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dusty.rambler
Newbie
Posts: 18
Registered: 12-23-2022
Location: In hot water....
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Road to Agua Verde in Subaru?
Hello Nomads,
I've been a long time lurker, but first post. Taking the family for a two week tour of Baja in my wife's 2020 Subaru Forester (AWD, good new AT
tires). I would usually take my 4x4 Tacoma, but the boss (wife) thinks the Subaru will be more comfortable.
I understand that there was some heavy storms last fall and I'm wondering if anyone has been down to Agua Verde lately and can tell me if clearance
would be an issue in my vehicle? I'm an experienced off road driver, but AWD is not 4x4 and there are no low gears. I also want to visit the hot
spring at San Cosme, but am not opposed to walking the final stretch.
Thanks in advance for the input!
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AKgringo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5805
Registered: 9-20-2014
Location: Anchorage, AK (no mas!)
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Mood: Retireded
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Welcome to the forum!
Your Subaru should be fine on that road. I did not drive down there when I passed by the turn-off in October, but I ate at the restaurant at the
intersection.
I asked about the road conditions, and they basically said "No problemo" at that time. Most of the traffic using that road are two wheel drive.
I really like that road!
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64478
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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The Subaru will likely be fine, but the 4x4 Tacoma is the #1 Baja vehicle of choice for many Nomads! Have a portable air pump for refilling tire air
after deflating to cross sand.. or fix puncture (get a tire plug kit). I have owned three 4x4 Subarus (before they went to AWD) and three Toyota
Tacoma 4x4 Off Road TRD trucks. Like other Nomads, I am on Tacoma World forums, too.
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9006
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
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Mood: Inquisitive
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I really think you can make the Tacoma as comfortable as the Forester if you air down and get cushions for the seats (generally, Walmart has
inexpensive seat cushions and a good selection). Toyota seats kinda suck. Subaru SUV seats might be more comfortable; I don't know.
I assume the bed of the Tacoma will be loaded with gear for two weeks. That will also improve the rather bouncy ride, as well as airing down. Maybe
she is used to the ride of a no-load Tacoma with full inflation. It can be brutal with that moderately short wheel base, compared to a full-sized 4X4.
And there is the issue of.....well, how do I put this delicately......if she is an amply endowed woman, then the jouncing of a quick returning
suspension system can be uncomfortable. Maybe she needs to think about a cab-level, above-waist suspension adjustment, too?
There is a reason sports bras exist.
[Edited on 1-10-2023 by Hook]
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JZ
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9225
Registered: 10-3-2003
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Quote: Originally posted by Hook  | I really think you can make the Tacoma as comfortable as the Forester if you air down and get cushions for the seats (generally, Walmart has
inexpensive seat cushions and a good selection). Toyota seats kinda suck. Subaru SUV seats might be more comfortable; I don't know.
I assume the bed of the Tacoma will be loaded with gear for two weeks. That will also improve the rather bouncy ride, as well as airing down. Maybe
she is used to the ride of a no-load Tacoma with full inflation. It can be brutal with that moderately short wheel base, compared to a full-sized 4X4.
And there is the issue of.....well, how do I put this delicately......if she is an amply endowed woman, then the jouncing of a quick returning
suspension system can be uncomfortable. Maybe she needs to think about a cab-level, above-waist suspension adjustment, too?
There is a reason sports bras exist.
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Lol. Best post of the early new year.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64478
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Driving slower will also improve the ride... but as a rule, when off the highway, on graded dirt or unimproved roads, drop the pressure at least 1/3
of the street pressure. In sand, drop to 1/2 or less.
My 4-door 4x4 Tacoma's sweet spot, with my Hankook DynaPro ATM tires, is 34 psi street; 22 psi dirt; 17 psi sand.
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dusty.rambler
Newbie
Posts: 18
Registered: 12-23-2022
Location: In hot water....
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| Quote: Originally posted by Hook | | I really think you can make the Tacoma as comfortable as the Forester if you air down and get cushions for the seats (generally, Walmart has
inexpensive seat cushions and a good selection). Toyota seats kinda suck. Subaru SUV seats might be more comfortable; I don't know.
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The "comfort" issue is that it is the access cab, not full extended cab. That puts my 8 year old daughter cramped in the back and my wife has to
scoot the front seat way up to make space. It's really a space issue.
But thanks for all the feedback.... I would be in the Tacoma in a heartbeat if I were in charge... 
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64478
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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I went to Baja with both my kids in the 2001 Xtra cab I got first. They would take turns sitting in the back, drop down seat. When they reached age 15
& 16.5, I was able to buy my first double cab in 2005. Before my new lady joined our family, only one of my teens had to sit in back.
We did three (one week) Baja trips a year, Spring Break, Summer, and Christmas vacations. Also, 3-day weekends to Shell Island. Good times and they
both loved those camping trips.
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TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
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Take the Subaru and let us know how it went. Have fun and stay safe.
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Mulege Canuck
Nomad
Posts: 386
Registered: 11-27-2016
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| Quote: Originally posted by Hook | I really think you can make the Tacoma as comfortable as the Forester if you air down and get cushions for the seats (generally, Walmart has
inexpensive seat cushions and a good selection). Toyota seats kinda suck. Subaru SUV seats might be more comfortable; I don't know.
I assume the bed of the Tacoma will be loaded with gear for two weeks. That will also improve the rather bouncy ride, as well as airing down. Maybe
she is used to the ride of a no-load Tacoma with full inflation. It can be brutal with that moderately short wheel base, compared to a full-sized 4X4.
And there is the issue of.....well, how do I put this delicately......if she is an amply endowed woman, then the jouncing of a quick returning
suspension system can be uncomfortable. Maybe she needs to think about a cab-level, above-waist suspension adjustment, too?
There is a reason sports bras exist.
[Edited on 1-10-2023 by Hook] |
I do enjoy a good Tacoma beat down……
Mind you I own one that has 420000 km.
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Mulege Canuck
Nomad
Posts: 386
Registered: 11-27-2016
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| Quote: Originally posted by Hook | I really think you can make the Tacoma as comfortable as the Forester if you air down and get cushions for the seats (generally, Walmart has
inexpensive seat cushions and a good selection). Toyota seats kinda suck. Subaru SUV seats might be more comfortable; I don't know.
I assume the bed of the Tacoma will be loaded with gear for two weeks. That will also improve the rather bouncy ride, as well as airing down. Maybe
she is used to the ride of a no-load Tacoma with full inflation. It can be brutal with that moderately short wheel base, compared to a full-sized 4X4.
And there is the issue of.....well, how do I put this delicately......if she is an amply endowed woman, then the jouncing of a quick returning
suspension system can be uncomfortable. Maybe she needs to think about a cab-level, above-waist suspension adjustment, too?
There is a reason sports bras exist.
[Edited on 1-10-2023 by Hook] |
I do enjoy a good Tacoma beat down……
Mind you I own one that has 420000 km.
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shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13033
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
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Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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there may be some clearance issues unless your Subaru is higher than mine....especially if it's loaded. I wont take mine over the coast road to
Abreojos from Asuncion and I think parts of the Agua Verde road especially the grade coming out...are rougher than the coast road. Just my 2 centavos.
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9006
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
Member Is Offline
Mood: Inquisitive
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| Quote: Originally posted by dusty.rambler | | Quote: Originally posted by Hook | | I really think you can make the Tacoma as comfortable as the Forester if you air down and get cushions for the seats (generally, Walmart has
inexpensive seat cushions and a good selection). Toyota seats kinda suck. Subaru SUV seats might be more comfortable; I don't know.
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The "comfort" issue is that it is the access cab, not full extended cab. That puts my 8 year old daughter cramped in the back and my wife has to
scoot the front seat way up to make space. It's really a space issue.
But thanks for all the feedback.... I would be in the Tacoma in a heartbeat if I were in charge...
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Oh wow, one of the early Tacomas. Yep, got to keep the peace. Take the Forester.......which is a pretty capable SUV, if it has AWD. Decent clearance
on the Foresters, I've heard. The Outbacks have good clearance, too.
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mtgoat666
Select Nomad
Posts: 17289
Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
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Mood: Hot n spicy
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| Quote: Originally posted by dusty.rambler | | Quote: Originally posted by Hook | | I really think you can make the Tacoma as comfortable as the Forester if you air down and get cushions for the seats (generally, Walmart has
inexpensive seat cushions and a good selection). Toyota seats kinda suck. Subaru SUV seats might be more comfortable; I don't know.
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The "comfort" issue is that it is the access cab, not full extended cab. That puts my 8 year old daughter cramped in the back and my wife has to
scoot the front seat way up to make space. It's really a space issue.
But thanks for all the feedback.... I would be in the Tacoma in a heartbeat if I were in charge...
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You should have bought the crew cab! You can’t easily raise kids w/o a full size backseat. 2-door cars are for teenage drivers, once you become an
adult you need a 4-door car.
The only long trips I have done in a Toyota Tacoma were in a regular cab 1st gen Tacoma,… a miserable car to drive - that cured me from wanting a
Tacoma! We had a couple company cars that were later model crew cab tacomas,… they were kind of gutless, and after a while they seemed to be very
tinny and rattle a lot.
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Prefered gender pronoun: the royal we
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bajarich
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Posts: 463
Registered: 1-13-2005
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Make sure your brakes are in good shape. I always use 4 low in the steep spots, both going down and up the hill. The last time I was down there I
saw a VW Jetta on the beach, but the road was good then. This falls storms could have torn it up.
Take a mule ride at San Cosme. Alejo could use some business.
I went in to AV once after a hurricane (I forgot which one) but I asked at the restrauant on the highway how the road was. There were two ladies
working there and one said "Bien" and the othe said "Mas o Menos". There was an elderly man "Vicente" who said it was "Bien" and could he have a ride
with me to the village. I had a Dodge Dakota with a 4Wheel camper on it and was pulling a 14' aluminum boat and trailer.
Going down the hill was very slow and there were lots of washouts, Hail Mary corner was all undercut and really scary. When we got to San Cosme, all
of the vados had been washed out all the way to the Village and it took us 4-1/2 hours. It was dark by the time we got there.
That was a long time ago and the road is paved for the first 10 km and the vados have all been rebuilt since then, but a good chubasco could rip a lot
of that out again. You will probably meet people coming out that can tell you the conditions.
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JZ
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9225
Registered: 10-3-2003
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| Quote: Originally posted by shari | | there may be some clearance issues unless your Subaru is higher than mine....especially if it's loaded. I wont take mine over the coast road to
Abreojos from Asuncion and I think parts of the Agua Verde road especially the grade coming out...are rougher than the coast road. Just my 2 centavos.
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Zero problems for the Subi on the road to Agua Verde.
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geoffff
Senior Nomad
Posts: 643
Registered: 1-15-2009
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Just to be clear, David means drop by ⅓ so they are down to ⅔ pressure.
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9006
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
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On the vehicles I've owned, that would be enough to make for a smoother ride, but it would not get me out of soft sand. I find 12-15 psi is what it
takes. I've even gone this low on LRE tires that are at 80 when fully inflated.
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dusty.rambler
Newbie
Posts: 18
Registered: 12-23-2022
Location: In hot water....
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My Tacoma is a 2006 with about 200k miles. I bought it waaaay before I ever thought I would be a parent. I didn't get the 4 door because I wanted a
6ft bed, and as I like to off-road, I didn't want to drive a limo. (Anyone know Steel Pass in Death Valley? Access cab is almost too long for that
route).
The first thing I did when she got the Forester was insist on a full size spare.
I also have an air compressor, tire patch kit (big red), tire slime (extreme emergency only...) battery jump kit, full size shovel, and a pulaski.
[Edited on 1-11-2023 by dusty.rambler]
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MulegeAL
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Registered: 8-25-2009
Location: PDX/Mulege
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The road into the beach at the north end has a washout along the cliff. Two mex pickups parked there, drivers walked down to the beach. Can get by
with a moto.
Update, a 4wd vw van just got through ok, so is passable.
[Edited on 1-13-2023 by MulegeAL]
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