I am looking at a low mileage 02 Forester (95K original) vs replacing the motor in my 01 Outback for my 122 mile daily commute to Dulles, VA. How do they compare in gas mileage and performance, ride, etc? Outward appearences the Forester looks more truck like and is shorter. Other than looking for wet places on the bottom of the heads, is there anything I need to be vigilant for?

95k i would make sure headgaskets have been done

Outback mpg is better.  

I've driven both and the outback is a much smoother ride and will have better MPG.

 

At that mileage if they have not been done previously, you're not far from needing both the timing belt and head gaskets replaced on the Forester.

 

Depending on the condition of your outback, it may be worth replacing the motor. Car-part.com is a good source for finding a used motor.

Mechanically, the 2 vehicles are virtually the same. The forester is a smaller car. The forester may look larger because of its proportions. The forester is based on an impreza chassis with legacy running gear. 

Forster is smaller sizewise, but it sits higher off the ground. The higher stance brings fuel economy down by 2-3 mpg.

Forester also has a slightly stiffer ride and will be noisier due to less sound insulation.

 

You may want to consider something significantly newer if MPG is a major factor.

I had swapped my forester suspension into a impreza nd put the leftover impreza suspension in the forester. The impreza now dwarfs the forester in stance, and my legacy outback dwarfs both cars in overall size and heft.

 

Proportionally, the forester looks larger, until you park them all next to eachother.

Edited September 18, 201411 yr by MilesFox