JeepinMatt wrote:
COG and weight could certainly be advantages, but Subies have gotten a lot heavier than the old GC8s. Compared to the Cherokee he mentioned, the Impreza is right around the same weight. Then again, that doesn't hold water compared to a Silverado.
If you drive smartly, and perhaps drop some money on some snow tires, I don't think there will be that big of a difference for around-town driving in the snow; not enough that it would change my decision away from what I want. If the OP wants a sporty car, the Subie is the way to go. If he wants some that he can take off-roading, an SUV would be a better choice. I think either would work just fine around town.
my '90 XJ was great for bombing around in the deep snow...it was the plowed areas and general winter road garbage that gave it a time. That said, it was on BFG AT 31s, which are too much contact area for a lightish truck when it came time to stop. That, combined with some of the worst brakes ever created....no stopping power, no modulation feel, no ABS...
I found myself in the middle of several intersections on partially-plowed roads....And yeah, a base XJ is about the same weight as a loaded WRX, but there are some minor differences in the suspension and steering, lol. The XJ feels about 3 times as heavy when you're driving it!
If going with an XJ in the winter, it needs 2 things. Well 3:
1. stick with stockish tire sizes. Big beefies are nice for super-deep stuff, but not great for packed and ice.
2. upgrade to a Grand Cherokee brake booster....
3. bring a towel with you. The defroster doesn't defrost more than a couple inches of the windshield, and most older XJs leak in various places, so you'll be sure to have water inside the vehicle, condensing once the heater is on....
Either one will work for general around-town stuff. But an XJ isn't much fun to drive at all unless you plan to wheel it alot. Handling sucks, brakes suck, ride isn't good, not much more utility than an impreza wagon, honestly...the 4.0 HiOutput IS excellent though. I didn't have much time to wheel mine, that's why I sold it. If you do plan to wheel it though, it's an obvious choice over an impreza.
XJ parts ARE cheap as hell though and everything is easy to work on, that's for sure. Subies....not quite so much.
more photo whoring by me....my old XJ
We're on our second one, my 4th. Yeah, okay, some of the parts may cost more than a Chevy pickup's, but the infrequency that you will need parts balances it out. Just do your homework, try not to buy a 98-02 2.5 unless it's had head gaskets and make sure the timing belt is done at the proper interval.
