Subaru owners, please pitch in...

[roguerower]

I've brought it up in other posts but I'm looking for a lint truck to replace my civic system that when I move this summer I have some way of pulling a trailer vs. having to rent a U-Haul truck and a car Dolly.

The list was Tacoma, frontier, or a ranger but one off the brands that I missed was Subaru, specifically the outback or Baja. I like the practicality of the Baja and the physicai appearance of it is enough to intrigue me. looking at the specs I am reading that it can tow up to 2500# which is more than enough for a 5x8 U-Haul trailer full of my junk. I would assume that the outback can handle a similar load.

So, are the two I mentioned capable of towing that size load consistently and are they good cars for a single Guy wagon needs a vehicle capable of carrying more than what a typical sedan can bit really doesn't need a truck unless that's the only solution?

 

[Jumpem]

I've owned three Subarus (including the new Outback), but have never towed anything with them.

The new Outback is rated at 2700-3000 pound towing capacity.

 

[ShawnD1]

Given there's a 99% chance you're dealing with an automatic transmission, those tow ratings are more of a general guideline. Pulling 2500lbs while driving like a <ethnic stereotype> that drives 20 below the speed limit and takes several minutes to accelerate to that speed will work great every time; rock solid reliability. If you drive like a normal person and hammer it foot the floor from 0-70mph while pulling 2500lbs, the transmission will toyotally fail in a very short time.

If you have a manual, you can do anything you want. It'll be hard on the clutch when starting from a dead stop but everything after that is smooth sailing. Rock solid reliability with no transmission melting.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Given there's a 99% chance you're dealing with an automatic transmission, those tow ratings are more of a general guideline. Pulling 2500lbs while driving like a <ethnic stereotype> that drives 20 below the speed limit and takes several minutes to accelerate to that speed will work great every time; rock solid reliability. If you drive like a normal person and hammer it foot the floor from 0-70mph while pulling 2500lbs, the transmission will toyotally fail in a very short time.

If you have a manual, you can do anything you want. It'll be hard on the clutch when starting from a dead stop but everything after that is smooth sailing. Rock solid reliability with no transmission melting.

Stop posting. You have no friggin clue how to drive and destroyed your transmission by driving like an idiot.

OP - 2500lbs isn't alot. You need to add the weight of the trailer to the weight max also.

 

[Jumpem]

Given there's a 99% chance you're dealing with an automatic transmission, those tow ratings are more of a general guideline. Pulling 2500lbs while driving like a <ethnic stereotype> that drives 20 below the speed limit and takes several minutes to accelerate to that speed will work great every time; rock solid reliability. If you drive like a normal person and hammer it foot the floor from 0-70mph while pulling 2500lbs, the transmission will toyotally fail in a very short time.

If you have a manual, you can do anything you want. It'll be hard on the clutch when starting from a dead stop but everything after that is smooth sailing. Rock solid reliability with no transmission melting.

That is not driving normally.

 

[Doppel]

If you have a manual, you can do anything you want. It'll be hard on the clutch when starting from a dead stop but everything after that is smooth sailing. Rock solid reliability with no transmission melting.

Are you saying that other than the clutch wear a car with a manual effectively has an unlimited tow rating, at least as far as the drive train is concerned; towing 500 lbs is no easier on the tranny than towing 8000lbs?

 

[jlee]

Given there's a 99% chance you're dealing with an automatic transmission, those tow ratings are more of a general guideline. Pulling 2500lbs while driving like a <ethnic stereotype> that drives 20 below the speed limit and takes several minutes to accelerate to that speed will work great every time; rock solid reliability. If you drive like a normal person and hammer it foot the floor from 0-70mph while pulling 2500lbs, the transmission will toyotally fail in a very short time.

If you have a manual, you can do anything you want. It'll be hard on the clutch when starting from a dead stop but everything after that is smooth sailing. Rock solid reliability with no transmission melting.

The Subaru automatic transmissions are generally regarded to be stronger than their manual counterparts. Try abusing a 350whp Subaru with a 5sp and see how long it lasts. Then try it with an auto.

 

[spaceman]

your looking 18mpg combined in unibody baja(and iirc PREMIUM)
if ur towing get a truck with a body on frame
it wont be much if any worse
the baja makes no sense
all that gas,less capable that most any real truck
the baja with cost more and do less
and use as much fuel to do it
which is prolly why they are few and far between
they dont do much good
and ive owned 3 subarus and love them

 

[ShawnD1]

Are you saying that other than the clutch wear a car with a manual effectively has an unlimited tow rating, at least as far as the drive train is concerned; towing 500 lbs is no easier on the tranny than towing 8000lbs?

Basically. The only power you can put through the transmission is what the engine will give. pedal to floor to accelerate fast or pedal to the floor because you're pulling a bunch of weight - the transmission can't tell the difference. All it sees is that you have your foot to the floor.

Automatics see the same thing but respond different.
try to accelerate fast = burnt transmission (see: my toyota corolla's transmission replaced under warranty in less than 2 years)
try to pull anything = burnt transmission (see: people who cheaped out and didn't get the towing package with the bigger transmission cooler)

The Subaru automatic transmissions are generally regarded to be stronger than their manual counterparts. Try abusing a 350whp Subaru with a 5sp and see how long it lasts. Then try it with an auto.

I'm not even sure how to abuse a manual transmission. Are you talking about weird things like hammering the gas when changing gears instead of letting the revs match up properly?

 

[Doppel]

Basically. The only power you can put through the transmission is what the engine will give. pedal to floor to accelerate fast or pedal to the floor because you're pulling a bunch of weight - the transmission can't tell the difference. All it sees is that you have your foot to the floor.

How is that different from an auto? It doesn't know if you're flooring it to show off or because you're pulling a trailer of chickens, either. In both cases you're contributing wear more than normal to the transmission; any given mile is harder.

 

[spaceman]

and u never went back to your other thread
why so myopic about frontier ranger and tacoma?
fuel economy?
4wd models are nearly as bad as their fullsize cousins
dont buy into the fallacy that small pus are better on gas
unless u go with a stripped 2wd 4 banger they arent or the difference is so miniscule youll wonder why u did
u wanna tow, and not be limitied get a small v8 f series
or sierra/silverado

 

[ShawnD1]

How is that different from an auto? It doesn't know if you're flooring it to show off or because you're pulling a trailer of chickens, either. In both cases you're contributing wear more than normal to the transmission; any given mile is harder.

The difference is that the manual transmission gets a little bit hot while the automatic transmission gets SUPER HOT and it destroys the transmission fluid. It just comes down to drivetrain losses turning into heat. Automatics tend to generate a hell of a lot more heat when the same amount of power is being fed into them, so they'll require a special cooler to deal with the added heat of towing things.


Instead of asking why an automatic has a transmission cooler, ask why manual transmissions often do not have special optional cooling systems.
does my truck need a manual transmission cooler? replies: nope

 

[Jumpem]

With mileage coming up, the Subarus will do much better than a truck. I get 30mpg in my Outback.

 

[spaceman]

with turbo and towing he aint getting anywhere near 30mpg combined
our 04 wrx didnt even come close
not to mention needeing 93
i have trouble believing even ANY na subaru gets close to 30mpg combined
i had a legacy 2.2 that didnt (92)
anmd a 98 impreza 2.2 that didnt touch 30mpg

 

[spaceman]

not derailing but its simple as this
when u see people towing
what are they usually towing with
not subarus
not teensy gas pig p/u's
i know fullsize p/u isnt the sexy pick
but its the most capable which is why u see people using them to tow with 9/10 times
u are gonna work a 4 banger hard doing any towing with it
any fuel savings will be kaput

 

[ShawnD1]

u are gonna work a 4 banger hard doing any towing with it
any fuel savings will be kaput

It's not like he's going to be towing a boat every single day he owns this vehicle

 

[Jumpem]

with turbo and towing he aint getting anywhere near 30mpg combined
our 04 wrx didnt even come close
not to mention needeing 93
i have trouble believing even ANY na subaru gets close to 30mpg combined
i had a legacy 2.2 that didnt (92)
anmd a 98 impreza 2.2 that didnt touch 30mpg

The new CVT in the Outback is fantastic if fuel economy is a concern. The new Impreza is supposed to get 36mpg with a smaller 2.0 liter engine and CVT.

 

[EightySix Four]

The new CVT in the Outback is fantastic if fuel economy is a concern. The new Impreza is supposed to get 36mpg with a smaller 2.0 liter engine and CVT.

You aren't going to tow shit with a CVT.

 

[Demo24]

with turbo and towing he aint getting anywhere near 30mpg combined
our 04 wrx didnt even come close
not to mention needeing 93
i have trouble believing even ANY na subaru gets close to 30mpg combined
i had a legacy 2.2 that didnt (92)
anmd a 98 impreza 2.2 that didnt touch 30mpg

I average between 25 and 27, and have seen 30+ easily on highway trips in my 05 wrx.

 

[spaceman]

official epa est at 18 city 25 highway PREMIUM
and that with a manual
which is damn clsoe to what we got in the 04
17/24 for auto
for the 05 with the 2.5
so unless everyones running some magic wrx in the most idesal condition i have trouble beleiving this poppcock of an easy 30mpg
when ive owned own
and other subarus that didnt touch 30mpgs
maybe jumpem has something with his cvt
maybe becase i live in a hilly area
but the data simply doesnt back these assertions up
fact of the matter is the wrx was closer to 20mpg than 30
add in an extra 500-700 a year to run premium
and yeah, not much better than a fullsize pickup
and an idiotic choice to tow with to boot.

 

[spaceman]

the wrx doesnt get 30mpgs
you are either miscalcing
or straight up liying to yourself
but not in any year did it come close 2.0 or 2.5
in the 100,000 miles i put on my 3 subarus non of them touched 30
but do what u want op, u can trust actual data or u can trust absurd anecdotal evidence

 

[MotF Bane]

The Subaru automatic transmissions are generally regarded to be stronger than their manual counterparts. Try abusing a 350whp Subaru with a 5sp and see how long it lasts. Then try it with an auto.

I thought it was six speed manual is stronger than the auto, which is stronger than the five speed manual. Fucking crippled WRX.

 

[MotF Bane]

Stop posting. You have no friggin clue how to drive and destroyed your transmission by driving like an idiot.

This.

 

[jlee]

I thought it was six speed manual is stronger than the auto, which is stronger than the five speed manual. Fucking crippled WRX.

Yeah the 6sp is a tank.

 

[LTC8K6]

Yeah ShawnD1, that's why all those heavy duty trucks, with the huge tow ratings, never have auto trannys....

That's why the new RAM 3500, with a 22,700 pound tow rating, can't be had with an auto...

That's why the manuals are always rated higher for towing than the autos...