Subaru Problems

Small all-wheel drive hatchbacks are rare in Australia, as only a comparatively tiny number of people live in the sort of environments that require the added traction and surety that AWD provides.

Also, most Australian consumers seeking AWD tend to go for smaller SUVs, since they are easier to get in and out of, offer a higher seating position and generally enjoy better resale values. On the flipside, SUVs cost more to buy and run, are not as stable at increased speeds due to their higher centre of gravity and are larger to manoeuvre in tighter parking spots than a small hatchback.

The Subaru Impreza remains the least expensive small AWD hatchback you can buy new, as well as the sole mainstream-branded model starting at under $30,000.

However, while the latest-generation Impreza launched in 2016 it's a huge improvement over previous iterations (with service intervals finally extended  to 12 months/12,500km), there are a few more compelling alternatives in small crossovers – that is, the in-between segment between small cars and SUVs; they boast a few extra centimetres of ground clearance without the bulk. Note only a few crossovers offer AWD as an option.

A recent stint in the new Impreza-derived XV 2.0L Hybrid revealed it to be a powerful and economical crossover with excellent handling and road-holding capabilities. The same applies to the Mazda3-based CX-30 AWD, the Toyota C-HR 1.2L-turbo AWD and Volkswagen T-Roc 140TSI 4Motion - though none are as frugal as the Subaru.

If you're not sold on the idea of an crossover AWD and prefer a small AWD hatchback, then your only other option is to stretch to premium European hatchbacks like the Mercedes-Benz A250 4Matic, BMW M135i xDrive, Audi A3 quattro and Volkswagen Golf R. But all generally cost upwards of $60,000 drive-away - and that's before some of the more desirable options fitted.

Finally, unless you are travelling hundreds of kilometres ever week, there is probably no benefit choosing diesel over petrol, as the former fuel is dirtier for the environment and not as quiet and refined as the latter. Additionally, diesels are falling out of favour with buyers due to their harmful emissions, and most companies are switching to petrol/electric hybrids as a solution. Again, this means the Subaru XV Hybrid AWD.

A long response we know, Jan, but we hope this helps.

You’ve layed out some challenging requirements here. You’d like a small SUV with a bit of ride comfort and clearly a bit of performance too, given your question about the i30 N.
I think you’ll find the ride harsh on the i30 N, especially since you found the ride on the Kona harsh already. Keep in mind the i30 N is a hot hatch and has the suspension to match.
I find the Subaru XV has very nice ride comfort for the small SUV segment, but I also feel that you will be disappointed with the performance from its 2.0-litre engine. You may also want to consider the new Hybrid Toyota C-HR. The Hybrid drive gives it a smidge of extra kick and it’s a fuel consumption hero, too.
For a better blend of performance and ride, really only the Volkswagen T-Roc and Skoda Karoq are going to excel in the small SUV crowd. In terms of ownership both now have five year warranties, and you can (and should) pre-package five years of servicing on top at a discount.

Thanks for getting in touch with us. Our first thought was for you to consider a Mazda 6 wagon from Japan, since it is one of the few new wagons left on offer within your price range, is economical and reliable, a pleasure to drive and low enough (at 1480mm) for your garage situation. But it doesn't quite meet all your requirements in that it hasn't much ground clearance (at just 125mm) and back-seat legroom isn't great. It's worth remembering that the 6 wagon is 80mm shorter in wheelbase - the distance between the front and rear wheels - than the corresponding sedan version. It's a bit tight in there.

Alternatively, you might want to consider the just-discontinued Holden ZB Commodore wagon or Ford Mondeo wagon, as both offer substantially more rear-seat legroom than the Mazda 6 wagon, as well as the choice of a turbo-petrol or turbo-diesel engines. These are European-sourced models (Germany and Spain respectively), with big boots and towing-friendly torquey engines. However, again, low ground clearances might be an issue here as well.

So, our advice is to measure your garage roof and see if either of the medium SUVs listed below can fit, because if they do, then these would be the absolutely ideal vehicles for your need.

The better of the two, for its overall quiet refinement, all-weather all-wheel-drive grip and excellent all-round vision is the Subaru Forester from Japan. It ticks all your boxes in terms of needs and suitability, while providing heaps of ground clearance at 220mm. Plus it offers excellent standard safety kit, economy, reliability and resale, as well as decent performance. Just know that it stands 1730mm tall. If that fits, then find yourself a demo at $35,000 and enjoy one of the best family-car buys at any price available today.

Then there our second favourite, the wildly-popular Toyota RAV4, also from Japan. Much of what we said about the Forester applies here too, except it is front-wheel drive rather than AWD at your price point. There is a RAV AWD but it is a hybrid AWD system that takes the price into the mid-$40,000 region, so that's out of contention. The base RAV4 2WD also has a smaller engine (at 2.0-litres) than the Subaru, but it is equally response and agile. Where the RAV4 eclipses the Forester from your perspective is height – it is shorter at 1685mm high, while still allowing 195mm ground clearance.

Both Japanese SUVs are huge inside, with loads of space to boot. If their height doesn't end up being a problem, then know that either will provide many years of faultless, reliable, economical and enjoyable service. Good luck, we hope this helps. 

We'd recommend the Nissan T32 X-Trail Series II from mid-2017-onwards and Subaru S4 Forester (2013-2018), since they both make strong secondhand buys due to their reliability, economy, ease of operation, spacious interiors, practicality and strong resale values.

The reason why we'd buy the 2017-onwards X-Trail Series II is because it standardises Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB). With the Forester, you'll need to skip the lower grades 2.0i-L (manual-only) and 2.5i-L (auto only) for the S and XT for that important safety technology Subaru calls 'EyeSight'. 

The X-Trail comes in front-wheel drive (2WD) or all-wheel drive (AWD) configurations, but the Forester is AWD-only. All automatics are of the continuous variable transmission (CVT) variety, which priorities fuel economy but can make the engine drone under hard acceleration. Subaru calls its CVT Lineartronic while Nissan dubs its version X-Tronic.

Our recommendation is to check the service and maintenance history of any car you buy, to ensure every interval has been met and carried out by a proper dealer or brand specialist. This is especially important with the Forester, as it is a slightly more complicated vehicle mechanically. Note that all Subarus of this generation require six-monthly service intervals, not 12-monthly ones like the Nissan, which might be an inconvenience. 

We'd steer clear of ex-rentals as they tend to have a very hard life (both models were popular with such agencies), though they're almost always the base X-Trail ST and Forester 2.5i-L grades that end up as rental fodder.

If you're thinking about diesel engined versions, the X-Trail in middle-range TL and up-spec TS guises switched from the earlier (2014-2017) Series 1's 1.6-litre turbo-diesel to a much more powerful and effective 2.0-litre unit, so that's worth remembering. In the Forester the 2.0D equates to the mid-level petrol models in terms of equipment levels.

Finally, we recommend a mechanical check-up to see that your potential used-buy has not been subjected to punishing off-road treatment. While both the Forester and X-Trail offer good ground clearances, they're not for off-road use, only light gravel, snow or trail driving.

We hope this helps. Good luck. 

Without being able to scan the car from here, this sounds like a classic case of a body computer that is suffering a slow death. This computer is the one that links all the car’s major functions, including those ones you’ve listed as being on the blink. Random failures of these systems all at once point to the computer itself rather than the systems themselves.

Hooking the car up to a scanner at a workshop will tell you a lot more about what’s going on as the mechanic should be able to read the fault codes and make a diagnosis from there. The alternative cause is a poor earth somewhere in the car or a dodgy battery that is playing hell with the computer’s power source. Modern cars will not tolerate a poor power supply or earthing problems.

Surprisingly, your car would probably run on E85, but it wouldn’t run properly. E85 is 85 per cent ethanol (and 15 per cent petrol) which has a lower energy content than straight petrol. As a result, a car running on E85 will need to use up to 30 per cent more fuel by volume to work properly. As your car is not tuned for this, it would probably run but would be down on power and may not idle or accelerate smoothly.

The bigger issue is that the high ethanol content fuel can be corrosive to fuel system parts (pumps and lines) not designed for it. While many Subaru models are, in fact, compatible with and suitable for E10 fuel (10 per cent ethanol and 90 per cent petrol) E10 has an octane rating of 94 while your car requires a minimum of 95-octane fuel. So even E10 would be a no-no.

With all that in mind, I think the best advice would be to drain the tank of the E85 as soon as possible. Refill it with 98-octane petrol and go for a drive to purge any residual E85 form the lines. Your workshop may even suggest a new fuel filter. If they don’t, ask about it yourself. The good news is that it’s very unlikely you’ve done any damage beyond the dent you’ve just put in your wallet.

While the Mitsubishi Outlander is spacious, reliable and easy to drive, our experience testing it against rival medium SUVs have found it to be noisy and a little too firm riding to be truly comfortable and relaxing. At your price point, there are better alternatives out there. 

Have you considered a Mazda CX-5? In petrol or diesel, we have found it to be a superior and more economical proposition, and is definitely quieter and more refined. Plus, the Mazda's all-wheel-drive system is more sophisticated and better at dealing with loose surfaces like sand.

A late-model (post 2014) S5-series Subaru Forester 2.5i petrol is far more economical than the earlier iterations, since it switched to a more efficient CVT continuously variable transmission. And there's also the 2.0D turbo-diesel which is economical. This, too, is a fine SUV on-road or for light off-road driving.

Finally, the Nissan X-Trail diesel is a roomy and capable choice, especially from 2017, when it received a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel to replace the older 1.6L unit.

It certainly would have had a service schedule book in the glove-box when it was delivered new, Denis. These books are important pieces of a car’s history as they show (or don’t show) that the car has been serviced correctly throughout its life. It’s one of the first things switched-on buyers look for in a second-hand car.

Unfortunately, because it’s a paper book and not a plastic or metal piece of the car, these books tend to go missing pretty often. Usually it’s just a simple case of somebody cleaning out the glove-box and throwing the book away or – more commonly – storing it somewhere safe where it will never be found again. If you want to take the more cynical view, `losing’ the service log-book is a great way of getting rid of evidence of shoddy servicing over the years.

You can approach a Subaru dealer to see if you can get a new log book, but even then it won’t show the car’s service history, only what’s been done since you obtained the new book. Even then, I’d grab a normal softcover exercise book that fits in the glove-box and use that to record each service or repair as time goes by. That will certainly be better than nothing to the person who eventually buys the car from you.

It sounds like you don't really need a big, heavy and expensive 4WD for the type of vehicle you require. Maybe ample ground clearance would be an advantage, but otherwise, as all the driving is on sealed or some dirt roads, a good front-drive (2WD) medium-sized SUV should suffice. This type of vehicle is typically more stable at speed as there isn't a high centre of gravity to contend with - a big safety plus. And while all-wheel-drive might be useful driving out of ruts, on sand or in snow, if none of the these apply, the 2WD's stability and traction control system ought to be enough. 

As a result, we recommend the latest-model (from May 2019-onwards) Toyota RAV4 GX or GXL. It is an exceptionally practical, roomy and robust SUV, with a high level of standard safety features, and big comfy seating. Its 2.0-litre engine is strong, smooth and economical. And you won't have a problem finding somewhere for it to be serviced.

If AWD is deemed essential, then the base Subaru Forester 2.5i is another great choice. Lots of ground clearance, a gutsy 2.5L engine and a soft, relaxing ride. Nowadays Subaru has increased its service intervals from six to 12 months, taking away one of the hassles of running these well-engineered Japanese SUVs.

Finally, the Mazda CX-5 AWD is recommended as well, for it too has a well-sorted AWD system. This is quite a sporty number, with plenty of higher-speed power for effortless overtaking, as well as responsive handling. 

All three SUVs mentioned retail at well under $40,000, and all are enjoyable, capable and reliable choices.

A car with a little extra ground clearance is great for camping as it often allows you to get a little farther away from the masses in their caravans who tend to huddle around the shower block at bush campsites.

The Subaru Outback is a good, solid choice and if you can find an independent workshop to service it, you’ll avoid the cost of dealership prices. And you’re right, the all-wheel-drive would be great for gravel roads. Another vehicle to look at would be a late-model Ford territory diesel which is big and clever inside and has the option of all-wheel-drive. The diesel engine is a plus on the bush where that fuel is more readily available (in really remote areas) and gives you more range for big holidays in the mulga.

Don’t rule out things like the Mitsubishi Pajero, either, which won’t be as around-town friendly, but is a proven quantity and is absolutely tremendous off-road. The same goes for a Toyota Prado or Nissan Pathfinder prior to the current model (which is a bit less hard-core adventure).