The Outback is another one where the base model is the most popular - they're easy to spot thanks to their plastic wheel covers. And a terrific value.
Agreed. I really like the cloth seating surfaces in the base models, and the hard dash/door surfaces are kinda crappy whether you buy a base or a Limited anyway. Just use the stock wheels with the plastic covers in the winter and buy decent alloys for the summer.
It is kind of surprising. Back when we were shopping for the Crosstrek, a base Outback, base Forester, and mid grade Crosstrek were all similar in price and features. I preferred the size and carlike design of the Crossie, but it really boiled down to whatever we could find in stock
Both the Outback and Forester climb in pricing very quickly, but the base models are stellar value