+1 for the 2011 outback. i compared every suv/crossover around 20-40k and still ended up with the outback.

 

Well, it's not that bad, but I was hoping to have more rear seat room at the back when I was checking XC70. Trunk space is huge! I had a feeling that Volvo sacrificed rear seats for trunk space and I'd prefer an opposite. The car is nicely built and have nice materials inside! But it's just not what I wanted.

Maybe I exaggerated a bit comparing it to STI but it really has a great turning radius! IMHO the smallest one among similar cars.

I hear you! I was really skeptical about the height of the new USDM Outback also... But.. After I drove it a bit I now think that it's not that bad at all. Yeah exterior looks suffer from this height but performance is not that bad at all! That's probably due to the lowest curb weigh among similar cars/crossovers, lower center of gravity and one of the best AWD systems in this price segment (I'm talking about 3.6R that has 45/55 split, I think 2.5i CVT has 90/10). I tried pushing it a bit on ramps - it felt pretty good! Once I even felt (can be wrong here) that the rear is stepping out a bit pushing the car into the corner (under gas) while I started hearing some tire noise.

So, if you need a vehicle right now - it's a good candidate regardless of the ride height but if you can wait - wait and see if any lowering kit will be available soon.

 

The vehicle I WISH SOA would bring to the states:

Exiga STi






-Brian

 

We bought a Volvo XC60 Almost exactly the same dimensions as an Outback, though it "looks" a lot more SUV-ish, I parked next to an Outback the other day and the cars are pretty much exactly the same size.

We did cross shop an Outback when we bought it, but it was a car that was my wife's decision, and she, of course, wanted something more upscale than the Subaru. It was definitely her second choice. If the decision were approached rationally, we would have had an outback, but not all decisions, are approached rationally, especially those made by my wife. We ended up about $10k higher than an Outback would have been, but within our budget. $35k out the door with AWD might be a tight squeeze on an XC60.

We fit my daughter's car seat & 2 people in the back seat pretty regularly. My parents aren't tall people, though my mom is a little wide. They fit behind me (6'2") as the driver with plenty of room.

 

I didn't really push the suspension of the outback, but the 2.5i felt a lot better attached to the CVT than it does attached to an auto. I really liked the feel of the CVT and even though the 2.5i is low on power compared to competitors, the CVT has it feeling like an engine with significantly more power due to the lack of the slush feeling. Power is there whenever you want it. We drove some cars like the A4 wagon, and the Outback felt it was about the same or even better power level, even though it's specs say the A4 has 40 HP over the Outback... surprisingly, the A4 also weighs like 400 pounds more. Don't count out the 2.5i / CVT.