When you work for long enough as an “automotive journalist,” you inevitably begin to expect certain things. Frequent flier miles. Regular flattery from people you don’t know. Access to the latest hotness in a consequence-free environment. No matter how conscious you are of your creeping sense of entitlement, or how guilty it makes you feel, it happens. Hell, when the new MINI Countryman came out, I expected to be invited to its launch simply because I thought it would sell well and had said as much. That’s how you start seeing things after only a few years of semi-regular junkets.
As it turned out, I wasn’t invited to drive the Countryman. So, when I saw it “in the metal” for the first time, it was parked in a nondescript North East Portland neighborhood instead of next to some mountain chalet or beachside resort. And though I didn’t get to drive it, the fact that I bumped into it on my own terms gave me the opportunity to experience something that auto journalists have entirely stop expecting: context. In this case, a comparison with the first-generation Subaru Outback I happened to be driving.
It had been a several years since I’d driven a first-gen Outback, a car that was the quintessential family car of my childhood. Though my family never had an Outback, it was to growing up in Eugene what Roadmasters or Vista Cruisers might have been to earlier generations, or what the Bentley Continental would have been if we’d stayed in Los Gatos: familiar, homey, beloved. So, when my partner’s sister went out of town and asked if I would take her to the airport and hang onto her Outback for a few days, I jumped at the chance.
After years of driving a 2008 Impreza, getting behind the wheel of “the original SUV alternative” was a revelation. In fact, compared to the porky little compact I was used to driving, the Outback felt nothing like an SUV. Though larger, it felt incredibly light, low to the ground, responsive, and almost delicately airy. Next to the Impreza’s poor visibility, chintzy interior, and soggy suspension, the Outback felt nimble, alive, honest, and direct. Sure it was crude, but it had more of the low-inertia fun that made compact cars great than its decade-younger “compact” cousin.
I was pondering this contrast, reflecting on the changes that cars have gone through in recent decades, when the first Countryman I’d ever seen caught my eye. So I pulled pulled the Outback up behind it, and took a few photos. I’ve still never driven a Countryman, but purely based on the specs I’m guessing it’s not terribly different from the Impreza, with its giant wheels, its tiny greenhouse, and its portly curb weight. It wouldn’t even surprise me to find that the old Outback offers more small car-style fun. But then, you’ll never find that out on a press junket… because nobody wants that kind of context. Which, in its own way, explains how we got here.
Nimble, alive, honest, and direct. Thanks Ed for encapsulating why I miss my 5-speed 1998 Outback so much. The E46 Bimmer that replaced it is a better numbers car for sure, but but it lacks the simplicity and jack of all trades usefulness of the Subaru, which was running great with over 200k miles when I sold it.
The First Countryman I saw in the metal was on display at our local Costco and even in there it looked anything but Mini. I could not believe how high the hood was, pretty darn close to some conventional midsize SUVs.
Glad to see you posting here, Ed. I have not experienced either car up close and personal. Your description of the Outback reminds me of how I felt in Mrs. JPC’s 88 Accord. The Countryman just doesn’t do it for me. I love fat overweight cars as much as the next guy (likely quite a lot more). If I’m going there, might as well look for a 70s Mercury Marquis. Go big or go home.
Welcome to the future, Ed. This is a landmark revelation just like the time Paul pointed out the Lexus RX to you.
In the future (present) we’re all driving tanks. Some of it is for arguably good safety reasons, and a lot of it is just design wankery and the “arms race” it inspires.
On TTAC I teased that you were writing here now because the pay at CC is better when room and board is factored in…
P.S. My 92 Vic, one of the largest passenger cars available for purchase at the time, has a curb weight of 3748 pounds. Chew on that…
Welcome, Ed. Nice to be able to read your words and insight again.
“nimble” and “light” … you almost had me there, ALMOST pining for my 1981 Reliant 2 door, stripped-down 4-speed…
Anyway, these days I’m quite happy pondering along, blissfully dimly aware of road imperfections in my Impala.
Sometimes getting older isn’t so bad after all!
My wife and I own an ’03 Outback, which is slightly larger than this generation (and ours has the H6 engine), and a MINI Clubman, which is smaller than the Countryman. We test-drove the Countryman and didn’t like it–too big and clumsy to be a MINI, we thought. The Clubman on the other hand is closer to the MINI hardtop in in driving experience–still nimble and fun to drive (let’s ignore the criticism about space utilization).
Coincidentally, my wife really admires the Z3 “shoe” coupe–Ed, do you still have yours?
The Clownshoe isn’t going anywhere. It recently went over 100k miles, and maintenance has been remarkably affordable over the first two years of ownership. And somehow I don’t see a major manufacturer matching its combination of old-school handling, naturally aspirated engine and Costco-capable storage in a sportscar any time soon. I get the feeling the breadvan and I will be lifelong partners.
I have an ’05 Outback, which I’m sure is significantly heavier and larger than this. While I’m sure its lost a lot of what you are talking about, it retains the airiness, the simple design. Since mine is the H6 is comes off as heavier than the other variants, but it proves itself remarkably fun (given its purpose) in the twisties. Of course, if you want to see this progress in rapid decline just look at the difference between the last generation of Outback and the current one. Makes me sad.
I drove an ’08 Legacy GT for a year as my personal car and test drove a Countryman S. The two weren’t entirely dissimilar. The Countryman had a tight turn-in which made it feel responsive, more so than the subie. In the S, the engine was relaxed at stop lights until you mashed the GO pedal with maybe a second to a second and a half of turbo lag. Again, not unlike my beloved Legacy.
The real difference was in the legroom for rear passengers, which strongly favors the Countryman. The Countryman’s seating position up front feels higher and less cockpit-like than the Subie. I tend to prefer the later, my wife, the former. Had I noticed the $24k sticker on the model we were driving (6psd manual, sun roofs, good color scheme) we probably would have left with it.
Just imagine what a Legacy Wagon with no SUV-pretense would have driven like.
Legacy Wagon….not that different. You barely gain anything in handling in that generation and you give up a couple inches of ground clearance which can make the difference between getting high centered in snow or not.
When our ’90 Legacy LS AWD wagon (an automatic, a hand-me-down from my dad) needed replacement in ’03, we never considered an Outback – too high up off the ground, and the Legacy L Special Edition wagon then offered was a much better deal (16-inch alloys, sunroof, leather steering wheel, fog lights, etc., for a reasonable extra amount). The car feels a bit heavy sometimes – it’s the standard 2.5 5-speed in a 3400-pound car – but is quite agile for its size when moving; I especially like to go quickly around corners or wider curves, which wouldn’t be enjoyable in a higher-up Outback.
Double the Niedermeyers = double the CCs, right?
The 2nd generation Legacy and 1st generation Impreza were basically the same car as the 1st generation Legacy. And it was an excellent platform. If the Citroen GS and early ’90s Accord had had a baby, it would’ve been the early ’90s Subarus.
The sharp steering, precise mechanicals and ergonomics would’ve come from Honda, but the flat-four, excellent chassis balance, weighty controls and resilient, long travel suspension were totally unique in the marketplace. There’s more to Subarus than AWD and pretentious lifestyle; there’s a real engineering-led approach to their products. One which guarantees that not enough people will pay attention to their cars unless disproportionate attention is given to AWD, as though we’re all sliding off the roads in our Civics and Camrys.
That being said, I’d love to have a ’91 Legacy GT sedan with a 5-spd and rear LSD.
“Nimble, alive, honest, and direct.” describes my Cressida in comparison to my Lexus. Mind you, I do like luxury, isolation and a V8 engine too. I think everyone should be made to drive a 25-year old car to experience the dynamic of a mechanical device in motion, as opposed to an appliance that plays MP3s.
Ed, good to see you writing again! Great piece.
My wife owns an ’05 Outback…it replaced a ’98 exactly like the one depicted above.
The ’05 has many more bells and whistles than the ’98…but I get your comment about the “nimble, alive, honest and direct” aspect of the ’98. You can get the ’05 to move but you have to remember to put it in “sport” mode to avoid a lag in the torque curve.
The “Subaru-ness” of those early-90’s Legacys (also had a ’92 FWD wagon given to my son by my mom when he went off to college six years ago…but he wasn’t allowed a car on campus ’til midway thru his Sophomore year, so my wife and I drove it) feels all-but-forgotten in the ’05. I shudder to think how the new models must be. Larger, heavier, but same engine. And CVT’s a non-starter with me…if I can’t have a stick I at least like to feel it when my vehicle shifts.
This is my dilemma as my ’03 gets older–I’ve never been very impressed with the subsequent generations. I love the torque, reliability, and yet reasonable fuel mileage of the 3.0 H6, and I know I can get a 3.6 now, but the interiors of the cars seem to have been cheapened (like so many others).
I’d go for an ’09 Outback – last of the “good Outbacks” before it became an Acura MDX with a flat-4 or flat-6.
You hit the nail on the head as to why I still daily drive my 1997 Outback. Its combination of practicality and fun is unmatched. The long suspension combined with the direct, light steering, and fantastic outward visibility means it is as quick around town, with potholes and rutted roads, and traffic, as anything you can buy. I have other cars, and have driven every body style Outback, but mine with 200k miles is a keeper
Honey I ve enlarged the Mini!. Funny how the copies of the Mini and Fiat 500 are 4 time larger then the originals! but the Mini back seat is just as big as the old one. Its good some things stay the same…
IMHO, sad to say, the only good Subie is an old one. My ’04 Forester, sans turbo but gifted with a 5-speed manual, always showed a frisky side. It was a fun drive for eight years; now it’s sold, not to be replaced by any Subaru.
I’ve test-driven all the new model except the new sports coupe, and I can’t imagine owning any of them. The Outback? A boat of bloat. The Forester? Still a nice body style, with comfort and visibility, but the the 4-speed automatic works like a sea anchor. With the 4-speed, the newer, SUV-sized Forester bogged down hopelessly on hills, with zero acceleration despite five seconds of full throttle. Felt like I was pulling a trailer!
The only thing “mini” about the Countryman is the ground clearance. I was liking the fun-to-drive reports until I saw that figure, a whole 10mm more than a ‘normal’ Mini.
First, I miss both of you guys on TTAC. Next, as a multiple Subie owner, I have to say that i think subaru is getting it again. The 08 impreza and 10 legacy/outback were definite steps in the wrong direction, but the new impreza and brz are very positive steps back in the right direction and I am excited about the new wrx and expecting great things for the next legacy. As far wrong as subaru has gone, i think they are still well on the better side of the industry in terms of size, weight — and most importantly, “fun to drive-ness” and visbility. By contrast, Mini’s fathership, BMW, seems to really be losing the plot — not only with Mini, but with the 3,5 and Z and M, which are no longer compelling from any perspectives other than technical competence and keeping with up with the joneses (at which they clearly still excel), especially given their elevated prices. Also, as bad as your 08 impreza may have been, Ed, visibility would be a LOT worse in many other modern steeds. I also have to note that your points about the practicality of the breadbox M are well taken. I think a well sorted dose of practicality can take an already awesome sports car into the stratosphere. Too bad Subaoyota didn’t put a hatch on the 86.
Well said. I’m tempted to eventually replace my BMW 3-series with a fast Subaru (WRX, STi, maybe even a BRZ although it’s not really fast per se). BMW’s direction of turbos and numb steering isn’t doing anything for me, and at Subaru I get way more bang for my buck, especially if I’m buying new.
Great to see you here Ed!
As an original owner of a 91 Legacy (now 219,000 mi.), former owner of an 09 Clubman S, and current owner of a 12 Countryman S All4, I can tell you that the Clubman was the most fun to drive followed by the Countryman. The Subie keeps on going, but it is not in the same ballpark as the Mini’s. I keep going to miniusa.com and building Clubman’s as the future Subie replacement.
Nicely written there Ed, and good to see you come full circle, and be on the same site as your Dad.
That said, you describe best what that gen Outback is, and is much like my old ’83 Civic hatchback, with all of 67hp was like, fun to drive like no other. Fast, it was not, but sprightly, definitely.
The one thing I disliked about my ’88 LX-I Accord sedan was despite having a 2.0L 4, churning out some 120 horses and having a 5spd manual, it never felt as quick off the line as that little Civic, thus it’s sporty pretensions when driving were somewhat lost.
I now drive a 2003 Mazda Protege5 with the 4spd sport stick autobox, and it feels like it has better off the line punch, at 130hp, out of the same size motor than that 88 Accord that it feels much livelier overall.
While not quite the same with the autobox, it’s a fun little car to drive with its great visibility, out of just about everywhere, and it feels agile as all get out and toss it around, and it keeps its composure while at it.
That said, I have always liked the older Imprezas, especially the early oughts generation, especially the ’02 bugeye models. I don’t get the feeling that they were as porky as the later models even though I’ve never driven one.