Buster, have you driven one yet? I don't think you'll be disappointed with one that's CVT equipped. My 2014 5spd XV was a dog off the line, but had adequate pickup at speed due to the lowish gearing. I do love the looks of the XV for sure, but the Forester gets you a lot more Subaru for the money IMO.
dlay- You are 100% correct in that Subaru puts really poor winter traction OEM tires on their whole lineup. It blows my mind that they do so and I've fallen prey to it 3x now. My 2012 Legacy came with Bridgestone Turanzas that were like running on slicks in the snow. My 2014 XV had Yoko Geolanders that were marginal in winter conditions, while the Geolanders are frighteningly bad in the snow with my 2016 Forester.
dlay- You are 100% correct in that Subaru puts really poor winter traction OEM tires on their whole lineup. It blows my mind that they do so and I've fallen prey to it 3x now. My 2012 Legacy came with Bridgestone Turanzas that were like running on slicks in the snow. My 2014 XV had Yoko Geolanders that were marginal in winter conditions, while the Geolanders are frighteningly bad in the snow with my 2016 Forester.
