HikeArizona.COM

Old video but pretty cool-- [ youtube video ]

@RedRoxx44
And if you listen closely, you can even hear the annoying noise from the rock in the heat shield.

chumley wrote:rock in the heat shield

or a random rattle in the eyesight system

@joebartels
Actually it was an expensive charge to re-calibrate the system if you need to have the windshield replaced. $500 to $600. That may not be unique to Subaru, but in general they are not good cars.

@Jim_H
Oh the treachery! I've had half a dozen windshields in my Outback(s), but after the first one they're just the generic glass everyone gets. I don't blame Subaru I blame Arizona highways (not the magazine) for their fragility. And I have had Eyesight systems since 2010 with no problems.

@Hansenaz
Don't have it, but it appears you can no longer find an Outback or Forester that does not have it. I had it in a rental Outback last year and it was really annoying, same in a rental Forester. Overall, my Outback reminds me too much of my first car which was a 1991 Buick Skylark. Yeah, it runs, and it has ground clearance and the AWD is good when I need it, but I hardly ever do. My car's CVT requiring the valve body to be replaced at 90K, my drivers power window dying last month and costing $600 to replace, and all the rest, I'd rather buy another Honda, the thing had 70,000 more miles when I traded it, but far fewer problems. Who cares if it can't get up a sand dune!

@Jim_H
Honda really shines when it comes to longevity.

From a fellow Phoenician, a glimpse into better understanding current and former male haz subi drivers, eagle, jim, patrick, losdos, joel, hansen, etc.
*video contains strong language and content that some might find offensive

My first car was a 1980 Subaru GL coupe, purchased in 1985. I've had six other Subarus since. Might be an eighth in my future with the introduction of the Forester Wilderness, with 3,000 lb tow rating

So far I've only had two, but I haven't owned anything else since 1997. Combined total of 525k miles. I don't come very close to fitting the rest of the profile, though,

Volume on

Actually, Do Whatever You Want With Your Subaru:
Wanna know why I didn’t buy a 4Runner, Tacoma, or Jeep? Because I don’t like them and I don’t want one.

He offers some valid points in his article. https://www.adventure-journal.com/2022/ ... nt-2552104

@Pivo It's the "hike your own hike" version of vehicle things.

But often the subi thing really has nothing to do with the capabilities of the vehicle but rather the stereotype of the individual who purchases and drives one. (See also: Prius drivers). This writer certainly does nothing to dissuade that!

@chumley
I liked his "True, but you know what’s even more efficient than a low-range transfer case and lockers? Hiking. A horse. Riding a mountain bike. If you’re really after the best possible way to get down this hypothetical boulder-strewn trail, why are you driving any kind of vehicle?"

I for one have never understood the recreational use of ATV's. They're obnoxious transport for typically lazy, well-nourished folks.

I have never had a Subi so can't speak to that; but my 4wd modified vehicles have taken me some wonderful places where I have not seen another person or sign of a person. Enabled me to hike or backpack to some places that at least in the past used to see very low traffic. I am not afraid to walk, but it's great when you can vehicle camp in peace then walk to wherever you want to go.

Pivo wrote:They're obnoxious transport for typically lazy, well-nourished folks.

They're also designed to carry large amounts of Bud Light.

Ah, the memories, a lot of it is the driver skills. I remember a guy tried to drive a Jaguar ( the long E body style) down Coyote canyon in Anza Borrego. I gave him the tow rope because I couldn't begin to figure out where to attach it on that thing that wouldn't bend something. Got him out of the sand with the Jeep. Another guy stuck with a camper in the sand going out to an overlook. Got him out but had to put some floor mats under his rear wheels on the assist along with the winch.
But one guy was legend. We would see him almost every season. The boy scouts had some favorite backcountry camp areas down some of the washes. This guy would be driving a Volvo station wagon hell for leather up and down those washes. When we would see him we would pull aside; because he needed the momentum but he never got stuck that we saw. He steered around those rocks like a boss.
Another dude stuck up in Indian canyon. I was going in and met the Triple AAA tow truck at the pavement. He said I am not going back there ( way before Mattoffroad tow action); so I ended up getting that guy out of a hole where he had tried to go over a washout and got hung up. Amazed he got cell service to make a call.
And the Samurai's when we would make runs in Warner Springs. There was an obstacle where you drove down a ledge, made a awkward dismount into a slit, then you carefully dropped down a 3-4 foot ledge into a spring area. This was a short wheel base run, you would tip your vehicle up on it's front wheels and fall nose first into the muddy spring. Sammy's would fall in and then fall on their roof. Someone in a Jeep would stay parked and they were dragged a few feet out and then shoved onto their side then onto their wheels. Usually took about 4-5 guys to do it. That whole area was stunningly beautiful and although I didn't do much hiking there, more 4 wheeling, you weren't getting to a lot of that with your grocery getter.

RedRoxx44 wrote:a lot of it is the driver skills

especially in

RedRoxx44 wrote:sand

.

The hairiest driving I've ever done is long stretches of sand on gradual slopes or even on the flat. Achieving and maintaining the correct momentum throughout the run usually leaves my fingerprints permanently embedded in the steering wheel.

@Pivo
These two sections resonated with me:
"There is perhaps no greater joy for the driver of a not-serious adventure vehicle than to watch TRD 4Runner bros air down their tires at the entrance to gnarly trails or fire roads as you putter past them in your Subaru"
"I’ll be getting 26 mpgs in a car that’s as pleasant a daily driver as you could imagine, driving everywhere off-road I’ve ever wanted to go."
BTW I get 30+mpg in my comfortable daily driver....

Hansenaz wrote:I get 30+mpg in my comfortable daily driver....

What's your DD?