Subaru vs Midsize Truck for mountain roads

[elkhunter505]

Yes, tow your atv behind your Subaru

I mean it probably would work with the turbo engine

 

[Fireflyfishing]

I was in this dilemma about a year back. I test drove and really liked the Wilderness Outback. I ended up finding a really nice 22 Tacoma with low miles and a 6 speed and bought that instead. Either would be fine for the Missoula area, but I would caution you on the 4th gen Tacomas for reliability. Definitely the 2024s. That’s why I ended up with a 2022.

Honestly, 98% of the roads I’ve encountered in and around the Missoula area are doable with a Wilderness Outback. The rougher roads are all gated come hunting season anyway. As others have mentioned, ground clearance is the main limitation…I would’t be concerned with crazy Moab rocks…it would be snow come late hunting season. Also, snow on north facing slopes in the high country come spring.

Tacomas get shit gas mileage for what they are IMO…

Tacomas are cool and handy…up to a point. As others have stated you will need a full sized truck to do “real” truck tasks. My situation is a bit different than yours though. I have an F350 diesel I use for towing and “real” truck use in addition to my Tacoma.

Toyotas and Subarus go for a premium in the Missoula area. I would look to buy one out of state…like Spokane, for a better overall deal.

 

[elkhunter505]

I was in this dilemma about a year back. I test drove and really liked the Wilderness Outback. I ended up finding a really nice 22 Tacoma with low miles and a 6 speed and bought that instead. Either would be fine for the Missoula area, but I would caution you on the 4th gen Tacomas for reliability. Definitely the 2024s. That’s why I ended up with a 2022.

Honestly, 98% of the roads I’ve encountered in and around the Missoula area are doable with a Wilderness Outback. The rougher roads are all gated come hunting season anyway. As others have mentioned, ground clearance is the main limitation…I would’t be concerned with crazy Moab rocks…it would be snow come late hunting season. Also, snow on north facing slopes in the high country come spring.

Tacomas get shit gas mileage for what they are IMO…

Tacomas are cool and handy…up to a point. As others have stated you will need a full sized truck to do “real” truck tasks. My situation is a bit different than yours though. I have an F350 diesel I use for towing and “real” truck use in addition to my Tacoma.

Toyotas and Subarus go for a premium in the Missoula area. I would look to buy one out of state…like Spokane, for a better overall deal.

Yeah for sure. I will be going home for Christmas and am debating driving back to NM so I could trade the truck in there for something that is going to be cheaper and have 0 rust at all. I don’t have any reason to do “real” truck stuff at this point. I do enjoy being able to pick up furniture on Facebook from time to time but the amount of money I would save on gas is pretty crazy when I look at how many trips I take out to Bozeman and back. I’m in the analysis paralysis phase right now with this as I have been driving a truck whether it be midsize or full size since 2014 so it would be a reasonably big change.

 

[Fred@Exterra]

We’ve had ten Subarus and eleven Toyotas (four drivers… teenage boys). We live in N Idaho and have crappy roads.

The Subarus are fantastic to slick & snow covered roads. I definitely prefer them over the Toyota 4WD system. The Toyota AWD is pretty good, but Subaru is better.

The Subarus do fine on dirt & rocky roads as far as traction. You’ll definitely bottom out more, but they don’t seem to get high centered… probably because of the asymmetric AWD… whatever that is.

The main downside is the suspension & drivetrain is not very heavily built. Great for pavement & fuel economy, but a steady diet seems to beat them loose. Seems like I had a lot of struts and drivetrain bills from Les Schwab. But I also had teenage rally drivers with girlfriends that lived on washboard roads.

I’ve done almost nothing to my Toyotas… maybe one clutch & a water pump in 30 years.

That being said, if I was back in graduate school (shudder) and I didn’t need a truck bed for hauling wood & dead coyotes like I did in graduate school, I would absolutely hunt out of a Subaru. A $7500 Forester will go 275,000 miles & get 30 mpg.


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[Fireflyfishing]

Yeah for sure. I will be going home for Christmas and am debating driving back to NM so I could trade the truck in there for something that is going to be cheaper and have 0 rust at all. I don’t have any reason to do “real” truck stuff at this point. I do enjoy being able to pick up furniture on Facebook from time to time but the amount of money I would save on gas is pretty crazy when I look at how many trips I take out to Bozeman and back. I’m in the analysis paralysis phase right now with this as I have been driving a truck whether it be midsize or full size since 2014 so it would be a reasonably big change.

What’s your budget?

Since you’ve been a truck guy, it would be hard to be without a truck IMO. I started driving my first PU at 16 and have had a PU since. I’m 46 now. Cars have come and gone for me, but I’ve always had a PU truck. When I’ve gone to one vehicle in the past, I always kept my truck. But that’s me…and that has always worked for me.

Do you intend on putting a camper shell on a truck, if that’s your final decision? At that point, I think it’s a wash as far as utility as there’s lots of inclosed room in an Outback. Yes, you can take a shell off, but it’s never as convenient as it seems. For some, it’s not really an option depending on their living situation.

 

[elkhunter505]

What’s your budget?

Since you’ve been a truck guy, it would be hard to be without a truck IMO. I started driving my first PU at 16 and have had a PU since. I’m 46 now. Cars have come and gone for me, but I’ve always had a PU truck. When I’ve gone to one vehicle in the past, I always kept my truck. But that’s me…and that has always worked for me.

Do you intend on putting a camper shell on a truck, if that’s your final decision? At that point, I think it’s a wash as far as utility as there’s lots of inclosed room in an Outback. Yes, you can take a shell off, but it’s never as convenient as it seems. For some, it’s not really an option depending on their living situation.

Right now my payments are about $380 ish a month which does suck but my lack of student loans has me able to afford it solidly. The insurance and gas on the f150 are expensive but I can comfortably afford that. So right now I think I’m looking at max 25Kish. I’m trolling Facebook looking for older tacomas from time to time as well and there’s one in NM that piqued my interest, 2002 and immaculate but 305K on the engine. Having a lower payment would definitely be preferred if I could get that and more reliability/maneuverability. In particular I’ve become more interested in the older ones as I feel confident in my mechanical ability up until I’m dealing with engine internals or transmissions. I’ve done quite a bit of front end work on my other trucks in the past and YouTube university is solid.

Also if I ended up getting a Tacoma, I would 100% be looking for a shell immediately. My f150 has a shell that I found on Facebook and I do like having the bed be relatively weatherproof.

 

[txtransplant]

@Terrapin symetrical AWD means that 50% of the toque is delivered to each axle. Most AWD systems are not 50/50, so while those do drive both axles, you’re not getting as much torque to the front tires. Subaru symmetrical AWD is way better than other brands’ AWD as a result.

Totally agree with everything you said - Subaru built for pavement, but with good off-road creds, not as good ground clearance. Tacoma built for off road, not going to be as well behaved on icy or snowy pavement.

Edit to add an example: modern hybrid AWD Toyota vehicles will display how much torque each axle is getting, and you’d be surprised - most of the time it’s only driving one axle to begin with. The second axle is driven if you accelerate harder or if the tires are slipping, and I assume it helps with gas mileage to drive only one axle, but nonetheless most of the actual time you’re using the accelerator only one axle is pushing the vehicle.

 

[Fireflyfishing]

2002 and immaculate but 305K on the engine.

This would be a hard no for me. I don’t care how “durable” Toyotas are, this is a crap ton of miles.

 

[elkhunter505]

This would be a hard no for me. I don’t care how “durable” Toyotas are, this is a crap ton of miles.

Yeah found another one too with way less but not as fancy which would be fine. Only reason being I have a friend who’s about to crest 375K on her 4Runner with all the coolant and oil leaks in the world and no desire to fix it. Sounds like it would be a head gasket. Thing is about to rust through the whole frame and just keeps on ticking.

 

[270quest]

Combine the two and buy a 4runner....

 

[ABCWest]

I mean it probably would work with the turbo engine

I have a buddy who does just that with his Crosstrek wilderness. Pulls a trailer with a quad and enough room for other stuff too. We took a moose with that exact setup in September.

 

[elkhunter505]

Combine the two and buy a 4runner....

If I’m gonna get Tacoma level gas mileage, I definitely want the truck bed.

 

[Scoutfan]

Two of us just took an outback wilderness to Colorado pulling a 12 foot trailer. Other than loosing some fuel mileage we could barely tell the trailer was there. If you plan on lifting and adding bigger tires I would definitely want the wilderness. It comes with a turbo and it's the only one with lower gears. Overall it did great on everything we put it through. X mode and AWD worked great. I would have no issues doing another elk hunt out of one. That said I still prefer a full size 4wd truck with a camper shell for hunting out of.

 

[nphunter]

I would say buy used and buy a couple of vehicles or a vehicle and ATV. A tacoma will not get as good of fuel mileage as your F150 does, it also doesn't have the bed space. If you're concerned about fuel buy a cheap car or small SUV like a RAV4 and use it for 90% of hunting and get an ATV or beater for the rest.

Many places I hunt you could not get to in a subaru without destroying it, I've considered one for an all around vehicle but the more I think about it the less I want one. I'm currently driving a 05 tundra, I love the truck for an all around vehicle but the fuel mileage sucks, 13-15mpg, my 2017 F150 I drive for work gets 21-22mpg. I'm really tempted to just buy a small SUV or car for out of state hunting or hunts near the road and then use a pickup closer to home.

 

[ProStaffSteve]

I have a Subaru outback 2019, I love it. People will crack jokes, which can be fun, what others are saying, it does about 95% of what trucks do.

Bonus, it’s better for setting up camp in the back. I don’t have a hitch on it which isn’t great but I can’t sink money into a four wheeler at the moment anyways.

Lack of clearance gets me on boulders & unmaintained two tracks, but I racked probably 60 miles of well worn two tracks in MT this fall & never once bottomed out, I backed off of two roads that were two rich for my blood but I think would have been fine.

Gas mileage is impeccable, only issue has been windshields cracking, and oil seems to disappear on 12+ hour drives… still don’t get that but I’ve had a jeep for years that would do that on 2 hour drives so it’s no big deal for me.

 

[taskswap]

Most of the folks in this thread trashing Subarus have never owned one, and therefore have no idea what they’re talking about.

Subaru symmetrical AWD is extremely capable in terms of traction. Your tradeoffs are going to be less ground clearance and less clearance for chains, if you ever need them.

This. I drive a RAM with a winch, expensive hybrid tires, and chains, but I would happily hop into a Forester any day if I didn't have other "truck things" that I do with my RAM (like I'm actually building a house on an off-grid homestead). Over the years, my wife or I have owned an Impreza RS, a WRX, an Outback, an Ascent, a Legacy, and a Forester (hey, I'm 50) and every one of them was better in snow than literally any other car I've ever driven, and the Legacy didn't even have AWD - it was a very early model that still only had 4WD. It's literally the "skier's" car here in Colorado. Joke all you want about having to be gay to own one but it's a very capable platform. Personally I think an Outback or Forester would make a great hunting rig depending on your hunting style. An Outback has a ton in common with your grandad's woodie-wagon in terms of space, great fuel economy, a good price point, good resale value, etc.

You'll almost never see a winch on a Subie, and when you do, take a look. It'll never have been used.

 

[elkhunter505]

Thanks to everybody for the feedback! I am still in the debate stage given I have 5000 miles left on the warranty for my current truck. I think I may be willing to pay the Tacoma tax at this point after having test driven one, but they’re just so hard to find. Had a good one picked out but I was a day too late. Still debating the Subaru but I am leaning towards a Tacoma. Also looking at newer frontiers but not certain if I’d be willing to try it out.

 

[Chris in TN]

Tagged.

I put some AT tires on our old but well-serviced 2012 V6 AWD Kia Sorento and drove it (and my daughter) to CO this fall. We bounced around USFS roads for 10(?) days with half of those in the rain. Didn't kill an elk but the car certainly wasn't a limiting factor. Hauled all of our gear, with enough room to keep it organized even when the various parts we needed changed from day to day.

After season we packed it back up, drove to town, went through a car wash, then drove it back home. Maybe a 3000 mile trip by the time we got home. No problems.

ETA: the Kia had plenty of interior room to haul *one* deboned elk back home. Two would have been very difficult if not impossible.

 

[txtransplant]

I think I may be willing to pay the Tacoma tax at this point after having test driven one, but they’re just so hard to find. Had a good one picked out but I was a day too late. Still debating the Subaru but I am leaning towards a Tacoma. Also looking at newer frontiers but not certain if I’d be willing to try it out.

I’d also look at Chevy Colorado if you want to avoid the Taco Tax. The off road trims are very capable. Maybe less reliable / more maintenance than Toyota? Worth a look though.

I will say - having hunted out of only SUVs, I would LOVE a truck bed. I’d DQ Subarus for that reason alone.

Edit to add: unless you’re going to tow a SxS, in which case I’d put 4Runner back on the board (a modern one that can tow). But I don’t think that’s where you’re headed with this.

 

[elkhunter505]

I’d also look at Chevy Colorado if you want to avoid the Taco Tax. The off road trims are very capable. Maybe less reliable / more maintenance than Toyota? Worth a look though.

I will say - having hunted out of only SUVs, I would LOVE a truck bed. I’d DQ Subarus for that reason alone.

Edit to add: unless you’re going to tow a SxS, in which case I’d put 4Runner back on the board (a modern one that can tow). But I don’t think that’s where you’re headed with this.

Makes sense to me. I have put the 4Runner back on the list after finding a few nice old ones on Facebook marketplace that would save me a ton on payments, but it feels like playing Russian roulette. I’ve also considered Colorados but I’m looking for a 6 foot bed and haven’t seen many of them in my area. I’ve been pretty attached to having a 6 ft right now because if I’m gonna spend that level of money, I want to get exactly what I want that could last for 10 years at least. I’ve also started entertaining Tacomas with 200K miles since they are a decent amount cheaper, especially the older 1997-2004 models but it does feel like I would be living dangerously.