A new car in 2023

I tried to talk myself into a Subaru (either a Forester or Outback). One Subaru salesman told me that a Forester is what you want if you want a "jeep" and the Outback is what you want if you want a car to drive on the highway and still have something offroad capable.

The Subarus exceed my expectations offroad. Nonetheless, they are not serious offroad vehicles. A dividing line of sorts is whether the vehicle has a transfer case. In other words does it offer both a 4x4 low range as well as a high range.

My other options would be a Tacoma (again!) or a 4runner. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a Tacoma, and the "offroad" variant would serve me well. The 4runner offers more luxury and (believe it or not) perhaps even more quality. All 4runners are made in Japan. The Tacomas are (somewhat to my surprise) currently made in Mexico.

The biggest con of the 4runner is gas economy. You get a 4.0 liter engine with a 17 mpg rating (the Tacoma has a 3.5 liter engine and 20 mpg). The second con is price, but the Tacomas and 4runners overlap depending on what options you choose. With the same options you pay an extra 5000 dollars for a 4runner, jumping from around $40,000 to $45,000. You can certainly choose fancy options and pay even more.

• Article on reliability
• Subaru notes
• 4runner notes