Hello! Yes, my first post involves other cars...

I'm typing from my phone, so I'll make this short. Wife and I ordered a 2016 Subaru forester that arrives next week, we haven't signed any paperwork.

We have 2 kids under age of 3 and expect more. We really like the idea of the forester with a decent sized back seat, but are seriously considering 3rd row options and the outlander came up as a good option at similar price. We currently have a 2004 subaru wrx wagon that will be too small for the eventual 3 car seats.

Has anyone driven both and could offer a comparison? Does the 3rd row in outlander allow for car seats latches?

Is there anything we should know about the outlander that's either missing or something new compared to the forester?

We hope to get a test drive of the outlander later today.

Thank you!

 

I would recommend the Outlander because it comes with more features and room. It also has one of the best warranty packages in the industry. Test drive both vehicles in the same day.

 

You can't get 3 carseats into a forester because it's not wide enough. The forester is based on the impreza platform. Now, the Outback might work since it's based on the legacy platform, that extra width might allow for a 3rd carseat.

I was just at the philly auto show and compared the forester XT to an Outlander directly. I can say the outlander is substantially larger with nicer seats. The second row can slide forward to allow for more third row legroom, but the third row is very small and should only be used for children. I didn't check to see if it had car seat latches in the third row, but it does offer more flexibility in seating arrangements than the forester does.

Personally i'd go with a larger vehicle if you can, like a Chevy traverse, Dodge Durango, or Ford Explorer. They have the best 3rd rows. The new honda pilot third row sucks because the seats are on the floor, and the highlander isn't as long so the third row legroom is tight.

Also, consider an AWD sienna minivan when child number 3 arrives. My buddy has 3 small kids, the minivan just makes way too much sense. The kids simply climb in, and walk between the 2 middle seats to get to the comfortable 3rd row. The rear doors slide which means you don't have to worry about them dinging doors. Mommy can walk between the 2 front seats to get to the back during a roadtrip should little baby start crying. Minivans are just incredibly practical. The only downside is the crappy runflat tires which don't last very long, the AWD vans have no spare tire.

But if you don't plan on having that third kid for the while, the outlander is definitely going to be more flexible for child number 3 than the forester.

Also, consider a rear seat entertainment system. I seriously can't do a 1+ hour car trip without one. Tablet mounts work too, but i don't like leaving them in the car all the time.

 

Thank you both for the great replies!

Price dictates a lot of our options. We have $28k OTD USD for the forester and that's near our max budget.

How's the outlander at high mileage? Are they reliable? The long warranty would be nice and we anticipate keeping our next car for at least 10 years/200k+ miles.

A Nissan rogue is also an option because of price, but thinking it may be smaller in the third row and we are unsure of their awd system.

Does any outlander trim come in manual transmission?

We are just finishing a 6 hour one way vacation with 2 kids in our wrx wagon, fun to drive, but could use a bit more room.

Thanks again!

 

My outlander has 110k miles on it, the powertrain is nearly identical to the current V6 model. It's been good so far.

The rogue is about the same size as the outlander in terms of interior legroom. The 2nd and third rows are about the same. Attending an auto show allows you to compare all these very closely.

Also, you might want to check out the Kia Sorento, you should be able to get a decently loaded EX model for under $28k.

Another thing to consider are cars that are getting stale in their model life. Like the dodge durango that's been pretty much the same since 2011. Currently, you can get some deals on a left over 2015 model for under $28k.

Also, you can get the dated Mazda CX9 for way below MSRP, about $27k. Mazda just announced a new replacement model coming out this year.

 

I do not agree with the statement "new honda pilot third row sucks ".


Here is a review focusing on kids and carseats.


2016 Honda Pilot Review: Kids, Carseats & Safety

 

I was at the philadelphia auto show last month, i literally sat in all the 3rd rows of every Crossover and SUV in the entire place. It was the reason for my trip, and i was able to compare all rivals within a few hours. I can tell you without a doubt, the Pilot's third row was among the worst in its class. I was actually expecting a bit more from the redesign, in fact i was expecting it to lead the pack, but i was severely dissapointed by what i found.

It's probably adequate for children whose feet don't reach the floor, but there isn't much of a footwell for their legs to drop down which means on a long roadtrip they have to hold their own legs up with their feet, which means very grumpy and tired children. You need proper thigh support to hold your legs, otherwise you will get very tired and cramped, very quickly. The pilot's seats are probably fine for up to maybe 8 years old depending on how tall you expect your kids to be, but definitely not for teens and adults.

 

I think Highlander's 3rd row seats are worse than Pilot's. But back to Outlander, I tried the 3rd row seats once, and found my head was touching the ceiling. I am 5'10" and 160lb. So I am not tall or big. But I had a very hard time to get in (and out) the 3rd row. It is hard to imagine to put car seats there.

 

The highlander has a little more leg drop, but it's a shorter vehicle so legroom between the third and second row is a problem. But like i said, they're both terrible compared to the rest of the class.

The third row on both the rogue and the Outlander are going to be very very tight. I call them "pinch" seats because you can use them in a pinch, but not for long trips. I'm 5'8" and i had trouble getting into and out of the third row of the outlander.

I also forgot to mention that both the rogue and outlander with a third row means you drop the spare tire and must run run-flat tires, which are bouncy and only last about 25k real world miles. Everyone complains about the lack of mileage they get from runflats.

 

I think my 16 Outlander has a spare tire.