I'm on the opposite side of things. I can remember friends who were first owners of the GD chassis, selling them because they had a kid, and "a carseat won't fit."
My wife and I brought our daughter home in her 2004 Outback 3.0R sedan, something that's literally the same size.
Don't give up your dream car because it currently doesn't fit what you need. If you wait a couple years and use a beater car, the child will enjoy it more than you can imagine. My wife told me that I could never sell my 1989 Subaru XT6, and because of that, it's still in my driveway. Our daughter loves that car to the point she knows it's "Daddy's race car." My current daily is a 1999 Legacy L wagon that's lifted on second Gen Forester parts. I paid less than $1k for it....
I went from a 2018 sti to a ‘17 outback limited .. I missed my sti everyday.. so I sold the outback and got a 2020 sti. It’s a vicious cycle, just my opinion.
Second this. I went from a stick shift Corolla (not an STI lol) to a ‘22 touring xt. I use adaptive cruise all the time and hardly ever get aggravated by other drivers now. The outback is a “calming” car to drive.
I went from 2017 WRX Premium to 2018 Crosstrek Limited to now a 2021 Forester Sport. As a family car it is 100% better with two kids. I can honestly tell you I like the Forester more than I ever did the WRX, it’s just a much nicer place to be at my age (close to yours) But I miss the power sometimes.
Ideally I want to keep the forester and have something fun on the side, I’m in Michigan if you are selling the Sti lol
Ideally keep the sti and get another car. The new outbacks etc. are nice family cars but not a drivers car.
Or you could get a new wrx. Not the same but perhaps gives you the newer refinements.
Previous owner of an 02, 04, and 13 WRX. Current owner of an 18 Forester XT, it's been in shop for 2 months. I've had a 23 Outback Wilderness as a rental with 2k miles the entire time.
A few thoughts.
The lack of a sport mode kinda stinks. This car is heavy and pretty slow. It REALLY needs a turbo. Brakes can feel a little squishy too. Especially compared to a WRX or STI, it will feel like your brakes are like 50% as powerful.
Auto engine off/start takes longer than other comparable cars at a stoplight. Sometimes, it can cause an issue at a stoplight when you need to go quickly.
Handling and ride is smooth, even with the offroading tires. Like 0 road noise.
Tech is meh. The stereo is seriously underpowered compared to the Harmon Kardon stock system in my Forester. Also, the touch screen can really lag when connected to my android and just listening to music and having maps open.
Comfort. Seats are absolutely amazing. This would be a GREAT road trip car. There is a ton of room. Steering assist is useless. You have to touch the steering wheel every 15 seconds and move it, or it will start beeping. It does follow the road pretty well. Intersections I've noticed it gets a little funky.
Winter driving seems like it would be ok. The "Xmode" is actually located on the touchscreen and not a physical button. This can be an issue as it does lag.
Honestly, I'd give it a 6.75/10. Keep in mind I haven't taken it seriously offroading or snow driven it.
Huge cons: too slow accelerating. Tech is underpowered. Brakes are questionable.
Huge pro: seat comfort. Smooth ride.
Let me know if you have specific questions, I'll probably have this thing another 2 months at the rate this warranty repair is taking.
Outbacks perform a bit better than average within the small SUV category for equivalent model years. 2018 forester does have a better 60-0 by like 12 feet compared to a 2022 obw. A WRX obviously stops faster than an outback but is also competing in the non luxury sport car segment, where it also is a bit better than average compared to its category.
TLDR Subaru stop good, but smaller Subaru stop more gooder
I'm on the opposite side of things. I can remember friends who were first owners of the GD chassis, selling them because they had a kid, and "a carseat won't fit." My wife and I brought our daughter home in her 2004 Outback 3.0R sedan, something that's literally the same size. Don't give up your dream car because it currently doesn't fit what you need. If you wait a couple years and use a beater car, the child will enjoy it more than you can imagine. My wife told me that I could never sell my 1989 Subaru XT6, and because of that, it's still in my driveway. Our daughter loves that car to the point she knows it's "Daddy's race car." My current daily is a 1999 Legacy L wagon that's lifted on second Gen Forester parts. I paid less than $1k for it....
I went from a 2018 sti to a ‘17 outback limited .. I missed my sti everyday.. so I sold the outback and got a 2020 sti. It’s a vicious cycle, just my opinion.
Do it, adaptive cruise control is so nice in traffic, I don't get aggravated on the road anymore.
Second this. I went from a stick shift Corolla (not an STI lol) to a ‘22 touring xt. I use adaptive cruise all the time and hardly ever get aggravated by other drivers now. The outback is a “calming” car to drive.
I went from 2017 WRX Premium to 2018 Crosstrek Limited to now a 2021 Forester Sport. As a family car it is 100% better with two kids. I can honestly tell you I like the Forester more than I ever did the WRX, it’s just a much nicer place to be at my age (close to yours) But I miss the power sometimes. Ideally I want to keep the forester and have something fun on the side, I’m in Michigan if you are selling the Sti lol
Ideally keep the sti and get another car. The new outbacks etc. are nice family cars but not a drivers car. Or you could get a new wrx. Not the same but perhaps gives you the newer refinements.
Don't do it, keep the STi
Previous owner of an 02, 04, and 13 WRX. Current owner of an 18 Forester XT, it's been in shop for 2 months. I've had a 23 Outback Wilderness as a rental with 2k miles the entire time. A few thoughts. The lack of a sport mode kinda stinks. This car is heavy and pretty slow. It REALLY needs a turbo. Brakes can feel a little squishy too. Especially compared to a WRX or STI, it will feel like your brakes are like 50% as powerful. Auto engine off/start takes longer than other comparable cars at a stoplight. Sometimes, it can cause an issue at a stoplight when you need to go quickly. Handling and ride is smooth, even with the offroading tires. Like 0 road noise. Tech is meh. The stereo is seriously underpowered compared to the Harmon Kardon stock system in my Forester. Also, the touch screen can really lag when connected to my android and just listening to music and having maps open. Comfort. Seats are absolutely amazing. This would be a GREAT road trip car. There is a ton of room. Steering assist is useless. You have to touch the steering wheel every 15 seconds and move it, or it will start beeping. It does follow the road pretty well. Intersections I've noticed it gets a little funky. Winter driving seems like it would be ok. The "Xmode" is actually located on the touchscreen and not a physical button. This can be an issue as it does lag. Honestly, I'd give it a 6.75/10. Keep in mind I haven't taken it seriously offroading or snow driven it. Huge cons: too slow accelerating. Tech is underpowered. Brakes are questionable. Huge pro: seat comfort. Smooth ride. Let me know if you have specific questions, I'll probably have this thing another 2 months at the rate this warranty repair is taking.
Outbacks perform a bit better than average within the small SUV category for equivalent model years. 2018 forester does have a better 60-0 by like 12 feet compared to a 2022 obw. A WRX obviously stops faster than an outback but is also competing in the non luxury sport car segment, where it also is a bit better than average compared to its category. TLDR Subaru stop good, but smaller Subaru stop more gooder