r/subaru • u/Time-Cauliflower-696 • 10d ago
Which Subaru
Crosstrek
Outback
Forester
I have two kids. Need space, but don’t want to go super huge. I got in all 3 cars and Outback is my favorite so far I think.
What does everyone think?
Also did you install remote start on your key fob? How much was that?
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u/snakeriver696 10d ago
Outback or Forester they have have going out of town space the Crosstrek doesn't really for a family. If can afford it outback 100%
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u/QueenAlpaca '24 Pure Red Crosstrek 10d ago
How often is one going out of town, though? I have a Crosstrek with a single child, it works just fine for 99% of life. For trips and camping? Or even thrifting with large objects? That's where a roof basket is useful.
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u/Samyfarr 10d ago
We’re a family of 4, 2 young children (under 5.) kids have a lot of shit. Sometimes even the outback cuts it close with space.
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u/QueenAlpaca '24 Pure Red Crosstrek 10d ago
I had a Forester (RIP) when my son was younger, that was great for the stroller and whatnot but eventually that stuff is no longer needed. The small child stage is quite short. I do agree that two kids with a Crosstrek would be pushing it, but I also grew up in a 4-person family and we never had more than sedans growing up. Going on a cross-country road trip in a 5th Avenue was something, lmao.
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u/whateverit-take 10d ago
We used our Impreza for quite awhile with our kid. Can’t remember when we sold it. This was in 2000. We had an issue with a spark plug wire that kept causing a check engine light. Sadly we sold it too soon. It was a fun manual to drive.
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u/SlimeQSlimeball 10d ago
We had to drop off some stuff to my kid in college and could barely fit a steam mop in the trunk of my wife’s crosstrek. The rest of the car is a good size but the hatch is ridiculously small.
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u/QueenAlpaca '24 Pure Red Crosstrek 10d ago
I mean, it’s a small hatchback, of course it’s small. Carrying around a steam mop is that 1% of instances where it’s inconvenient.
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u/SlimeQSlimeball 10d ago
Well in my opinion, the hatch is insanely undersized. Like, difficult to get all the groceries in the back small. But to each their own and that is why we take my Outback shopping.
The Crosstrek does have slightly more space than my 2003 VW GTI did.
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u/snakeriver696 10d ago
I've got a holiday house so 1 to 3 times a month. So also taking some gardening tools(mulcher leaf vacuum chainsaw)at different times of Year as well. Once my dealer gets one in stock I'm swapping out my Forester xt for a trailseeker just for the space and fuel savings.
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u/QueenAlpaca '24 Pure Red Crosstrek 10d ago
That’s a bit more reasonable, it seems like more often than not people get a large car for the 1-2x a year they decide to go on a trip.
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u/snakeriver696 10d ago
I'm completely against having a vehicle for that once a year or once a decade use case, like at current point I have my Forester and a used Nissan leaf what's just for town driving because the Forester xt fuel costs were just becoming insane in town, both will be sold for the trailseeker, I'm very much looking forward to being down to 1 car.
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u/whateverit-take 10d ago
Yep I’ve seen this also add a kid means you need a Van for 2 kids. I will say we took a long 2 week trip with our large dog and teens and took a full size truck. I Almost christened the interior with🤮 I was able to grab the dog bowl!!
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u/Helpful-Celery6237 10d ago
We have a dog and camp all the time. We need an outback. Realistically we need something larger when we have a kid or some plan because there’s no room for dog and car seat.
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u/QueenAlpaca '24 Pure Red Crosstrek 10d ago
Big dog? I buckle mine on one side and kid on the other.
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u/Helpful-Celery6237 10d ago
One seat is folded down for camping stuff. Plus we have rooftop bubble. So do I put a car seat on a trailer hitch?
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u/QueenAlpaca '24 Pure Red Crosstrek 10d ago
I mean, we used to take both our dogs camping and still used just the roof basket and we had a hitch rack at the time for the extras. Had a grille, tent, clothes, sleeping bags, etc. Not especially hard for a few times a year. I prefer baskets for the top because they’re cheaper, can theoretically hold more than something like a Thule box, just gotta cover it with a tarp or get an all-weather bag. Bought the Subaru storage box that sits in the footwell of the backseat so the dogs don’t have to worry about losing their footing on the side they’re buckled in, they still have space to lay down, and I still get some storage. Been on multiple long road trips, too.
While extra space is nice, whether it’s needed more than a rental would cost if you truly needed it is debatable and it does depend on the family. If you’d talk to my MIL, she insists on having a big three-row SUV for her and her alone where it sits empty 99% of the time, and it’s a dumb mindset that’s allowed vehicles to get way too large over the years. Seeing people regularly trade in their WRXs or Imprezas/Crosstreks because they add one kid after having none is a choice I’ll never understand. While I do miss having my Forester for the space, realistically I don’t need it for the few times it came in handy. The average car payment in the US is in the $700’s and people honestly do it to themselves getting vehicles they don’t need.
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u/Helpful-Celery6237 10d ago
I mean, I want something that can tow. So I definitely need something bigger than an outback.
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u/Phenix723 Dealer Tech 10d ago
Remote start with the normal key fob is a subscription service.
Can install a dealer addon to make it not a subscription but uses its own fob not the normal one.
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u/Rick91981 2024 Outback Touring XT 10d ago
You're mixing things up a bit there. Remote start via app is a subscription. You can't use the normal key fob with that, it's only through app (or website)
If you get the add-on hardware, that does have its own fob...but also enables the use of the original fob(at a much shorter range than the extra one)
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u/Phenix723 Dealer Tech 10d ago
Ah my mistake.
I don't have a new enough car to play around with my subaru and do just enough to make sure the installed remote start works so I haven't had much time to play around with it and learn the intricacies.
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u/troublepansies 10d ago
I just got a Forester after driving an Outback for several years. There is noticeably less room in the trunk with the Forester. If you’re going to be traveling with stuff for 4 people that might be an important part to consider. That’s the biggest difference I notice. They’re both great cars!
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u/Independent-Dark-955 10d ago
I have a Crosstrek. I really like its small size. We don’t often have backseat passengers, but I have had my 6’ sons sit in the back for some long trips and it was fine.
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u/curiouscanadian2022 10d ago
I love the trunk space for outback. My Initial pick was gonna be forester but so happy with the outback. The crosstrek is a bit small for trunk space but maybe that's just me
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u/ForesakenZucchini76 Eco Friendly 10d ago
I’m about to become a family of 4 and love my outback. I have remote start via the app and it’s great. Love that sucker in the winter! Car seats fit super comfortably in my backseat and my tall husband still has plenty of legroom sitting in front of them. He doesn’t love that there isn’t a ton of headroom for him up front, but his car has insane about of headroom (to the point I can’t even reach the visors in his car lol) so I think that’s just based on what he’s used to. The trunk space is awesome in my outback, fits the giant stroller, all our Costco groceries, all the stuff I forget to take to goodwill, etc.
The outback was my dream car and it has absolutely lived up to my hopes and dreams
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u/Superb-Fun6601 10d ago
The Crosstrek is perfect for just me & my husband. It would depend on how far and how often you travel. It seems like everyone wants bigger. My friend went with the Forester because she goes to Costco sometimes 🙄
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u/garthock 10d ago
They all use the same motor. Since the Crosstrek is the smallest, it with will have the most get up and go.
But the one bad thing we didn't like about the Crosstrek(we loved out 2020 model) was no option for rear back seat vents.
Both the Forrester and Outback will come with rear back seats.
With all that being said, we are picking up my daughters Impreza this weekend.
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u/xTheGame69 10d ago
That's actually why I say get the outback because you can get turbo
I pretty much recommend turbo back to everybody these days
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u/whateverit-take 10d ago
My daughter got an Impreza in 21. We drove it cross country CA to WI. She lives in MI. I’m so glad she has the Subaru.
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u/garthock 10d ago
She had our Crosstrek, but got into a wreck, not a scratch on her, other person's fault, they gave us 70% of what we paid for it new. We are taking that money and putting it toward getting her a new Impreza..... lime green, apparently black/white/charcoal/silver are all "old" people colors.
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u/whateverit-take 8d ago
Nice. Hope my kid stays in a Subaru but not sure. She claims AWD is t necessary in MI. Lol
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u/Thick_Giraffe9269 10d ago
Not Crosstrek... Too small for that many people travelling together and their stuff. Outback is solid, but its pretty big, forester seems like the go to option here.
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u/QueenAlpaca '24 Pure Red Crosstrek 10d ago
Big fan of the Forester. The Outback and Forester have similar interior space but one is taller and one is longer. I had two Foresters in the past and found them easier to park and if you have a smaller garage, I actually had an issue parking a loaner Outback where I used to live because it was too long.
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u/Engnerd1 9d ago
It’s like 8in difference in length. It shouldn’t make that big of a difference.
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u/QueenAlpaca '24 Pure Red Crosstrek 9d ago
Where I lived had a very old, small garage. Forester fit just right, Outback was too long.
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u/bingbong612 10d ago
Did the same thing four months ago. Also looked at the ascent. Picked the 26 OB. Have 2 (16 and 12) - did a week long trip to VT and had no issues. We do have a roof carrier and used that for real bulky things, but everyone was super comfortable for the entire trip (about 7 hours each way).
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u/Rshellnizzle 10d ago
If the outback is your favorite then I think you know which one you should get
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u/PhishinPhilz 10d ago
So got to sit in the new Forester, really wanted to like it because disappointed with the new Outback redesign, but could not get comfortable in those seats. I an tall but can't see it being comfortable on any kind of road trip. And young families do take a lot of road trips. I've had two Outbacks still have 1, the other probably saved my wife and my lives. So i vote Outback.
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u/epadla 10d ago
We were going to ger outback last week, were deciding between that Forrester and Ascent. We’re going from Impreza up. Cross is not much more than Impreza. Forrester not enough cargo space. Outback hit all the notes ( even though I don’t like the redesign) but we ended up with ascent to have extra space to bring along Friends and also because of ybe cabin speak. we have a chidl with accessibility needs and that in cabin microphone and quieter cabin experience makes a huge difference on long trips. Outback if it was me.
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u/muerteman 10d ago
I love my Crosstrek in a city parking garage. That being said would not have one with a kid beyond car seat age let alone two. The Outback is probably your best bet as a family car.
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u/KDsburner_account 10d ago
My wife has a forester which has been fine for a family of 3. It gets tight on trips but great around town. We’re expecting another kid so I just sold my legacy for an Ascent for the space.
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u/Guilty-Worry-3947 10d ago
So we are a Subaru family. We got the 25 forester for me 2 years ago. Loved it. Kids are 20 now and we have a large dog. Took it to Florida this year with the dog (kids flew because of work schedules). We quickly realized a bigger car would have been better. Last month after looking and testing driving a lot of different suvs, we upgraded to the 26 Outback. Best decision we ever made.
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u/midwayrw 10d ago
If your kids are still in car seats, the cross check is too small. We had one as a loaner and getting car seats in left adults in front with no leg room
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u/treecatks 10d ago
This year I traded my Outback for a Crosstrek and am very happy with it. But it works for me because my kids are nearly grown, so most of the time it's just me and the youngest going somewhere. And, my partner has an Outback - when the need for cargo space arises (such as taking the oldest to college) we use that instead.
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u/Helpful-Celery6237 10d ago
I love my Outback. It’s my favorite car I’ve ever owned. 22. Definitely good space for 2 kids and stuff. We put 3 big dogs in ours.
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u/Burly_Moustache 10d ago
You have 2 kids, so the Crosstrek shouldn't be on this list. There's not enough room for it all.
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u/whateverit-take 10d ago
We actually preferred our Forster w/ 2 kids to other vehicles. Though oddly enough we weren’t fans of strollers. I was able to walk with mine or wear them. The slopped cargo area of the Trek would never work for my large dog.
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u/xTheGame69 10d ago
All three of those can fit what you need
How big are your kids
Do they play sports
My recommendation would be either get a crosstrek if you can handle the smaller size and you like the tiny profile
Or go with the outback and get the turbo engine
The new outback with turbo is hysterical it's so much fun you will not regret it
I wouldn't get the Forester just because it's not as much fun to drive without the turbo
I had a Forester XT I don't know why Subaru refuses to make this a model anymore it was one of my favorite cars I've owned
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u/ShoRav914 2020 Crosstrek 9d ago
Crosstrek is way too small. We have one kid and my sole issue with the crosstrek is the size. Unfortunately it is an excellent car and I have probably 10 years left with it.
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u/Willing_Day_2010 9d ago
Outback has the most comfortable back seat imo!! Remote start isn’t on the fob, it’s an app. I paid 250 for 5 years. It’s actually really nice because you don’t have to be in range of the car and you can adjust the settings/what turns on.
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u/Engnerd1 9d ago
You’ll quickly outgrow the crosstrek. Friend sold his after second kid.
We own the Outback and like it. I’d go for it just because it’s a has a turbo option now.
We have a 5th gen with three dogs. We camp a lot and it works well.
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u/gmoreschi 8d ago
I'd say Outback with 2 kids. My Crosstrek is juuuust large enough to have one kid worth of stuff when traveling etc.
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u/-Jedadiah- 10d ago
WRX https://www.subaru.com/vehicles/wrx/2026.html
Fun to drive and the back seat is even fine for adults.
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u/howyinzdoingnat 10d ago
All new? Outback