Is Subaru on par/above/below Toyota/Honda as a brand?

[Anonymous]

Outback is kind of the perfect all-around swiss army knife of vehicles. Not too big, not too small, fits a lot of cargo when you need to, not too cheap, not too expensive, safe, good in all weather conditions, you get a lot of value for your money, plus good resale value.

They're not a top-of-the-charts brand in reliability (that crown currently goes to Mazda, Lexus, and Toyota) but aren't bad in that department at all. Though it is slightly model-dependent as the Subaru Ascent was rated one of Consumer Reports' 10 least reliable vehicles of 2020. The Outback fared better.

They aren't for those who want dynamic handling or quick acceleration, or great infotainment, but many people don't care about that stuff.

[Anonymous]

I think it depends on the type of vehicle. I hated the Toyota Sienna and am obsessed with my Honda Odyssey. I found the Sienna to be too plasticky.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those ads are great. I have an Outback and think they're too ubiquitous to have any particular reputation at this point, but that's also a super weird reason not to buy a car.

I love those ads. But I also love the more recent ads with the dogs driving, and I don't think people assume Subaru owners all have dogs. It's a really common car at this point.

FWIW, I'm straight and drive a Subaru (although I do have a dog). My gay sibling drives a Honda Element. We grew up in an all-Volvo household.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Outback is kind of the perfect all-around swiss army knife of vehicles. Not too big, not too small, fits a lot of cargo when you need to, not too cheap, not too expensive, safe, good in all weather conditions, you get a lot of value for your money, plus good resale value.

They're not a top-of-the-charts brand in reliability (that crown currently goes to Mazda, Lexus, and Toyota) but aren't bad in that department at all. Though it is slightly model-dependent as the Subaru Ascent was rated one of Consumer Reports' 10 least reliable vehicles of 2020. The Outback fared better.

They aren't for those who want dynamic handling or quick acceleration, or great infotainment, but many people don't care about that stuff.

an outback STI edition would absolutely fly off the lots

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those ads are great. I have an Outback and think they're too ubiquitous to have any particular reputation at this point, but that's also a super weird reason not to buy a car.

I love those ads. But I also love the more recent ads with the dogs driving, and I don't think people assume Subaru owners all have dogs. It's a really common car at this point.

FWIW, I'm straight and drive a Subaru (although I do have a dog). My gay sibling drives a Honda Element. We grew up in an all-Volvo household.

I definitely assume a Subaru owner has a dog.

[Anonymous]

Subarus are for people who put safety (and dogs lol) paramount to all other things. If space was paramount and/or if I had a family of 5, I'd pick a Honda. For toyota, its a very well rounded vehicle if you have a variety of concerns and it looks stylish.

[Anonymous]

Subaru owners: compared to a V6 isn’t the 4 cylinder (only available engine) underpowered? And if turbocharged, is the turbo engagement sudden or unnoticeable?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those ads are great. I have an Outback and think they're too ubiquitous to have any particular reputation at this point, but that's also a super weird reason not to buy a car.

I love those ads. But I also love the more recent ads with the dogs driving, and I don't think people assume Subaru owners all have dogs. It's a really common car at this point.

FWIW, I'm straight and drive a Subaru (although I do have a dog). My gay sibling drives a Honda Element. We grew up in an all-Volvo household.

I definitely assume a Subaru owner has a dog.

PP. I have an Outback and am a cat person with two cats and no dogs. I am also straight and not remotely outdoorsy. I do not own a tent or a kayak or an adult bike.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Subaru owners: compared to a V6 isn’t the 4 cylinder (only available engine) underpowered? And if turbocharged, is the turbo engagement sudden or unnoticeable?

Subaru owner and total non-car-person here. I see all these assertions it's underpowered ... I guess? I drive the speed limit, or more often under the speed limit in heavy DC area traffic. Merging in traffic does not require a ton of oomph. It just never really comes up for me. I could not tell you if turbo engagement happens at all, which might mean it's unnoticeable or that I don't use it.

The car handles uphills really well, if that's relevant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Subaru owners: compared to a V6 isn’t the 4 cylinder (only available engine) underpowered? And if turbocharged, is the turbo engagement sudden or unnoticeable?

Subaru owner and total non-car-person here. I see all these assertions it's underpowered ... I guess? I drive the speed limit, or more often under the speed limit in heavy DC area traffic. Merging in traffic does not require a ton of oomph. It just never really comes up for me. I could not tell you if turbo engagement happens at all, which might mean it's unnoticeable or that I don't use it.

The car handles uphills really well, if that's relevant.

In DC, the only time you need oomph is if you are street racing. But most people aren't cops.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Subaru owners: compared to a V6 isn’t the 4 cylinder (only available engine) underpowered? And if turbocharged, is the turbo engagement sudden or unnoticeable?

I have an Ascent and haven’t noticed it was underpowered. I haven’t pulled anything or had unusually heavy cargo, though. It seems to pick up speed fine, although let’s be honest it’s not a Tesla, lol

[Anonymous]

Subaru’s are a little more expensive and a little less reliable.

[Anonymous]

Subarus need more maintenance; we've been much happier with our Honda, which needs less maintenance. Our Toyota has been in between.

Our main need is something to drive that is less expensive over the life of the car / SUV and safety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Subaru owners: compared to a V6 isn’t the 4 cylinder (only available engine) underpowered? And if turbocharged, is the turbo engagement sudden or unnoticeable?

Subaru owner and total non-car-person here. I see all these assertions it's underpowered ... I guess? I drive the speed limit, or more often under the speed limit in heavy DC area traffic. Merging in traffic does not require a ton of oomph. It just never really comes up for me. I could not tell you if turbo engagement happens at all, which might mean it's unnoticeable or that I don't use it.

The car handles uphills really well, if that's relevant.

I have an outback with a 4 cylinder and accelerating to get to highway speed is misery.

[Anonymous]

I have a manual transmission Subaru Forester and find that after driving an automatic Forester for years, the manual allows for quicker acceleration. It’s never going to be a race car, but it makes the slog to 60 faster enough that it’s not annoying.