RAV 4 vs X-TRAIL or OTHER...?

[chisel]

The older CRV had a bit of a hopeless 4x4 system, I believe - certainly a bit poor in sand.
Newer one might be better, dunno.
Would be a tough choice between x-trail and forester for sure. Don't think you could go wrong with either.

[mattyd]

I've been in the same boat 2 months ago and was considering most of the same you're lookin at.

I ended up deciding on the Forester MY09 Turbo. I've just got her up to 1600k's so I can now tow my 5.3m Glass boat (1.2T). The auto-levelling suspension is a big bonus and although you feel the boat behind you, it's always got ample power to get you off the ramp and up hills towing no worries.

I mainly decided to go the Subi because of it's 'on-road' drivability and sports performance engine (170kw is about the fastest softroader in it's price range before maybe a BMW or Merc).

Camping and boats with the occasional forest trail / dirt track is about all I'm doing with her while she's still so shiny & new. But Moreton is definitely in the picture for the not too distant future

X-trail does have bigger towing capacity than the Forester though - just depends on what things you value most in a tight race amongst this class of SUV's.

[Lancair]

Just for some more comparison info.

I used to have an 05 Forester X.
Had lots of dramas with the engine and idle revs etc etc. Suby basically told me ther was nothing wrong with it. After several different service centres one finally found the ECU had been loaded with previous models program ? Anyway afer a re-program it was fixed.
It towed my 4.2m tinny at highway speeds, but the fuel consumption went up HEAPS. Normal around town fuel consumption was high I thought, around 10-12L/100km, slightly better on the highway. Maybe it was just a stiff accelerator pedal spring, but I always felt like I had to keep the foot down hard to maintain 105km/h. Thank goodness for cruise control, although it is the worst for speed holding up and down hills Ive ever used.
Offroad it was passable, slippery steep farm tracks were mostly effortless providing you had he clearance. The Low range is a joke though, about a 25% reduction I think. Sand was good, the flat underside helps. Most of my driving was short town trips, lots of roundabouts, we went through front tyres at an alarming rate, like 20,000k's or less to needing replacement. o:

Ive now got an 08 Dual cab D4D Hilux and couldnt be happier. Better than the Forester at everything, other than maybe ride on a dirt road when the hilux is empty.

Andrew

[Roo]

I've got the MY06 Forrester X 2.5 manual, low range, non turbo jobbie. My experiences have been similar to Lancair's. The engine does not like to run smoothly on anything but Premium. the Upper cylinder needs to be cleaned at every service to stop the valves Gumming up. Fuel economy when towing the 4.55 polycraft is about 35% worse than normal running. I get around 9l/100 around town and highway mixture but goes up into the 12's when towing. Towing at highway speeds shows up the tall gearing they have used to get normal use economy down....5th gear at 100kph is in the No Go zone rev range(2500rpm) so any sort of incline will require a down change....or 2. I tend to sit on 110-120 (2850) on the motorway to keep the revs up a little higher and reduce speed loss on inclines. amazing what a few extra revs can do(3000 and up is quite strong).
Low rev torque is woeful. i Have to use low range at the boat ramp to pull out.... and slip the clutch... and give it the Wellington. will not pull the skin off a banana custard until the revs climb to 3000+ then it goes like a train! Low range reduction is almost pointless, would have been better off with an Auto. My tyre degradation is twice as good as Lancair's so I reckon he had a problem there, the original set lasted 43,000 but squealed like a stuck pig in car parks and tight roundabouts. the second set are up to 78,000 so far and still look pretty new, should last to the 100,000 mark easy.
Sand driving has been fine, although I've only been on the beach at Evans Head so it is a fairly easy entry and exit. not all hardpack but the deep bit is short enough to float over with a bit of momentum.

All up, I wouldn't have the same car again. The new one seems better but it is essentially the same engine so I'm a bit hesitant to go there again. A Mate has the 2.4 CVT outlander for a town/kids car and for a V8 Holden man he is surprised by it's all-round ability. tows his camper trailer with little effort and uses not much more juice than normal driving to do it. I haven't had a drive of it but I'm definitely going to have a go before the replacing the Subaru.
Mother in law has an older CRV. never liked them. still don't.
X-trails have been popular and many here will tell you how good they are. I don't doubt it. Nissan make good cars.

Cheers Roo.

[aston1]

A few yaers ago I saw an old crv with a camper trailer offload from a barge at rainbow beach and when I took my forester over to fraiser there were a few foresters, ravs, xtrails over there. Suprisingly I didnt have any problems in the soft stuff even up the dunes. I have done a fair bit of off road work in soft 4wds and the main restrictions that I came accross were large boulders and lack of tyre choice for the forester, xtrails and ravs have more choices with off road tyres