Funny you should say that Raddicted. I actually went to the dealer and sat in and checked out the Forester XT today. I was much more comfortable in that thing than I am the Outback. Legroom dimensions don't tell the whole story as far as leg comfort goes. So those legroom numbers don't tell the whole story. The Forester has similar dimensions, but is much more spacious for my legs. The front leg area doesn't appear as narrow as that of the Outback, and my legs aren't bumping against hard plastic. Seems there's two differences that are making this happen. One is that the center console on the Forester is further out of the way and lower than that of the Outback. Perhaps more importantly is that the seating position in the Forester is higher. That in itself seems to make the biggest difference. The underside of my (long) legs actually feel like the seat is supporting them with the extra height, so then there's a further travel down to the floor. Versus there being a bunch of air under them as I sit on the chair of the Outback. The seat being higher, with my legs further from the floor, helps my legs to fit in there much better without needing the extra legroom. In the Outback you're sitting low on the floor. So my legs were straight out and my knees would straddle the steering wheel, or rub against the plastic. As far as you mentioning the difference between the 3.0 and the 2.5i...that really doesn't have anything to do with it for me. Like I was saying, the legroom's the problem. Although I'm sure the 3.0 is nice.
So yeah. Now I'm thinking about the new Forester (which as you probably know just won Sport Utility of the year-Motor Trend). I'd get the 2.5 XT that I checked out today. It's just as fast as the GLK, thanks to weighing about 500 lbs less. 0-60 is in 6.6 seconds with the auto transmission (only transmission available). Still wish it wasn't a 4 speed. But I'd get the Subaru reliability and the best AWD on the market. Also, the cargo space seems much larger than that of the GLK. I checked out the GLK today too. Looks good that's for sure. Love the fit and finish. Love it all. Then again the Forester has more cargo space than any other small Sport Utility out there. The gas mileage with the turbo is still respectable in the Forester too (19 and 24 mpg).
As a matter of fact, I actually hopped online to build one now with the features I'm interested in, so that I can see where I'm looking at being. Then I noticed your post.
Thanks for the feedback and input. Always nice to see someone else who appreciates Subaru as well. I just wish the exterior of the Forester looked half as nice as that of the GLK's...or the Outback for that matter.
*off to go build a Forester XT*
Edit: Forgot to mention that the Forester doesn't have that big grab handle on the interior door area that my leg fits into and rubs against. So I'm sure that helps. The door of the Forester is pretty flush there. Meh, you've got an Outback...you know what I mean.