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2014 or 2015? The Impossible Choice

9K views 39 replies 29 participants last post by  pgrokkos 
#1 ·
Hi all!

I have been lurking in this forum for the past few months envying all of you Crosstrek owners. However, it has finally come time for me to join the club and purchase my own! Here is my dilemma; I have a choice between a '14 Premium and '15 Premium, both brand new.

2014 2.0i Premium:
$21,000
Desert Khaki
5-Speed Manual
Can drive off the lot today if I wanted to.

2015 2.0i Premium:
$22,414
Black
5-Speed Manual
Touchscreen Entertainment Center
Homelink Mirror
Will not arrive until end of January.

Desert Khaki is my favorite color the Crosstrek comes in, and though I don't mind Black; it simply isn't my first choice. (Desert > Tangerine > Dark Grey > Black) However, I also really want the touchscreen entertainment center with the rearview camera. Ordering a car is out of the question, as it adds $500 to the price, and I would have to wait until the end of February for it to arrive.

What are your opinions? It is honestly between these two vehicles for me. I know I do have other choices, but the wife and I have more or less gotten it down to these two. Is the 2015 absolutely worth getting? Will I regret not getting the infotainment system? Or will I forever lament the day I drove off the lot in a car that isn't the color I so very wanted?

Regardless of the choice, this vehicle will end up having fun in Southern California's deserts, and I will definitely be investing in skid plates, a front-mounted light bar with spots, and the eco-hitch. I am still considering a basket and roof-mounted LED bar.

Looking forward to your responses!
 
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#3 ·
That's a tough one and only you can truly decide. The rearview camera is not a big deal since you can add it aftermarket but the infotainment system is another story. If you aren't planning on upgrading the stereo at a later time the infotainment system might be enough to sell it the 2015 for me. Also, they added additional sound deadening in the 2015 I understand. If it weren't for the exterior colour choice I would say it's an easy decision to wait for the 2015. Also, if you are buying the car outright a 2015 will have a better resale value just because of the manufacturing year even though technically they are probably only a month or two apart in build time. Like I said it's a hard decision and only you can make it but this would be my though process.
 
#4 ·
Every time I see a Desert Khaki xtrek (which isn't that often) I kinda wish I'd gone for that instead of my Marine Blue Pearl. I love that color. And having one in a 5-sp would make it pretty rare.

For me, I couldn't care less about a rearview camera or touchscreen. How hard is it to just back up with your mirrors/eyes?

I'd say get the Khaki now and love it forever.
 
#6 ·
Definitely a tough one ... partly because none of us have actually seen or driven the 2015 yet.

If it were me, though, I wouldn't buy a car in a color that I wasn't a fan of -- I did that once, when I needed a car quickly after a wreck, and it depressed me every time I went out to look at the thing. Life's too short for that, so if it truly is down to those two vehicles, I'd get the 2014 and use some of the money you save to upgrade the sound system. For a few hundred dollars you could easily get a sound system upgrade that would match or exceed the OEM one in the 2015s, with the exception of the backup camera.
 
#7 ·
I would go for a 2015 model. The entertainment system is better, but the noise insulation is what I would want after all the complaints. I paid 2000 extra to get myself the 2015, but I got the color I wanted too. Any reason why you cannot order a new car in the color you like?
 
#8 ·
Honestly, I can tell you really want the Khaki color, but also the newer 2015 model. Getting the black color because the deal is there will make you miserable in the long run (maybe short run).

I say spend the $500 for the car you truly want. If your financing for 60-72 months, an extra $500, is an extra $6-$8 a month.

Also let the dealership know this is your selling point, you may get the khaki color with no additional cost.
 
#9 ·
I can see I hit a nerve here; both color and entertainment center are definite deal-makers/breakers for most. I agree the backup camera is definitely the least important thing the '15 has. My only hesitation for putting an aftermarket system in to a '14 is getting it to work with the steering wheel controls. Not having them work with an aftermarket head unit wouldn't be okay with me. Has anyone done this and gotten everything to play nice?

Also, the sound deadening was one of my biggest draws to the '15 after the amount of complaints I have seen on this forum. Is the '14 really as unbearable as some of you have claimed? My test drive at 80 MPH on the freeway didn't seem notable to me.

As for my hesitance to order a '15 that isn't already in the dealer's pipe; my current car MIGHT make it to the black '15's mid-January delivery date. But I suspect it will fail even before then. So really, the later date is the main killing factor to the custom-order. The dealership I am talking with right now is the only one in my area that has a 5-speed in the pipe. All the others only have CVT's as part of their initial order.

One other thing; does anyone have any comments on the extended 7 year/100k warranty? I haven't dealt with Subaru before.
 
#10 ·
I think the noise thing has a lot to do with what people came from to their XV. I traded a 2000 Camry and I don't find it noisier than that.

I wondered as I read that if you had asked about a dealer trade/locate? The dealership I bought mine from offered to look for one for me off other dealer lots. It seems dealer trades were pretty common for these. I had two color choices in mind and they had my second choice on the lot and could have traded to get the color I wanted. They made me an offer I couldn't refuse on the one they had, so I ended up taking that one, which I love, btw.
 
#11 ·
And now having read my own reply, I feel I should add that I intend to add some sound deadening material whenever I get around to upgrading the speakers. It could be quieter, but it's not like riding in an old jeep or something.
 
#12 ·
Hello GeneralRap,

I would recommend getting the 2014 in Dessert Khaki, (best color available) and picking up a pioneer or Alpine head unit that includes the MIrrorlink feature for about $500. This feature has a few good aspects that I recommend you read about, but my personal favorite is it will mirror your phones GPS on the head unit. I have a 2014 limited w/ navigation and I still use my phone because it is easier, quicker and more reliable then the built in GPS. Down the road I will probably upgrade to one of these head units but the idea sucks to think about since I paid to have this head unit and GPS in the limited model.

From what i know, the new subaru touch screen head units are a lot better all around and if you were comparing 14 to 15 XV limited I would have suggested getting the 2015 and sticking w/ the stock unit

I hope this helps!

Rock On!
 
#13 ·
I could have purchased an XV any time in the past 4 or 5 months, but I wanted to see what 2015 would bring. So the Saturday after Thanksgiving I ordered a Desert Khaki Premium CVT with EyeSight. The EyeSight was the cinch, but there seemed to be enough other tweaks to the car that it would be worth it for me. ETA is late January, and would have been a month later if I had wanted a moonroof instead. Extra $$$ for ordering wasn't even an issue and he didn't want a deposit.

When I decide on color, I decide on A color since I'll be living with it for up to a decade. The backup camera and EyeSight will be a help in the dense National Capital Region -- and worth passing up on the moonroof.

Consider investing the time to shop other dealers.
 
#14 ·
Maybe I'm just ignorant but I don't see at any point in my paperwork that the order cost me an extra 500$. I sent them a check for 500$ as a deposit and almost a month later it hasn't been cashed. The way they laid it out to me was the 500$ would "sit in a safe" until I signed for the car at delivery. If I decided against the car for ANY reason I get my money back. No real downside there.
I ordered the 15 because there are a number of notable upgrades, I have been looking at crosstreks for the last 4 months to see if they improved some of the major gripes, and it seems they have. At least a few of them.

I ordered a 2015 limited in dark grey(wish I had done khaki but my fiance doesn't like it, she's not paying for the car though). On delivery I will either pay for the vehicle in cash or pay half down and spread it out a bit. Not sure yet.
 
#16 ·
One thing people haven't considered....


The 2014s will get cheaper as the 2015s arrive on the lot.... So that $1,400 price difference should increase as time goes on. The only problem would be is that the selection will drop as the remaining 2014s are sold.
 
#17 ·
I would go for the 2015 model just because of all the improved refinements.

Better sound insulation, quicker steering ratio, new infotainment system, thicker glasses, and other things you can't see.
 
#18 ·
For me it would be a no-brainer...at this time of year I would only go for the 2015 model.
#1 reason would be for eye-sight. It's probably the only reason now why I might consider getting rid of my 2012 XV, and I can't wait to have it on my next XV whenever that will be.
And #2 reason would be for the better future resale value.
No matter what month the car was made, a MY14 will technically be a 'year old' come Jan 2015.
And say hypothetically three years down the track when you want to trade your XV for a new car, the difference will be either having the trade-in value of a three year old car or a four year old car.
 
#28 ·
And #2 reason would be for the better future resale value.
No matter what month the car was made, a MY14 will technically be a 'year old' come Jan 2015.
And say hypothetically three years down the track when you want to trade your XV for a new car, the difference will be either having the trade-in value of a three year old car or a four year old car.
^^^ I agree.
 
#19 ·
I would not get black, the paint on these vehicles is thin and soft, hence it scratches easily. Just by opening the door I have scratches from my nails and my hood and roof now have bird poop marks that won't polish out.. I'd stick with lighter colors that don't show imperfections as much.
 
#20 · (Edited)
I'll just pitch in with my two cents.

For me the dealbreaker is Eye-sight. I'd definitively want that, therefore 2015. But for your decision making? The stereo si much easier upgrage than adding an aftermarket rear-view camera.

Someone said you can jsut look in your mirrors - of course you can, but I personally got spoiled by the camera and now I'd not buy a car without it. It just gives you extra maneuvering space behind you and more certanity whether or not you are going to hit something or not. You can for sure go without it, but once you go "back camera", you never go back :D

I'd also wait for the color. If nothing else, I'd definitively go with the color you want (khaki), even if it means waiting for end of January to get it in 2015. I've been decided on the crosstrek for a year now and I've been waiting patiently for the 2015 (I had other factrs weighing in to the wait, to be fair). Couple more weeks won't kill you, while not preffered color (and even being it 4th (?) on your list) will haunt you to the rest of ownership. Color is not something you can easily (cheaply) change and it's the main thing that would be on your mind day-to-day.

So to sum it up, I'd recommend waiting for the 2015 Khaki even if bit more expensive

Just my opinion.

Edit: also 2015 will hold a higher value, in any given year if you decide to sell, you'll sell 2015 for more than 2014. Even if they were built few months apart...
 
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#22 ·
Well, it looks like the tide has turned to favor the 2015. However, my wife and I have been doing some research and calling some family friends, one of which is the regional manager of a host of dealerships in the northwest. He called his general managers, asked them the lowest they could go for a personal friend of his, and they each told him around $20,850 would be the absolute rock bottom they could go down to without going in to the red.

I asked him about the 2015's, and he said that he has driven them already. He says the infotainment system is greatly improved, but the rest is just small cosmetic differences (silver bezels next to the air vents, things like that). The MPG gain would be maybe 1-ish MPG for the 5-speed, and he says whereas the car does indeed sound a little quieter, it isn't an astronomical difference. He laughed and said if I want that I shouldn't be buying a Subaru.

Based on that information, along with the fact that my wife and I are planning on keeping this vehicle for at least 10-15 years minimum, in which the resell value gap between the models will be negligible, I think the $21,000 quote is enough to get me to buy the 2014, especially if the dealer would only be able to go down MAYBE another $200 before they stop moving the price. I really do want that new entertainment system, but not at the expense of another $1,500.

I'll be sure to post some pictures when we go get it!
 
#26 ·
Congrats! You really can't lose. But being a '14 owner. I'd happily pay $1500 for better infotainment, rear backup camera and sound deadening. $1500 is a s mall price to pay IMO. I'm not the type of owner who will swap out a head unit. And these cars need any help they can get in the sound deadening dept. I actually kick myself a bit for not waiting. Then again, I won't own this car long enough. Praying I make it 18 months.
 
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