I am wondering about the negative effects of AWD:
All I need is a roomy hatch. Are the above reasons good enough to not to get a Subaru?
If you are doing only local driving, in an area where the roads are well-maintained in the winter, then you most likely do not need AWD. If you don’t need AWD, then there are other cars to look at, many of which are more economical than the Impreza. Have you looked at the Mazda 3?
Incidentally, the “additional maintenance” with an AWD vehicle amounts to changing the oil in 2 differentials instead of just one differential, every 30k miles. That is relatively insignificant.
Of course, one also needs to rotate the tires on a consistent basis, but that should really be done on all cars. The only difference is that a FWD or RWD car will not suffer mechanical damage if you forget to rotate the tires on a consistent basis, unlike an AWD car.
The newest Impreza gets good MPGs. If you rotate your tires, they’ll all wear out at the same time anyway. Subaru has been making AWD cars for a long time & they haven’t been a big problem and most people don’t do much extra maintenance on them.
Take a look at the Ford Focus hatchback and the Hyundai Elantra Touring hatchback.
You gotta pay to play. AWD is really nice to have in winter time, and makes for better handling all around. BUT, that does come with a price in terms of extra maintenance on the vehicle.
Thanks for the tips
I searched & foud a new Elantra GT is coming
There is still Toyo Matrix - I thought it was discontinued - it is still being manufactured
Those who own fwd and fail to rotate tires regularly find they must replace tires, often frequently, two at a time. If you have awd and rotate them as recommended the life expectancy is often greater for the four tires then for fwd cars.
Awd is easier on tires just as rwd is because it doesn’t ask one set of wheels to both accelerate and turn. My awd cars often go 60k plus miles on a set of tires that will be replaced 4 at a time. That is a good thing and indicates your car is driven with balanced tread life during this time,
Awd tire problems are a fallacy brought about by poor maintenance and driving habits.
Never once have I bought a vehicle for just ONE thing I do.
I buy a vehicle for EVERYTHING I’ll do …over the next ten years !
My ideal ‘roomy hatch’ is a Honda Fit.
The Fit might have good cargo room, but I’d hardly call it “roomy”
If I ‘fit’, at 6’5", 225 lbs, it’s plenty roomy for me.
Either you’ve got short legs or the one I sat in had a defective seat. I pushed the seat all the way back and still felt my legs cramped up in the driver’s seat. My legs aren’t all that long(30" inseam), but still didn’t fit very well