Non Boring Transportation Appliance?

I don't know if Foresters grown recently, but for Subarus I prefer a Legacy/Outback as they have more cargo room and a functional back seat and are still a very manageable size.

I'm now in the same boat as OP, but I can take the offroad requirement out of the picture.

4 adults, AWD, luxury, not ridiculous money.

I can list off all the cars that fit into this category, be they the $40k mid-level brands or the $65k luxury brands. My issue is they're all the same to me. The closest anything comes to generating any interest for me is the Subaru Forester with the 2.0L turbo.

I don't know if Foresters grown recently, but for Subarus I prefer a Legacy/Outback as they have more cargo room and a functional back seat and are still a very manageable size.

I am in the same boat - want a family vehicle that drives well in the city but also has decent offroad capability (for basic FSR type stuff). The Forester is the vehicle I am most seriously considering but I do wish it were a little bit bigger (basically the size of the outback). I would just get an Outback but I prefer the styling of the Forester. Subaru recently announced that 3 row bigger SUV they are developing but not sure I want to wait 3 years for it to be released.

I'm now in the same boat as OP, but I can take the offroad requirement out of the picture.

4 adults, AWD, luxury, not ridiculous money.

I can list off all the cars that fit into this category, be they the $40k mid-level brands or the $65k luxury brands. My issue is they're all the same to me. The closest anything comes to generating any interest for me is the Subaru Forester with the 2.0L turbo.

ford FLEX…amazing inside room and versatility and looks badass dropped… but i guess that kind of negates the AWD aspect really, haha

Subaru recently announced that 3 row bigger SUV they are developing but not sure I want to wait 3 years for it to be released.

Given how awesome and short lived Subaru's last full(er) size SUV was I wouldn't wait the 3 years either.

ford FLEX…amazing inside room and versatility and looks badass dropped… but i guess that kind of negates the AWD aspect really, haha

Use air bags to adjust ride hight on the go! 3.5 turbo or diesel option would be fun to tune 👍😎

The edge on bags is another sporty option

As a card carrying lesbian I support the above rec for the Subaru Forester xt

As a card carrying lesbian I support the above rec for the Subaru Forester xt

I don't know if my friend has a card but her Forester is the newest one I've sat in.

The Forester looks pretty appealing to me too… my in-laws have an older one and it's been a great car. New ones can't be had with a manual though (?), at least not the 2.0 turbo version. And I'm not sure about the size, they seem on the smallish side, but would need to check one out in person.

So, I was able to test drive a Touareg and BMW X5d back to back the other day. The VW was the gas version, and it had adequate power but nothing to write home about. Handling was decent (for a 2 1/2 tonne vehicle), and the ride was super quiet. Handled snow and slippery roads like they were dry. The interior of the top trim level was super nice - all the creature comforts you can think of, tastefully done with high quality materials all around. Definitely a nice place to spend time on the highway.

The diesel engine in the Bimmer was awesome though. Tons of useable torque and it felt way faster than the VW… you could almost say it was fun to drive! (This has perhaps helped to solidify my preference for a diesel vehicle too…) I'm guessing that the TDI diesel would be similar feeling as the HP/torque numbers between the 2 diesels are pretty similar to each other.

The X5 is definitely more tuned for road driving, handling was actually pretty sharp and planted, less body roll and a bit stiffer, but without being uncomfortable. There was a bit of slip on icy sections but I'm gonna chock that one mostly up to the wide summer/all season tires it had on it, I'm sure with proper winter tires it wouldn't be an issue. Not sure if this car would handle the gravel/FSR roads as well as the VW (any owners here that actually take theirs off pavement?), and they don't come stock with a hitch so there would be that extra expense to add on. I'm not a fan of the run-flat tires either, would prefer a regular spare, especially if we're out in the middle of nowhere.

Both the VW and BMW were super nice cars… each had their pros and cons so no clear winner on the short test drives. There are definitely more used X5s around, and guaranteed most were likely driven gently on road by soccer moms so there are probably some good deals to be had on low-ish mileage ones. Since the dieselgate scandal VW has ceased selling all diesels in NA until it gets sorted out (and may never bring them back), and the Touareg was never a huge selling model to begin with so they are pretty rare and selling at a premium by the looks of things.

Don't know what maintenance is like on either of them, though like I say I've had great luck with my VWs in the past and have owned a diesel BMW before as well with absolutely no issues other than routine stuff. The best thing about the BMW we owned previously was that even at 120,000km+ it felt as tight as a new car. Not a single rattle or squeak etc. Not sure if that's typical but I sure can't say that about any of the other vehicles I've owned…

Despite the appearance, the new Forester is still on the Impreza chassis and wheelbase. Great cars, though. We're ready to downsize to one car (in fact one is already stored) and the newer Outback is high on the list. Our current pair (2002 Legacy wagon and 2011 Golf hatch) is great, we love the AWD and the size of the Legacy, but the Golf is in the prime of its life with only 60K on it. So we'll stick with just the Golf once I get around to selling the Legacy.

You know you need 400hp

The X5 …

Gord Berg (of MTB Cypress fame), has an X5 and uses it for shuttling and MTBing. I haven't heard him complain. I'm not sure that he's on the boards too often anymore.

http://www.stanceworks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23721

Your new X5.

Imagine the damage that will inflict at Richmond Center parade.

http://www.stanceworks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23721

Your new X5.

I've got a spreadsheet going and it's proving helpful. It gives me an idea of what will be a lot bigger, what's likely to have enough headroom, and whether or not I should expect a noticeable difference in power.

With the weight of a Volvo it's no wonder they put a turbo and a supercharger on those things.