vinnyvincent

Now that you mention it that's a great feature. In my 2007 honda fit, I could fit a full size bike on it's side in the back with the seats folded down. Pretty awesome for such a little car. 33mpg in the city too and that was back when it was a 5 spd automatic.

I love trucks, but my commute is too long for owning one to be practical.

rekmeyata

hold on, I seriously doubt that a DCT in a Ferrari is the same as in a Fiesta! I'm sure the Fiesta unit is a cheap inferior version of the Ferrari version and thus may not hold up as well even in a Fiesta. This like trying to tell people that the Fiesta will keep up with a Ferrari in performance...highly doubtful of course, and so it is highly doubtful that the Fiesta DCT is equal in durability to a Ferrari DCT. Not all DCT's are created equal.

StanSeven

I would just buy what you enjoy. If someone is concerned about fuel economy and avoids the vehicle they really want within reason, that's a shame. Assuming you drive 10,000 annually the difference in fuel consumed between a 20 mpg vehicle and one getting 30 mpg is 167 gallons.

vinnyvincent

Not only that but people buy a ferrari for a much different reason than they buy a fiesta. What's good in a ferrari might not be good for someone trying to save money on cost of ownership.

vinnyvincent

So if you drive the car for 100,000 miles, that's a 1,670 gallon difference. At 3 dollar a gallon(which it will surpass that again, make no mistake) that's 5 grand. That's a 25% cost difference with a 20,000 dollar car and an 50% difference with a 10,000 dollar car.

Chandne

Is the Crosstrek based on the Impreza frame? It must be. Anyway, it seems to be holding up well and has a solid AWD system. The space between fenders and tires is good. It helps mud/snow not jam everything up and clear out easily. While it will not be as composed or quiet as a Forester or Outback, it looks good. My buddy drove several and liked them but opted for the Outback (his second one) due to the space. He is a photographer and sleeps in his vehicle a lot. I was not a big fan of Subarus till I owned one. That 2006 Forester was bulletproof and took me practically everywhere. The Crosstrek will be similar and should be reliable. If I had to buy one, I'd likely buy the Forester again but that is the absolute smallest vehicle I can handle. Heck, they even start around $21,000 new.

Tycho Brahe 

As stated before, I am in the same situation like you. Looking to buy a car, and ease of bike transport is one of the features I am looking for, so a hatchback is a must.

I looked at the Crosstrek, and it had the same problem most crossovers have: they give very few benefits over their normal hatchback counterparts. The Crosstrek is basically the same car as the Impreza. Same engine, wheelbase, interiors, etc.. The only difference is the the Crosstrek is higher off the ground. Are those 2-3" worth $2-3K more for the same car? The Crosstrek looks bigger, but it is not.

Looking at the specs between the two at Compare Cars Side-by-Side. Make sure to compare specific styles for additional metrics. The Impreza actually has more Luggage volume than the Crosstrek. That said, the Crosstrek is a nice looking car.

I am not getting a Subaru because I have no need for an AWD here in Southern California. Also, the Impreza is underpowered for cars in its class. I wish I could find a similar car with the same reliability as Subaru, just without the AWD. Too bad there is a bias against hatchbacks and especially wagons here in the US.

Direct link to the comparision: https://www.cars.com/go/compare/trimC...,USC60SUS091A0

Aceldama

You might want to consider a Mazda 3 hatch if you haven't already.

gsa103

Actually, a Prius with the seats folded can take a full road bike, wheels attached. And is definitely the winner if mpg is a primary concern.

gsa103

Most new cars are in the $20-40k range. If you're talking about used, reliability and repair cost can quickly trump savings over fuel economy.

The real question is the assumption about 10k mi/year. The US average is ~15kmi/yr and there are people who easily exceed 25k/yr. If you're in the <10k mi/yr category, and care about fuel economy you should be considering a plug-in car, which would primarily use electricity.

Tycho Brahe 

It is one of my top choices right now. Mazda is another example of the Crossover madness: the CX3 actually has less room than the Mazda3. It looks bigger, but it is not. Mazda also makes a wagon, just not for the US. Don't need an SUV, but a wagon would be perfect.

mpath

No. This is

vinnyvincent

I disagree with both points here.
If you're buying a used car and reliability is a concern, that would be a great reason NOT to get a dual clutch, or even an automatic of any kind.

And with a plug in car the same goes for it as the dual clutch. To offset the additional higher purchase price, you'd have to drive the car for over 100,000 miles to realize any savings. With an electric car you'd be looking at replacing the battery at that point(over 10,000 dollars)
Maybe one day soon when the purchase price is comparable, but right now it's too much higher to realistically say you are saving any money.

rekmeyata

Subaru Impreza seats fold down too as do most modern sedans.

rekmeyata

I would put big money on a race in 4 inches of deep soft snow that any Subaru will beat that Porsche hands down, I would bet the same on ice.

merlinextraligh

No doubt. But the point is there are significant advantages to DCT's that make the performance choice for both track times in the case of the Ferrari, and fuel efficiency I the case of fiesta's and VWs

merlinextraligh

Sure with summer tires. But several things you might want to consider before you put money on it. 1) that is a 4S, I.e all wheel drive (2), the design of a 911 is good for the snow, with lots of weight over the driven wheels, 3) 911's have won a number of off road rally's, including Dakar twice, 4) Porsch does winter driving schools in the Artic circle, teaching performance driving in 911's on snow and ice.

Let me put winter tires on a 4s, and you in a Forester, and I'll race you for pink slips.

merlinextraligh

The problem was they sold it to people wanting an automatic, expecting it to feel like the torque converter slush box they're used to. They didn't sell it as what it a computer actuated clutch transmission, which feels different than a traditional automatic.

The fix was taking care of some glitches, mostly improving the shift algorithm , and explains to customers what they were getting.

The irony here is that people like who like manuals are likely to be much more happy with a DCT, than the people who bought it because they don't like manuals and want an automatic.

jtaylor996

As someone who owns a 911 AND a forester XT... all I can say is that this thread is soooo far off the rails its pointless.

Which one to I take when I need to haul the bike? Duh, the forester...

****!

StanSeven

You're using a ten year ownership of a car which is on the high side. Think in terms of $500 annually. People can save that much switching to another wireless carrier. But it's what your personal philosophy is about cars. If you want the best economy and an econobox to drive, that's fine. I personally value performance including handling and acceleration and am willing to pay more for that. If I had $10,000 or $20,000 as much limit, the car would be an older performance model.

TimothyH

Too much to keep up with so I'll pick a few. Really appreciate the banter, even if it does go off the rails at times.


Thanks for the feedback. Yeah, I read that they are built on the Impreza chassis. It is actually just an Impreza lifted 3" with different fenders. Reviews say that the 2.0l engine is underpowered. That is a concern but my Focus had a 2.0l and it was pretty peppy. 5 speed probably had something to do with that. I tend to like smaller cars and may drive it Monday. Snow isn't really a problem where I live.



Typically only one bike. Inside would be preferred. I do have a Thule Criterium rack for the roof however and am not opposed using it. Theft is not a concern for me because I only take the bike to and from the ride. Also would like to use it as any average suburban homeowner would - bags of mulch from the garden center, run stuff back and forth to my daughter's dorm, etc.




I'm the OP. Pickup truck and Transit van are out of the question. I have a beater truck and don't need a van that big. Putting a single bike inside standing up is not necessary. I've been thinking about an Element though and have yet to do any research on it.

joeyduck

I was just at the Vancouver auto show and I have to be honest I don't like the crosstrek in person. I also overheard people saying it was underpowered too.

The forester was the only one I would go for I think. I didn't look to in depth since I was using my wheelchair with my 9 month old in the front and the five year old running about ready to pop his pants.

My son only said once that he loves a car and it was the $120,000 Maserati Quattroporte.

rekmeyata

Sure there would be better track times because the shift happens a lot faster than a person working a manual, and to some degree the economy would be only slightly better than a standard auto due to the lack of a torque converter and internal hydraulic pump, but what's weird about autos is that the CVT trans IS MORE efficient by about 10% in fuel savings than either the DCT or a manual! So why aren't the auto manufactures rushing head on into that type instead of a DCT. A CVT holds the engine at the right RPM be for performance or for economy, problem is they haven't built a CVT yet that can handle a lot of power thus for now that trans is out of the question for use in high performance cars, but they work fine in Fiestas and VW's because they're not performance cars and all they care about is fuel economy.

bgrider

I recently picked up a 1996 Cherokee that is an "extra" vehicle. I'm thinking that it will be outfitted as my bike hauler. Probably get a roof mount for a couple of bikes so I don't have to mess with folding seats down in the back. I have not checked yet, but I'm pretty sure my bike will fit in the back wheels and all if the seats are down though.

rekmeyata

I would think it would be more work to put the seats down and back up afterwards then it would be just to remove the front wheel and reinstall it...but that's just me.