Subaru Sunderland
Looking to buy a Subaru? Find out what's good, what's bad and what to watch out for from Honest John.
Good: More kit and better mpg than previous model. Sensible, reliable and safe estate, ideal for rural use. Spec B is very rapid, Outback a great tow car.
Bad: High running costs. (Separate entry for diesel.)
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Good: Far better looking than the pre-facelift version. Surefooted and satisfying to drive. Well built. Good reliability record.
Bad: High running costs. Rivals offer classier, roomier cabins.
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Good: Refined, well equipped and distinctive. Very comfortable on a long cruise and surefootedly quick along country lanes.
Bad: Not many around and parts are hard to get. Autobox tends to be short-lived.
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Good: Very useful off-road yet an enjoyable car-like drive on tarmac. Looks and feels classier than its predecessor. Well built. Owners rate it.
Bad: No diesel version. High running costs. Gearboxes and clutches can be problematic.
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This car is based on the Japanese market Pleo microcar, the HM-01has a 658cc four cylinder petrol engine driving the front wheels via a CVT transmission. But its rear wheels are driven by a 42 volt electric motor.
Good: Stacked full of kit and seats up to seven. Comfortable ride.
Bad: It's thirsty and there's no diesel version. Only top-spec models have seven seats and the third row tight for space.
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Good: Good balance between civilised road manners and off-road ability. Flat four engines sound great. The Turbo model is a fine drive.
Bad: Expensive running costs. Clutches can fail early. Beware of damaged suspension.
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Good: Very useful off-road yet an enjoyable car-like drive on tarmac. Looks and feels classier than its predecessor. Well built. Owners rate it.
Bad: No diesel version. High running costs. Gearboxes and clutches can be problematic.
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The third-generation Forester in Sunderland is a new-generation crossover SUV from Subaru, a car that meets the demands and needs of everyday driving. It has been designed around the concept of Best Package for Active Life, which blends high levels of comfort, performance, versatility, and safety to create the best and most versatile vehicle for drivers and their families to enjoy an active lifestyle.
This car is based on the Japanese market Pleo microcar, the HM-01has a 658cc four cylinder petrol engine driving the front wheels via a CVT transmission. But its rear wheels are driven by a 42 volt electric motor.
Good: Solidly built and generally very reliable. Characterful flat four engines. Surefooted, enjoyable drive.
Bad: Bland-looking cabin. Watch out for worn clutches, uneven tyre wear and scored rear discs.
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Good: Fantastic to drive. Fast, safe, plenty of traction, good grip and a characterful flat four engine. Well built.
Bad: Expensive to run. Clutches and gearboxes can let go. Big ends not immune from failure either.
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Good: Soundly constructed and proving durable. Enjoyable drive, with characterful flat four engines and surefooted handling.
Bad: Ugly looks before the 2003 facelift. Expensive running costs.
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Good: Far better looking than the pre-facelift version. Surefooted and satisfying to drive. Well built. Good reliability record.
Bad: High running costs. Rivals offer classier, roomier cabins.
Read Honest Johns full review of what's good, what's bad and what to watch out for below..
Good: Rewarding to drive, especially on country roads. Solidly screwed together. Likely to prove reliable if it's like all previous Imprezas.
Bad: Cabin feels decidedly ordinary and isn't that roomy. Running costs are high.
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Good: Makes you feel like you're a world rally champion. Great acceleration, traction, handling, brakes and grip. Exhilarating yet forgiving.
Bad: Running costs are high. Looked ugly until it was facelifted in 2003. Confusing spec differences among imports.
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Good: Same as before. Great acceleration, traction, handling, brakes and grip. Exhilarating yet forgiving. On of the fastest cars from A to B on a B road.
Bad: High runing costs, especially if the performance leads you into temptation.
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Good: Same qualities underneath as previous Imprezas. Cheap entry level 4WD 1.5R useful for anyone living above the snow line.
Bad: What happened to the styling?
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The new WRX in Sunderland has 17 ins alloy wheels, with 205/50 tyres, front and rear spoilers, side skirts, a rear bumper diffuser, leather-covered steering-wheel and gear-knob, a rear limited-slip-differential with Subaru Vehicle Dynamics Control, 10-speaker, six-disc radio/CD player and xenon headlamps.
Good: Handy rural runabout for those on a budget. Four-wheel drive and its light weight make it good in the snow. Generally reliable.
Bad: Unsophisticated road manners. CVT auto gearboxes are massively expensive to replace.
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Good: Cheap to buy. Four-wheel drive, so useful as a rural runabout. Generally reliable.
Bad: Crude road manners and not as solidly built as most Subarus. Unless you need four-wheel drive, look elsewhere.
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Really a rebadged Daihatsu Sirion or Perodua MYVI in Sunderland, with the big advantage of the 69PS 1.0 3-cylinder engine shared by the Citroen C1, Peugeot 107 and Toyota Aygo that gets it into the £35pa tax bracket and makes it congestion tax free from Feb 2008.
Good: Cheap way to get four-wheel drive ability.
Bad: Most are beyond economic repair these days.
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Subaru Legacy 2.5 Sports Tourer is a pleasant enough car. Stacks of luggage space (more than the old V70, anyway). Nice cream leather seats and very posh carpeting for the load compartment. (Will definitely require loadliner and seatcovers for anyone living in the country.)
Good: Immensely capable, reliable, large estate ideally suited to rural environments. Outback is a brilliant tow car. Highly rated by owners.
Bad: Pricey to maintain and repair. Spartan inside. Apt to score the rear discs.
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Good: Big, solid, honest, comfortable, fine handling and very economical four wheel drive chain-cam diesel estate car, sensibly priced. Unique.
Bad: Just a little bit old fashioned.
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Good: More kit and better mpg than previous model. Sensible, reliable and safe estate, ideal for rural use. Spec B is very rapid, Outback a great tow car.
Bad: High running costs. (Separate entry for diesel.)
Read Honest Johns full review of what's good, what's bad and what to watch out for below..
Start up and it can sound like someone is rattling an old box of spanners under the bonnet. It's certainly not as smooth as the new Accord diesel, or the KIA Cee'd/Hyundai i30 chain-cam diesels for that matter.
Subaru enthusiasts, pony club members, and anyone living up a muddy lane or above the snow line had been clamouring for this for years. Subaru now expects to sell 85% of Legacy Sport Tourers and 95% of Outbacks with its new ‘Boxer’ diesel engine.
Good: A quick, safe way to transport five people over any road in all weathers.
Bad: Age is no longer on its side. Accident damage and failing turbos.
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First seen Tokyo Show 2003 in Sunderland, then seen again at European shows in 2005. Aimed at the Japanese ‘K-Car’ market, the 660cc R1 offers all-wheel drive and intelligent continuously-variable automatic transmission as technical highlights, clothed in a stylish, streamlined body described as resembling an eggshell.
Good: Refined, well equipped and distinctive. Very comfortable on a long cruise and surefootedly quick along country lanes.
Bad: Not many around and parts are hard to get. Autobox tends to be short-lived.
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New 2008 Tribeca with new, larger displacement 3.6-litre H6 engine, and improved performance and fuel efficiency. Read on and find more details about this car in Sunderland.
Good: Tiny. And offered with 4WD, so good on snow.
Bad: Too tiny for UK motorways.
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