Originally posted by nolimit:
I seek feedback from anyone who has experience in any of these cars and is able to give me their impression to help me to make a decision. I'm more interested in issues about owning the car that cannot be found in test drives, brochures or reviews.
X-Trail 2.5 - spacious, sunroof option, reclining rear seat
Forester 2.0 XT - performance, free revving engine, character
Airtrek 2.0 Turbo - most performance, modern dashboard
Assuming that:
All are automatic transmission
Moderate driving for better fuel economy 80% of the time
Drive main roads 80% of the time, 20% expressways
Keep within appropriate speed limits
Drive to M'sia occasionally
Survey - rank in order of preference under the following scenarios:
(X = X-Trail 2.5, F = Forester XT, A = Airtrek Turbo)
Longest suspension travel (driving over road humps)
Most composed suspension (travelling over uneven road surfaces)
Quietest cabin from road noise (not counting engine sound)
Most comfortable seat after at least 1 hr driving (driver seat)
Most comfortable rear seats after at least 1 hr journey
Least vibration when idling in 'D' gear
Least wind noise from A-pillar or side mirrors
Best acceleration 0 - 60 kph at half throttle
Best acceleration 60 - 90 kph in 4th gear (without gear changing down)
Change up to 4th gear soonest at half throttle, city driving
Most useable torque and gear matching for city driving
Most composed while rounding bends (moderate driving, within posted speed limit)
Smoothest gear upchange under brisk acceleration (3/4 throttle)
Best able to live with it long-term (general conditions)
Most worry-free in terms of breakdowns
Cheapest in terms of repair and maintenance costs
Generally most satisfying to own overall
Generally most fun to drive overall
Generally most rugged (least prone to rattling etc. after a few years)
Thanks.
I'm sure HENG@ will come in talking abt his car again but heck.....ok here's my unbiased opnion....for ruggedness the X-trail wins hands down...maintainence Turbo can be abit of a hassle after a few yrs and insurance will be abit higher(can anyone confirm this?)the X-trail has wind noise when travelling above 130km/h....the suspension is good....rather than blinding performance its more of an soft roader...og coz fuel ecnomy wise this car wins hands down lar....cos of the low BHP...airtrek has abt 200+and the same goes for the forester....X-trail has abt only 180...u can even gently tweak it 2 produce abt 200BHP on the dyno
X-trail is spacious YES but the interior abit crappy....Dun like the cheap plastics....comfort-wise it's good lar....Heck I've rode in the X-trail for more than 5 hrs straight (Sgp 2 kota bahru) and its okay....cruising is good.....esp in malaysia's costal road (if u know where that is) as for fun 2 drive its debateable...4 me it is lar....
for usable torque of coz the airtrek and forester is better cos the torque comes out at lower revs(HENG@ dun bother saying this cos i did it 4 yea)due 2 the turbo...in the end its up 2 yrself lar....both of the cars have their good pts in their own ways.....u want storage and abit of a off-road capability then take the X-trail....it's 4WD system among the 3 is the Best...the airtrek though it has a LSD but no AYC frm the EVO....which makes it counter-productive in dry roads esp....