Piston Slap: One Website for Year-by-Year Changes?

Citizen Kanine writes:

Is there a good (single?) place to search and discover what year car models updated their drivetrain or added some feature I might want?

I’m looking at a couple of used car options, probably recent cars coming off leases, and am wondering if model year 2016 or 2017 (for example) are significantly different for a Subaru Outback or a Mazda CX-5. All cars change a bit, every year but some stuff I care about (the Skyactiv suspension) and others (new paint colors or the move from 8 speakers to 10) not as much.

I know this information is not impossible to find, but the flood of info and changes for the most recent year can bury the details on models just a few years old. Or maybe I am just using weak GoogleFu.

Sajeev answers:

I often use three sources (here, here, here) for make/model research here at TTAC. After randomly poking around for changes on Kia’s Optima, all three did good.

Shockingly, regarding your potential Subaru Outback, only one resource has pertinent information. And now I am terrified to look up the Mazda CX-5!

From what I’ve seen with print materials via Automotive Literary Mecca, the most granular, year-by-year information lives within dealer training manuals. Not easy to acquire if you live outside of Metro Detroit, I know. Who knows, sometimes dealerships have this stuff lying around for years: never hurts to ask!

So check out my three sources, dig into model-specific forums and — wait for it — ask the Best and Brightest for their opinion!

[Image: Subaru]

Send your queries to sajeev@thetruthaboutcars.​com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry…but be realistic, and use your make/model specific forums instead of TTAC for more timely advice.