New Subaru Viziv-7(aka Ascent)

Tacomas and 4runners are pretty damn reliable. The new Tacoma still has the same old 1GR-FE V6 engine which has been in them since 2002 and seems pretty reliable so far.
The old tacomas had a pretty bad problem with frame rust in the salt states because of a bad coating and they did a recall/buyback but besides that they were great trucks. I had a 1995 with the old 2.7L 4cylinder and that thing was beat to all hell for 200k miles and never had a problem. I am friends with the previous owner and he never changed the coolant ever and went like 10k+ miles between oil changes on conventional oil too lol.

 

Of course now I can't find all of the negative reviews, but I feel like I read a few in the row that all had a less than stellar review. Here's one: http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2017/03/top-10-worst-cars-of-2017-consumer-reports.html

I am in denial of the poor reviews as I know Toyota's usually have a great track record. I will say that the Colorado is an intriguing offer in comparison, but it does still have the bowtie up front.

In any case, I'm not in the market for a truck (at least not yet...I'm sure the day will come), but I would likely cross shop the Tacoma and Colorado.

 

Yeah, I see nothing but gushing over the Tacos. That said, I've been looking at them and I really, really hate how Toyota has like 8 different Taco trims, none of which actually combines the things I want.

The Viziv is going to have a hard fight to make inroads against the likes of the Highlander. I'm watching closely, as we'll likely be going along that route when it's time to replace our Sienna.

 

Well, that's not a glowing review, but it doesn't speak to reliability at all. Also based on data from Confirmation Bias, err, I mean Consumer Reports, so take it with a block of salt.

That said, I wonder if the reviewer even acknowledges the Nissan Frontier, which could be accused of all of that and more.

Right now though, GM is actually really doing well with the Colorado/Canyon trucks, at least as initial reviews go (I expect standard GM reliability to bring that down over time).

Honestly, I'm really, really close to getting a Colorado. It checks most of the boxes I'm looking for in an all-round vehicle, and would push out both my WRX and GMC Sierra. But I can't seem to stick with a car for more than a few years anyhow, so long-term reliability doesn't seem so pressing anymore.

 

I think the Viziv will compete with the Highlander just fine...regardless of tow capacity. It will be families like yourself that want to replace the minivan (or other family hauler) with a vehicle from their favorite brand...Subaru.

It would be nice if the Viziv at least had around a 3,500 lbs tow capacity so you could comfortably tow a decent sized boat.

I don't read CR a ton, but I could definitely see how they are biased.

I think the Colorado drives a hard bargain to beat. I'd almost choose the Colorado over the Taco based on driver seating position alone (but that's just me...because I'm tall). The Taco had very little headroom (esp with the sunroof) and limited leg room. The Colorado on the other hand, felt great. I'd have to drive both of them though and really start researching the options/trims...but if I were to do that, I'd basically end up buying one next week, and I promised the wife I'd keep my FXT for at least 5 years! Err...3 years?

 

Yeah, all things equal, I'd get the Viziv, but I don't see any engine Subaru currently has being acceptable in a vehicle of that size for me. The current H6 is a far cry in power and efficiency from the 3.5-3.7L V6's of the competition. I love the FA20 engine, but in something that big? Nooooooo. EJ25 is both a dinosaur and totally unsuited for a vehicle that will live and die by low-end torque.

My wife suggested I start leasing vehicles so I can change them out without guilt every 2-3 years when I get bored. Problem is, I have too much equity in my WRX and nobody will let me trade it in on a lease (value would be close to or greater than the lease value).

Still, if I can find a 2017 Colorado Z71 crew cab, 6-foot bed, with integrated brake control and trailer package in LBM, I'll probably go for it. Problem is, everybody has only 5-foot beds and some of the most drab colors on the planet. I might have to settle for a different color, there's one that's almost perfect in Lakeville, but it doesn't have the brake control, and I'm not sure if that can be dealer installed.

 

Why not just get a full size truck at that point?

 

Because while it's biggish, it's still a lot smaller than a full-size, and configured the way I want it, it's $10k less.

 

Ha I did the same configuration on Chevy's website last week, and the Colorado was 10k less than the full size. Although the full size did come with AC seats , it's not worth the price premium nor the worse MPG's unless you really need the towing capacity

Totally agree on the currently available engines from Subaru. The 3.6 H6 is very torquey, but still nothing compared to the competition. Based on the size projections of the Viziv, the DIT 2.0 will be way under powered and would be constantly in boost to move the thing. I'm anxiously awaiting to see what engine Subaru puts in the Viziv, but I'm prepared to be disappointed.

Similar to the next STI. It better not be another 257...my guess is a cranked up 2.0. They wouldn't dare put a turbo H6 in it...that's be just too much fun.

 

I'd love AC seats, personally, but I'm not spending the extra $10k for it (actually more, the Colorado I'm probably buying tomorrow is closer to $15k less than what I'd buy in a Silverado, because it's been sitting on the lot for a long time, people apparently want the short bed in Colorados and I want the standard).

Yup, that'll probably be the difference between us being Subaru owners again, or replacing the Sienna with another Toyota.