2.0D SE 5dr Estate

We now only need one car rather than two.

Owned this car for two and a half months and 2,800 miles. We bought the car to replace two cars we had previously - a Mk5 Golf GTI and a Mitsubishi Shogun and it does the job of both incredibly well in one package.

4x4 capability: Needed for winter conditions in the Scottish Highlands and various off-road excursions for outdoor activities. It has done everything asked of it, including coping with some quite challenging driving in mud, ice, rutted hill farm tracks and on Hebridean beaches - highly impressive.
Long distance cruising: Superb. It's quiet, smooth, comfortable and very economical (overall average of 47mpg so far and getting better).
Load carrying: Lots of room in boot and rear seats. It's a proper full-size estate car with loads of space. The dog gets her own box in the boot and there is still plenty capacity for outdoor kit and holiday stuff.
Driving: It was likely to be a tough challenge when compared to our previous Golf GTI but it comes much closer than expected. It rides very well and corners very flat. The steering is a little lighter but you soon get used to it and the grip is excellent. The 2.0d engine is strong, flexible and very petrol-like.
Around town: It's much easier than one might think. The rear parking camera helps but even without you can easily see the extremities and park with ease.
Dealership: From the outset, I was highly impressed with the dealer and I continue to be. They are/were polite and helpful, both in the sales and service depts.

We took a long time and looked at a lot of cars before we decided (A4 Allroad, Q5, BMW X3, Volvo XC60, Octavia Scout, Passat Alltrack, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Santa Fe,.....) but I'm totally convinced we got the right one.

The interior is what you might describe as 'typical Japanese' rather than the uber stylish design of, say, Audi. However it's very well put together and for us at least, it's no bad thing to have a simple cabin that can be cleaned quickly. It's still a very nice place to be. Also, remember an equivalently equipped Audi Q5 or A4 Allroad would have been £5-7k more and would have less space.

One final thing I must stress is the engineering integrity you get with a Subaru. Most of the other cars we considered had some kind of 4wd but remember that all 4wd systems are NOT the same ! The Symmetrical 4wd of Subaru means immediate grip from standstill in slippery conditions and a very stable drive on wet or slushy roads.
Look up 'Subarural' on YouTube to see what it can do.

Can't recommend it highly enough.

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