They’ve never had a good diesel engine. The one they did have would split crankshafts IIRC.
Their petrol engines are pretty boring unless turbocharged… And in Europe they don’t do a lot of turbos outside of the WRX and STI models
Oh and CVT longevity kinda sucks too
But on the other hand, the AWD is excellent, Outback as a taller but not too tall wagon was very comfy (now it’s a crossover sadly), especially in the slightly tallet USDM version. Etc.
My ex got our Outback and I replaced it with the cheapest available A6 Allroad. Much better vehicle in all but reliability though in its defense it has twice the kilometers and is 6 years older (2007 vs 2013). Better driving dynamics, fuel economy, comfort, and ride height can be low or high. Also has a traditional autobox.
So it’s kinda an interesting story. We’re a historically outdoorsy group. Subaru has long specialized in rugged vehicles that work in adverse conditions like dirt roads. In the 90s the company wanted to boost revenue by doing targeted ads so they did some research on who was buying their cars, and they found three standout groups (I only vaguely recall the first two): campers, medical workers, and lesbians. They were more than happy to openly advertise to the first two, your car will work off road when you go camping, and when you need to get to the hospital in a disaster your car will get you there type stuff. But they also put not so subtle nods to lesbians in their advertisements (stuff like a XENALVR license plate), making them one of the very first mainstream companies to adverse directly to the queer community. This led to some brand loyalty for a time and a stereotype of outdoorsy lesbians all have Subarus. It’s definitely fallen off over the years as a stereotype though
OK but if were being real, no one can afford a Subaru anymore
I love/hate Subaru
They’ve never had a good diesel engine. The one they did have would split crankshafts IIRC.
Their petrol engines are pretty boring unless turbocharged… And in Europe they don’t do a lot of turbos outside of the WRX and STI models
Oh and CVT longevity kinda sucks too
But on the other hand, the AWD is excellent, Outback as a taller but not too tall wagon was very comfy (now it’s a crossover sadly), especially in the slightly tallet USDM version. Etc.
My ex got our Outback and I replaced it with the cheapest available A6 Allroad. Much better vehicle in all but reliability though in its defense it has twice the kilometers and is 6 years older (2007 vs 2013). Better driving dynamics, fuel economy, comfort, and ride height can be low or high. Also has a traditional autobox.
You need a specific car brand now out of all things?
People and their status symbols, huh…
So it’s kinda an interesting story. We’re a historically outdoorsy group. Subaru has long specialized in rugged vehicles that work in adverse conditions like dirt roads. In the 90s the company wanted to boost revenue by doing targeted ads so they did some research on who was buying their cars, and they found three standout groups (I only vaguely recall the first two): campers, medical workers, and lesbians. They were more than happy to openly advertise to the first two, your car will work off road when you go camping, and when you need to get to the hospital in a disaster your car will get you there type stuff. But they also put not so subtle nods to lesbians in their advertisements (stuff like a XENALVR license plate), making them one of the very first mainstream companies to adverse directly to the queer community. This led to some brand loyalty for a time and a stereotype of outdoorsy lesbians all have Subarus. It’s definitely fallen off over the years as a stereotype though