Subaru Problems

Servicing, particularly changing oil and filters, is the key to long engine life. My thinking is that 12 months/10,000km is about right for a service interval. If you’re doing 20,000km per year you’ll be servicing it every six months anyway, but if you’re not doing a lot of kays then annual servicing it probably enough. To go to two years and 24,000km is a step too far in my view.

I agree, that’s not something you should have to live with, and being told that you should is a sign that Subaru can’t sort the problem. I would persist in talking with head office and don’t mince words when you’re talking to them.

Definitely not a Chery but a Subaru Forester would be an excellent choice with five-star safety for you, good reliability and a wagon tail for travel.

A Mazda CX-5 would be the best bet, and gets The Tick, but also look at a Subaru Forester which is more car-like and will be better around town when you're not towing.

A well-designed seat should not need extra lumbar adjustment. I've spent the past week in an Outback and found the seats excellent in their shape, support and padding.

Your inquiry couldn't have been better timed, Ray. Subaru has just announced that the Levorg is coming to Australia, with the first deliveries expected in the middle of next year. And if you can't wait that long, the company has three sports-focused limited editions between now and the end of the year.

The current car is less than halfway through its lifespan, so it's about three years until the next all-new model. But we're expecting a minor tweak later this year.

Unfortunately, to keep the warranty in force you need to service to a maker's schedule. But we agree the Subaru numbers are far too low.

I'd go for the Mazda6, which has a combination of class and comfort, and not the Falcon unless you're a sporty driver. The Liberty in that age was a bit 'off' by Subaru standards because of the Global Financial Crisis, and the 3.6 is no real improvement over the 2.5 unless you tow.

The salesman is right you really do need to run them over long distances to get the most out of them, and they can be noisy, although modern diesels are less so than old ones. You really need to do the maths on the running and servicing costs of the diesel versus the petrol to see which is best suited to your use. Diesels generally cost more to service, and they are prone to blocking of the diesel particulate filter if not used in a way that allows the automatic regeneration of the filter to happen. I would buy the petrol engine.