Our Accord and previous Highlander had V6 engines that handled the climb with ease. We live at 1,200 feet above sea level, so we drive up and down steep hills every day. We’ve tested Subaru’s 2.5-liter 4-cylinder Boxer engine before in the Legacy sedan and Forester wagon, so we’re familiar with its character. The dealer was offering lease specials on 4-cylinder models. We wanted to lease an Outback similar to our previous test car, the 3.6R Limited. ![]() We searched the web for the closest dealer and headed to Subaru Pacific in Torrance, Calif. Join us as we highlight Outback features inside and out, then take it for a drive on our local country roads. This video highlights the first two weeks of ownership starting at the dealership. We wanted something with more cargo space than a sedan, yet we don’t need three rows of seats. The timing was perfect since we recently sold our ten-year-old Toyota Highlander, reducing our personal fleet to one car, our 11-year-old Honda Accord. We decided to pick a vehicle that we previously tested for a week. Once we decided on a model, we would select a dealership, arrive unannounced, choose a vehicle from inventory, negotiate a deal, sign the papers, and drive it home. We would lease a car and pay for it from our own pocket. So we decided to conduct a long-term test. What’s it like to buy or lease this car? How does the dealer treat customers before and after the sale? How much do we have to pay for maintenance? How reliable is the vehicle over the long haul? ![]() What it doesn’t do is provide an insight into the actual ownership experience. A week-long loan gives us the chance to drive several hundred miles on different roads, scout locations for photography, and take plenty of notes. In the Southern California region for example, hundreds of journalists compete for seat time. The reason, of course, is that automakers’ press fleets have limited numbers of vehicles. Sometimes it’s a day or two, or even a couple of hours. ![]() When we attend new model previews, the test period is shorter. The typical loan from a vehicle manufacturer lasts seven days. We’ve been very fortunate to test a wide variety of vehicles over the years.
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