Subaru Forester/Toyota Auris Estate 2010 to 2015

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Sat 7 Jan 2023 14:30
Subaru Forester/Toyota Auris Estate 2010 to 2015 - Jetsam1

Hi All,

Looking to change my Honda Accord diesel soon and have a couple of options available.

Subaru Forester 2010 petrol - Straight forward petrol but not great on fuel, already have a 2007 older model and has been great over the last 4 years and running it till it dies. Proper 4WD and capable. There are only two in petrol at the sort of budget I am looking at. Quite a lot of the diesels around...............

Toyota Auris Estate - 1.33 ltr petrol with 99hp, only concern is overtaking really. Never driven a Toyota so going on reputation. Quite a few around to choose from.Looks smart and will probably be solid.

I don't care about "sportiness" and need solid and dependable. The access road is a 1KM dirt road that is getting quite interesting hence considering another Subaru. But, my office trips once a week would gravitate to being more comfortable in a more normal car. And I presume the Toyota would be cheaper to inusre/run and better on fuel.

So two very different cars and I have no idea what to go for for long term ownership. We need two cars as we both work and the Subaru is used as the offroader and bee keeping car. Cars are very expensive over here...............

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Sat 7 Jan 2023 14:32
Subaru Forester/Toyota Auris Estate 2010 to 2015 - Adampr

Where is 'over there'?

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Sat 7 Jan 2023 14:51
Subaru Forester/Toyota Auris Estate 2010 to 2015 - Xileno

A previous post says Hungary.

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Sat 7 Jan 2023 14:58
Subaru Forester/Toyota Auris Estate 2010 to 2015 - gordonbennet

Theres a Scooby indy mechanic on the Subaru forum i am a member of, he doesn't rate the later Forester models compared to your present one, which i have an XT of and can echo your praise for.

You seldom go wrong with standard petrol Toyotas, i bet there won't be a lot of performance difference between the Auris and a 2.0 litre NA Forester because no AWD transmssion to drag around, you'll probably miss the unshakeable wet handling and grip of the Forester but not the running costs, you could minimise the lack of AWD by careful tyre choice to some extent.

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Sat 7 Jan 2023 16:18
Subaru Forester/Toyota Auris Estate 2010 to 2015 - Jetsam1

Theres a Scooby indy mechanic on the Subaru forum i am a member of, he doesn't rate the later Forester models compared to your present one, which i have an XT of and can echo your praise for.

You seldom go wrong with standard petrol Toyotas, i bet there won't be a lot of performance difference between the Auris and a 2.0 litre NA Forester because no AWD transmssion to drag around, you'll probably miss the unshakeable wet handling and grip of the Forester but not the running costs, you could minimise the lack of AWD by careful tyre choice to some extent.

We run four season tyres normally as it hasn't been cold/snowy enough for dedicated winter tyres recently.

I have never felt the lack of a turbo on the 2 ltr petrol Forester and if the Auris can be close to that it should be fine. I just have no real experience of Toyotas outside of taxi rides so need to consult.

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Sat 7 Jan 2023 14:56
Subaru Forester/Toyota Auris Estate 2010 to 2015 - badbusdriver

Depending on the miles/kms covered, might a Dacia Sandero Stepway 1.5DCI be worthy of consideration?. That 1.5 Renault lump is one of the better modern diesels and the rest of the car is a fairly simple device. That doesn't necessarily mean Toyota levels of reliability, but the lack of any complexity (beyond the engine) should mean easy to fix. The extra ground clearance means that your gravel track shouldn't cause any problems (unless very steep?), and 65+mpg should be fairly easy to achieve on a steady cruise.

If you feel you do need 4x4 and don't cover huge distances, a 1.6 petrol Dacia Duster could be worth a look. Also a Suzuki SX4/Fiat Sedici (same car behind badges) or, if budget allows, the SX4 S-Cross.

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Sat 7 Jan 2023 15:28
Subaru Forester/Toyota Auris Estate 2010 to 2015 - corax

If you already own a Forester you will be used to the running costs (I owned an XT), and I would avoid the diesels, they don't have the best reputation. If they go wrong, could be very costly in labour as not much access due to engine configuration, and that's before the expense of replacement diesel parts.

Do they sell the Auris 1.2T over there? That was a good, reliable engine and no problems overtaking in one.

I'm assuming you need something with a boxy rear end for carrying bee hives.

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Sat 7 Jan 2023 16:14
Subaru Forester/Toyota Auris Estate 2010 to 2015 - Jetsam1

Good question, looks like a load of ex fleet cars have appeared so they are all identical specs and engines. Not seen anything with a 1.2 engine.

Yes the Forester we have is going nowhere! This year all the belts were changed and most of the rear suspension. Worth the money in my opinion.

There is a LPG converted 2006 Forester locally that I could conceivably buy outright looks in good nick and I have a spare set of wheels to fit for spares.

If I drop a car size from the Accord it would have to be an estate and at work there is someone who parks next to me with a Auris and it is not really that small a car. A bit of ground clearance would be nice so no sporty models are appropriate.

The Dacias I feel are a bit overpriced for what they are and eg a 2015 Vitara is actually more expensive now than when they were new!!!

In terms of power I used to have a LWB VW Transporter with the 1.9 tdi at 68hp. Drove that on the German autobahn! My wife's dad used to have an Opel Astra estate with a mighty 1.2 petrol (used offroad, for bee keeping and hammered every day until the head gasket popped). That was an interesting thing to drive.....................

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Sat 7 Jan 2023 16:29
Subaru Forester/Toyota Auris Estate 2010 to 2015 - gordonbennet

If you look at that LPG converted Forester make sure its got a flashlube system that looks like it been used constantly, without flashlube these engines will suffer with valve seat recession, which due to design is a big job to fix on Subarus.

If Morrisons finally pull the plug on LPG my 50k mile 2008 2.5 XT will be going begging, though a fair old trek from where you live, my son sold his Imprezza to a Czech fellow who got his mate to give him a lift some 1500 miles to collect it so not out of the question :-))

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Sat 7 Jan 2023 19:23
Subaru Forester/Toyota Auris Estate 2010 to 2015 - Adampr

How about a Fiat Tipo cross? Should be cheap in Hungary and cheap to fix too. Nothing very exciting but enough ground clearance and plastic bits to survive the track.

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Tue 10 Jan 2023 10:57
Subaru Forester/Toyota Auris Estate 2010 to 2015 - Jetsam1

Never heard of a Tipo Cross or seen one!

Well all the options have gone already whilst I was sorting my finances ready so will start a new thread.

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