[Rob Brownfield]

Cass has been looking to replace her beloved GT86 with a more practical car for the last 6 months. Because of where we live, a rear wheel drive beast with effectively 2 seats was perhaps not the ideal choice...although to be fair, its done bloody well.

She wanted something that was practical, could be used everyday, and more importantly, with plenty of room for camping and fishing gear.

So...off to the Mitsubishi garage for a weekends test drive of the Mitsubishi PHEV. Proper 4x4, alleged fantastic MPG (that was actually rubbish), good visibility and plenty of room....

So...finance looked into, service plan agreed (bloody good deal), trade in agreed, manufacturers contribution upped...cass finally picked up the new all singing all dancing practical car.

Here it is...



Last Edition WRX STi..and its brilliant!! We drove to Turriff on Saturday for winter wheels and tyres and even on standard kit it never had an issue on the roads despite going cross country on some serious snow and ice...and passing stuck vehicles.

Boot is HUGE and rubber lined, seats fold totally flat and gives more length and width than my A4 Avant.

Best bit..the numberplate ends in PKE

[James Laraway]

Ned alert 😜

[Euan Innes]

Hey Rob,
Does she let you borrow her trousers for your work?? 

 

[Rob Brownfield]

My point was that she went from insisting we needed an electric car to save the world, and ended up with a car that does 25mpg on Super Unleaded only.

[Hamish Young]

So the answer to Euans question is.... Yes 
Never mind Rob, when you grow up maybe Cass will let you drive a proper car and not an Audi 
Only joking, I'm sure the Audi is a very fine car. How are those trousers f Cass's  by the way 

[James Laraway]

the upside being when your not fishing you can hang around down the beach boulevard....

[Rob Brownfield]

Should try driving one, especially in the winter. Beats any 4x4 vehicle you can name on ice/compacted snow, slush and typical winter road conditions.

Bought for practicality, nothing else.

[Hamish Young]

Should try driving one, especially in the winter.

A few years ago (well, quite a few now) Subaru had a special offer on the WRX hatch.... we came oh so very close to buying one as it was a great offer. Next year the road tax went up and now they're something like £520 to tax for a year

I've driven a few Subarus and there's not much out there that can deal with seriously adverse weather/road conditions with the same panache. Just such a shame you bought an Audi Rob   

[Mike Barrio]

[facebook]https://www.facebook.com/thevintagenews/videos/1762887630453010/[/facebook]

[Terry Coging]

Brilliant vehicle. My neighbour who lives opposite has one that served in Normandy.  It's totally original except for the UK number plates.

[Bill Wood]

Seen the latest Bentley Bentayga with the fishing package? I couldn't afford the package never mind the car.
 

[Derek Roxborough]

Never had a 4x4 , never felt the need, even after 48 years of living here, probably the best car in the snow was my Renault 4 with Michelin ZX + Ms, it would go any where, even got a landy Bogged down after he followed me,  I carry some Plastic mesh to get me out of any thing extreme ( The heavy duty stuff) I even got our local cops using the same,    Derek Roxborough

[Rob Brownfield]

Next year the road tax went up and now they're something like £520 to tax for a year

Nope...£152 Tax has changed...

My Outback was circa £300 to tax.

[Hamish Young]

Nope...£152 Tax has changed...

Encouraged by this I went and checked.... as I'm thinking it would be interesting to have one... the tax is indeed £520pa for the 2007-2011 era WRX. Possibly newer models fall into a different tax band 

[Dave Robb]

I’m £20 per year for my supposedly evil 2.0l diesel.

[Rob Brownfield]

Encouraged by this I went and checked.... as I'm thinking it would be interesting to have one... the tax is indeed £520pa for the 2007-2011 era WRX. Possibly newer models fall into a different tax band 

Indeed they do....I got it a little wrong though...its £140 a year if registered after 31st of March, 2017. The first year is £1,700, but Subaru paid that (Yes, I know, it will be hidden in the cost of the car, but they took £3k off list price).

Before that its £520.

Both Band L, but significant changes.

[Derek Roxborough]

 My son  in the US is a Subaru Buff, he has 3 , very Popular on the west coast, he can get used engines shipped from Japan, he has 2 SVX's and a Forester, he does a lot of work on them himself, having amassed the gear to do it over the years, I have a punto Derek Roxborough

[Hamish Young]

Quite jealous of the SVXs.....underrated cars those 

[Derek Roxborough]

he has had one or two over the 20 years he has been in the US, Ideal for Californian Motor ways,
Derek Roxborough

[Rob Brownfield]

The SVX was an AMAZING vehicle...something you expect to see in the series UFO

We had a temporary boss here at work that was from California. I was asked to pick him up from the airport and I had my Outback at the time.

When we walked to the car his eyes lit up and he explained that the Outback was a really popular car over there due to so many people heading off at weekends camping and so on.

I really regret getting rid of it, and I am currently trying to work out how I can wangle a deal on a new one that allows me to trade in the Audi. I drove the new diesel model and it was pretty damn good (unlike the older diesel). They still do a 2.5 petrol, but they are like rocking horse poo.

Only car I have owned where I could fold the seats completely flat, stick in a camping mat and sleeping bag and still have room to lay out with all my fishing gear down the other side, and still have room to cook in the boot (doors open!!).

[Sandy Nelson]

I really regret getting rid of it, and I am currently trying to work out how I can wangle a deal on a new one that allows me to trade in the Audi. I drove the new diesel model and it was pretty damn good (unlike the older diesel). They still do a 2.5 petrol, but they are like rocking horse poo.

Should be the same engine thats in my Forester brilliant bit of kit, i've done 39,000 miles in the last 2 years at a genuine average of 50.4 mpg, which is the opposite to what everyone tells you about boxer engines and they put a 5yr warranty on it.
No silly AdBlue or trick clutches, just an engine and a full time 4 wheel drive system 

Sandy

[Derek Roxborough]

 My wee Punto is the 1.4 eco diesel does 60 mpg just running about, with zero road tax, just the thing for an oap with a state Pension, Derek Roxborough

[Rob Brownfield]

Should be the same engine thats in my Forester brilliant bit of kit, i've done 39,000 miles in the last 2 years at a genuine average of 50.4 mpg, which is the opposite to what everyone tells you about boxer engines and they put a 5yr warranty on it.
No silly AdBlue or trick clutches, just an engine and a full time 4 wheel drive system 

Sandy

The new Outback has a newer revised diesel than the Forrester, super smooth...but Subarus really should be petrol ...and 2.5l

[Sandy Nelson]

Just checked that out, it is the same engine thats in mine
which is a good thing

Sandy

[Rob Brownfield]

Just checked that out, it is the same engine thats in mine
which is a good thing

Sandy

Ahhhhh...of course, you have a fairly new one don't you. For some reason I thought you had an older one. Must be my age lol. When the Outback first got a diesel engine I took one out. I hated it. I then drove an XV with a diesel..again. lumpy as hell. The new outback was super smooth and responsive. But I would still have an XT Forrester over a diesel...but I like to keep ny licence lol