OT: sportwagen

[YoKev]

Originally Posted by NYCfixie

I do not mean to throw a big pile of flaming poo into this discussion but nobody has mentioned the Subaru Outback as an option.

It is bigger than a Golf All-Track wagon, you can get leather, you can get manual, you can get a boxer 6, it has a great deal of cargo space, the newest version is larger again than the one it replaces, its not as expensive to fix as the luxury models, you can get a 7yr/100k extended warranty for less than $1,000, and it is so much less expensive to buy than the luxury models.

(not mine but just helped a friend get one)

Just FYI, 2014 was the last year the Outback was available with the 6-speed manual in the USA. And also, you can only get it with the base 2.5l 4-cylinder engine. I think you may still be able to buy the MT in Canada though.


I currently have a 2013 Outback Premium with the 6-speed manual. I miss my TDI JSW every fricken day. I do enjoy the increased cargo space and ground clearance though...it's come in handy many times, but the AWD less than expected. I'd take FWD and snow tires if I could do it again probably.

I'd say the Outback with this manual transmission is just OK. It's a big, heavy car. Gear ratios are meh, and if you want to pass someone...forget about it. You have to plan every move with this car. IMHO, the Subaru Outback should only be purchased with the CVT. The 2015-2018 models drive fricken great I think and you can only buy it this way. Ever drive a H6? What a GREAT engine for the Outback.

[BikeNY]

I have no experience with the Outback, but we bought a used Crosstrek (2014 5MT) for my son 2 years ago, and wow, what a difference between that and my Sportwagon TDI! The VW is so much more refined and nicer driving. And the acceleration on that Crosstrek is pathetic! Good for a teenager though!

[likebikes]

posting a outback in a thread about sportwagens has got to be trolling.

[Hakkalugi]

Originally Posted by R3awak3n

I am getting 30 max. Was getting more with the smaller wheels

Mine are the 16” stock, one reason I wasn’t interested in the AllTrack was buying new snow tires. Plus, the difference in wheels was a whopping 5/8” in clearance. Yay. That’ll get me out of a snowbank. The additional $4k purchase price also cut into my bike parts budget, which has precedence over the car.

That said, I am hugely satisfied and have put 33,000 miles on in 14 months on the S all wheel drive model. Part of my decent mileage might be due to driving a smart for a few years, that’ll take the zoom-zoom out of your system. That said, in 70,000 miles in Colorado, I never got the smart stuck. They’re champs in snow if you know what you’re doing.

[tv_vt]

Originally Posted by thirdgenbird

Have a ballpark price? I’ve got a friend who may consider it.

$13,500. Car is in perfect shape. It's also in Vermont...

[velofinds]

This is convenient to be able to do.

[R3awak3n]

Originally Posted by velofinds

This is convenient to be able to do.

I do it every week when I drive into the city. Have a rack and haven't used in in a year.

[BobbyJones]

Well, I didn't think I'd consider a Golf Wagon until I saw one on the road today. A closer look on line and it seems to check a lot of boxes- small wagon with grown up lines. For reference, i just started looking at used Acura TSX Wagons based on size, appearance and longevity.

My question is based on my past experiences with VW's (78 & 84 Rabbits, 98 Golf, 2000 Jetta). Those cars were mostly mechanically bulletproof, but every accessory started to go south after the 4 year, 60/80k mark. I'm not looking for a flame war and I understand its a whole different time, but what's the current consensus? Then again, 6 / 72 warranty is nothing to sneeze at.

Lastly, any current owners opinion on All-Track as a nice option but really not needed?

Thanks in advance!

[eddief]

they look cool but I have read that space is at a premium.

12K on my 2016 VW wagen and no issues so far. Fingers crossed. Good looking, good cooking, understated European:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/64byqNYx684TPNW88

[R3awak3n]

Originally Posted by BobbyJones

Well, I didn't think I'd consider a Golf Wagon until I saw one on the road today. A closer look on line and it seems to check a lot of boxes- small wagon with grown up lines. For reference, i just started looking at used Acura TSX Wagons based on size, appearance and longevity.

My question is based on my past experiences with VW's (78 & 84 Rabbits, 98 Golf, 2000 Jetta). Those cars were mostly mechanically bulletproof, but every accessory started to go south after the 4 year, 60/80k mark. I'm not looking for a flame war and I understand its a whole different time, but what's the current consensus? Then again, 6 / 72 warranty is nothing to sneeze at.

Lastly, any current owners opinion on All-Track as a nice option but really not needed?

Thanks in advance!

I have owned it for almost a year, just hit 20k miles and it has really been a great car. No issues what so ever, looks new inside out.

Did hit a pothole this friday and put a hope in my tire so that was a bummer.

As far as the all track, I like it but just prefer the looks of the sportwagen. Its basically the same thing

[palincss]

Originally Posted by BobbyJones

Lastly, any current owners opinion on All-Track as a nice option but really not needed?

I much prefer the DSG to the conventional automatic, and had I chosen the manual I would have preferred the 6 to the 5 speed. Those transmissions aren't available in the front wheel drive GSW. Also I wanted the SE trim level and that's not available in the GSW 4-Motion, so the only choice that checked all the boxes was the Alltrack. I don't need the additional ride height, but it's not so much as to negatively affect handling, and it turns out the wheel arch trim is handy to lean a bike against.

So that leaves the all-wheel-drive: obviously not "necessary" as all my previous cars have been either FWD or RWD and they were all fine, but AWD is fine too and in some circumstances actually better. For example: there's a stop sign at a T on a steep hill where I frequently drive, and on a wet road I'd always get disconcerting wheel spin turning at the stop sign with FWD that doesn't happen with AWD, and the car feels exceptionally stable driving on wet roads in heavy rain. And obviously there's snow, although we didn't get enough to speak of this year and I didn't get any chance to drive in it at all.

[paredown]

Originally Posted by eddief

they look cool but I have read that space is at a premium.

...

We bought a Certified Acura TSX wagon a year and a half ago--although I don't hate it, I don't love it either. Great and willing 4 cylinder motor, decent transmission, slightly overstuffed interior, and nervous (electronic) steering. Oddly, for a premium offering (and maybe because it started life as a standard European Accord) it is missing some obvious things (like hill hold).

And yes, it is not roomy, nor are the sight-lines very good. We loved our B5.5 series Passat a lot more (but not the short-lived re-do of that wagon that we tested but had lost it's mojo), and even enjoyed driving our beater Volvo more.

I keep thinking I will have to buy an older wagon to restore, because the modern designers have lost touch with the utilitarian roots of the wagon, and keep loading them up with useless (to me) "features", while squashing roof lines, plushing up interiors and making them into the antithesis of what they once were.

[Tickdoc]

Originally Posted by paredown

We bought a Certified Acura TSX wagon a year and a half ago--although I don't hate it, I don't love it either. Great and willing 4 cylinder motor, decent transmission, slightly overstuffed interior, and nervous (electronic) steering. Oddly, for a premium offering (and maybe because it started life as a standard European Accord) it is missing some obvious things (like hill hold).

And yes, it is not roomy, nor are the sight-lines very good. We loved our B5.5 series Passat a lot more (but not the short-lived re-do of that wagon that we tested but had lost it's mojo), and even enjoyed driving our beater Volvo more.

I keep thinking I will have to buy an older wagon to restore, because the modern designers have lost touch with the utilitarian roots of the wagon, and keep loading them up with useless (to me) "features", while squashing roof lines, plushing up interiors and making them into the antithesis of what they once were.

https://www.motortrendondemand.com/d...ne/0_s395gmt9/

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by staggerwing

Has anyone out there bellied up for one of the re-spiffed 2015 TDI's?

Was reading that the warranty for these has been extended, and is transferable, but I'm having difficulty finding exact details.

If the extended warranty program on the 2L diesels is similar to the 3L (in the Touareg, Cayenne, Q5, Q7, A6...) the warranty is 4 years/48K miles from date of fix or first resale, and it covers emission system and long block. If you have a turbo failure, or the Nav system goes south, that's not covered... But some of the expensive mechanical stuff is... Biggest concern for me on the 3L is the high pressure fuel pump...when it goes, it can send shrapnel into the fuel injection system (that would all be covered...)

If you need a larger vehicle, the Touareg, Q5 and Q7 are pretty nice options... They will *still* get 28 mpg on the highway, 30+ for the Q5. We're considering turning in our '10 Toaureg and picking up a newer Q7 (2013-2014), will end up with some cash in our pocket and a newer car with lower miles and a warranty. Or...we could keep the '10, have the fix done, warranty applied...and get a good sized check from VW.

But these are different vehicles than the sportswagons being discussed.... My '04 allroad comes closer to that category.

[paredown]

Originally Posted by Tickdoc

https://www.motortrendondemand.com/d...ne/0_s395gmt9/

Perfect. I was looking at the older 5 series--but it is hard to find one that is not beat to death.

Soon....