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

[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 test drove the turbocharged 4-cylinder 2020 Outback and its very smooth.
We still ended up going with the regular 2.5 non-turbocharged 2019 Outback because it was so much cheaper.

That said I've done a bunch of off-road driving with our stock Outback - drove 60 miles off-road in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Park. Did some really rough off-roading in Joshua Tree NP last weekend with my friends, who were driving a $60K Jeep. Subaru's X-Mode is great for sending power to the wheels when you're rock crawling or steep climbing.

[Anonymous]

FWIW, Toyota and Subaru are working together to create a platform for an all-EV. Subaru provided the engineering for AWD. Toyota provided the engineering for the electrical side of the EV. They will each create their own design and sell it under different names.

But, I think this example shows what each one sees as their strengths.

FWIW, we have had both Toyotas and Hondas. I had a Toyota Camry for 14 yrs. Thought I'd get a RAV4 (like DH drives), but ended up picking the Honda CR-V after really debating b/t the Subaru Forester, the RAV4 and the CR-V. Very happy with the CR-V. (more safety features were included than in the RAV4 (at the time I was looking)). Felt like the Forester was just a little smaller inside than the others.

DH is now looking at cars... debating b/t the Rav4Prime and the Tesla. The new Rav4s do have a plastic-y interior compared to my 2017 CR-V. Not sure why Toyota can't improve their interior a bit.

On the whole, we are flex around in the Toyota/Honda camps. But, we could consider a Subaru as well. My soon-to-be 80 yr old parents have a Subaru Outback. I've driven it a couple of times and it is pleasant to drive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

This was what I experienced with test drives. When I talk about pickup/acceleration, I'm not talking about street racing, I'm talking about getting up to speed to merge or change lanes quickly in DC traffic. I'd step on the gas pedal, and there was a noticeable lag in starting to move and picking up enough speed to get into traffic. Many, many people in our neighborhood have Subarus, so maybe it's just what I am used to, but I'm a lot happier with the performance of both our Honda and Toyota.

One of the reasons I was looking at Subaru is that I wanted a manual, which are hard to find now. I had the same experience test driving the manuals and the automatics, though, as the prior poster noted, the manuals were a little better. Still, if you can be outgunned by a 10-year-old minivan, your acceleration sucks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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 test drove the turbocharged 4-cylinder 2020 Outback and its very smooth.
We still ended up going with the regular 2.5 non-turbocharged 2019 Outback because it was so much cheaper.

That said I've done a bunch of off-road driving with our stock Outback - drove 60 miles off-road in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Park. Did some really rough off-roading in Joshua Tree NP last weekend with my friends, who were driving a $60K Jeep. Subaru's X-Mode is great for sending power to the wheels when you're rock crawling or steep climbing.

I will add that my family is in the middle of a cross-country roadtrip with our Subaru Outback. We drove from DC to CA and we will drive back in a couple weeks. This roundtrip will add 6000 miles to the car (we started out with only 9K on the odometer). It's an awesome car for roadtripping - tons of storage space, really comfortable seats & driving position, solid mileage for AWD, and handles well. With the car's adaptive cruise control and lane assist safety features, I don't even need to keep my hands on the wheel or feet on the pedals, especially when we are just cruising at 80mph on the long, flat stretches of highway. I call it the Poor Man's Autopilot

Seriously though, this car has been a pleasure for long-haul driving. We added a Thule box to the roof for extra capacity. We have an electric cooler in the truck space which plugs into the trunk's 12V power outlet so we always have cold food and drinks available. I love this car and can't wait for more off-roading adventures on our drive back to DC (likely in Bryce Canyon and Arches National Parks).

[Anonymous]

That EV news is great, I would buy that car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Subaru > Honda > Toyita

I love how Subarus handle. Driving a Honda feels like sitting in a deep bucket driving an economy car. The beginning of the side window must be almost my chin level in some models. Weird. Toyota's are like driving a go kart with its long windshield and really loose handling. I'd rather drive anything than a Toyota.

This seems to be the current car fad, and I absolutely hate it.

I test drove various cars, and ended up with a Forestor, and the bolded is one of the reasons why.

ITA that current subaru models are under powered. They must've been going for higher EPA ratings, but the Forestor HPWR is pretty good and has a decent MPG.

Now, if they would only allow the auto-engine shutoff to be permanently disabled. I hate this feature. It's so tempermental.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I owened a Subaru and the head gasket blew at 75k miles. Based on this experience alone, I would say: Toyota > Honda > Subaru.

When anyone asks me about a Subaru, I never recommend it. The best part about a Subaru is that it's got all wheel drive. I was able to use it when there was snow on the ground and go places that other cars couldn't reach. In some situations, cars were stuck and I was driving along just fine. This is why they're so popular in places like Colorado. Of course, Colorado is very different than the DC Metro area. We haven't had much snow the last couple of years and even when we do, it's not that hard to just stay home. We rarely have massive snowstorms and the roads are typically cleared after a day or two. So outside of a mountainous area, I just don't see why anyone would choose Subaru.

You can now get an AWD Camry but as you mention, unless you live in Colorado or Vermont, is it worth the extra cost and weight?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I too liked the Ascent but couldn’t get past the reputation of the...type of person...who drives Subarus. Toyota for me.

YOu're a disgusting homophobe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I too liked the Ascent but couldn’t get past the reputation of the...type of person...who drives Subarus. Toyota for me.

7:35 here.

I assume you mean the "Lesbaru"? That's really only for the wagons.

My corner of NWDC is littered with Outbacks. Lots of lesbian guys out there these days.

Whoa now hold on a second, you don't need to be snarky. Everyone knows it's not just lesbians that drive the wagons but there's a reputation for it which the other pp was mentioning. There's a good reason for that reputation, a lot of gay women do in fact drive them and it's because Subaru advertised to them directly.

I think that's awesome and I'm so happy that I support such a progressive company when I drive my Outback (my Outback is always one of several in the pickup line, btw, several dads in that line).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I too liked the Ascent but couldn’t get past the reputation of the...type of person...who drives Subarus. Toyota for me.

YOu're a disgusting homophobe.

Ok, so someone said this to me recently (we bought an Ascent)....I didn’t know Subaru had a reputation for being owned by gay people? That is beyond stupid. So lame.

[Anonymous]

Speaking only as a brand®️here, I would say that Subaru is third on the list.

Especially regarding dependability.
Honda + Toyota run neck in neck depending on who you talk to (Lol!), but Subarus usually come after.

Nissans used to be a close third - but in terms of reliability they have gone down in this category. 👎🏼
Japanese brands are the best.
Everyone knows this which is why they co$t more vs. domestic vehicles.

They hold their value longer plus they tend to be cheaper in the long run since they are usually not in the shop all the time.
Win win.

[Anonymous]

We have had all three. H and T have always been front-wheel drive sedans. S only offers symmetric AWD.

For reliability, Toyota and Honda have been similar, with Subaru slightly behind (possibly due to AWD complexity). Some older S with turbo engines were notorious for engine problems (blown head gasket at low mileage), but those engines are no longer sold in new S cars. S has new more reliable turbo engines now. We have an older 6-cylinder (non-turbo) Outback right now.

For the Outback, many people are better off with the higher HP engine - if going off-road, carrying bikes, or hauling a trailer. S sells more Outbacks with the lower HP engine, however.

For commuting/everyday use, we prefer H or T sedans with front wheel drive and the larger engines. For cargo, long trips, or biking, we prefer the Outback. For all cars, we usually select trim level one below the top trim package offered. We also always select all of the “safety” options due to DC.

We looked at both T Highlander and H Pilot very closely, but chose the Outback. Very happy with that decision.

Your mileage will vary.

[Anonymous]

Every time we’ve been car shopping in the last decade we look at Subarus and really want to like them, but end up underwhelmed and stick with Toyota. And we do live in Colorado and have a dog, lol.

[Anonymous]

I haven’t felt the same about Subaru since the timing belt broke on my 1998 4 cylinder Outback, before the mileage listed to replace it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Depends on what your point of reference is. In terms of brand, I'd say they are all about equivalent. They definitely attract buyers with similar budgets. That said, Subaru doesn't have the uber-cheap, sub-compact vehicles offered by Honda and Toyota aimed at low-income buyers.

If we are talking safety and value for money, Subaru is way ahead of either brand. Subaru's safety tech is pretty much better than any other car brand - including luxury - and all of it comes standard.

For me, I love a good deal. That's what makes me happy. And Subaru's are a damn good deal for all the amenities and tech you get. We were comparing the RAV4 and Outback a couple years ago when buying. If I wanted the same features in the RAV4 as I was being offered in the Outback, I'd need to pay roughly $5-7K more. I see Subaru as a nicer brand for the average vehicle. Fully loaded Toyotas can easily be as expensive as a Lexus. A Toyota Landcruiser starts at like $70K.

To be fair, land cruisers are cross shipped with significantly more expensive range rovers. Unless you want comfort off-roading, they are pointless

Have owned a variety of Landcruisers for 25 years.
If you buy used they can be very inexpensive to own.
Great cars. Practical, and if you know how to drive them they won’t let you down.
With maintenance they are good for 400,000 or more miles.