Toyota, Hyundai, Honda, even Ford has a more potent turbo 4 cylinder. Toyota has a 3 cylinder turbo that makes 300HP, and Honda and Hyundai 2.0L makes more power than Subaru's 2.4L. I'm not trashing on them, just making factual statements that Subaru needs to step up on performance or features. People are mostly buying them due to their lifestyle and badge choices. On paper, Subaru is behind many car makers.
Subaru is mostly just a lifestyle brand, there's nothing special left because all brands have Turbo and AWD. Even the Prius has AWD models. While they are certainly different than Subaru's symmetrical AWD system, I don't think Subaru's is the best but it's certainly capable just not unique anymore. As for their engines, other than being a boxer, there's nothing else special. Toyota, Hyundai, Honda, even Ford has a more potent turbo 4 cylinder. Toyota has a 3 cylinder turbo that makes 300HP, and Honda and Hyundai 2.0L makes more power than Subaru's 2.4L. I'm not trashing on them, just making factual statements that Subaru needs to step up on performance or features. People are mostly buying them due to their lifestyle and badge choices. On paper, Subaru is behind many car makers.
You left out cost. They are generally less expensive than other similar AWD models. The "regular" models/engines (normally aspirated) make enough power to negotiate traffic and get you where you need to go. They do well on snow and ice. It is probably different down south, but up here, pickups and Subarus dominate the roads.
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