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

[Anonymous]

I’m a current Subaru Forester owner, I bought it after my Subaru Outback was totaled in a 7 car accident on the beltway.

I’ve owned a Nissan, 2 Acura’s, a Toyota, and a Mazda. I loved my Acura RSX and Mazda3 so much - fun peppy cars.

I switched to Subaru for the safety features - I lived my Outback. I was sandwiched between 2 cars after a large work truck sideswiped us on 495. My Outback was crumpled, all my airbags deployed and I even had a door sheared off. I walked away with some scratches and bruises. You bet I bought another Subaru after that.

Is it a sexy car? Fun to drive with lots of pep? No and no but I feel safe and it drives smoothly around town. I will say that the Outback has better seating and cargo space but I love the driving height of the Forester.

The adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, blind spot and Apple Car Play are some of my favorite features. The Forester also has a great rear view camera and park assist feature. Can’t wait for them to add a full 360 camera feature.

[Anonymous]

According to Scotty Kilmer, Subaru falls below Toyota, Honda and Mazda where quality is concerned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a current Subaru Forester owner, I bought it after my Subaru Outback was totaled in a 7 car accident on the beltway.

I’ve owned a Nissan, 2 Acura’s, a Toyota, and a Mazda. I loved my Acura RSX and Mazda3 so much - fun peppy cars.

I switched to Subaru for the safety features - I lived my Outback. I was sandwiched between 2 cars after a large work truck sideswiped us on 495. My Outback was crumpled, all my airbags deployed and I even had a door sheared off. I walked away with some scratches and bruises. You bet I bought another Subaru after that.

Is it a sexy car? Fun to drive with lots of pep? No and no but I feel safe and it drives smoothly around town. I will say that the Outback has better seating and cargo space but I love the driving height of the Forester.

The adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, blind spot and Apple Car Play are some of my favorite features. The Forester also has a great rear view camera and park assist feature. Can’t wait for them to add a full 360 camera feature.

I want an Outback but the Forester is more in my price range. Can I ask why you switched to a Forester after the Outback?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I want an Outback but the Forester is more in my price range. Can I ask why you switched to a Forester after the Outback?

I chose the Forester after my Outback was totaled because it sits higher and gives me better sight lines when driving. I also liked that it was shorter in length so it fit into more parking options.

I do miss the cargo space of the Outback which is deeper from gate to the rear seat - it’s a longer car so it has more depth. The Forester has more space from the trunk to roofline but that’s not how I primarily use my space. It hasn’t really been an issue so far - we’ve been able to fit in our luggage or other major items. I even packed in six dining chairs for a house I staged.

Outback has wider and deeper seats so it’s more comfortable for long rides.

While I miss some major items from the Outback I’m very happy with my Forester. I highly recommend getting a power liftgate - it’s so helpful when loading and unloading cargo.

[Anonymous]

If you're thinking of buying a Subaru, do a google search on the head gasket problem or the oil leak problem. We have a Subaru and it generally drives well, but we did early on have some variant of the head gasket / oil leak problem. Fortunately, we were under warranty when it happened and so our very expensive repair was covered. It basically requires taking out the engine, taking it apart and then reassembling it with some new parts (took the dealer 5 working days). There are some people who say that this head gasket problem was addressed, but it still showed up in our 2015 model. Our mechanic once told us that he thought it was an inevitability with Subarus, but we also have friends who haven't had any hint of the problem, so YMMV

Since that repair, we're always worried that the problem will resurface but it hasn't thus far. That being said, as a result of the foregoing issues we had, we probably won't buy a Subaru again and we'll probably avoid ever buying a car in its first or second year of production. We do like the car and it runs well, but we really don't like having a several thousand dollar repair hanging over our heads.

[Anonymous]

I am from NH so obviously I like Subarus!

[Anonymous]

They're all the same to me. I got a Forester instead of a Rav4 because the inside was more comfortable for my very tall family. The safety features are annoying AF and I turned them off, also the auto stop is dumb/annoying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I want an Outback but the Forester is more in my price range. Can I ask why you switched to a Forester after the Outback?

I chose the Forester after my Outback was totaled because it sits higher and gives me better sight lines when driving. I also liked that it was shorter in length so it fit into more parking options.

I do miss the cargo space of the Outback which is deeper from gate to the rear seat - it’s a longer car so it has more depth. The Forester has more space from the trunk to roofline but that’s not how I primarily use my space. It hasn’t really been an issue so far - we’ve been able to fit in our luggage or other major items. I even packed in six dining chairs for a house I staged.

Outback has wider and deeper seats so it’s more comfortable for long rides.

While I miss some major items from the Outback I’m very happy with my Forester. I highly recommend getting a power liftgate - it’s so helpful when loading and unloading cargo.

Thank you!!

[Anonymous]

As a brand, Subaru > Honda > Toyota
Toyotas are the cheapest low budget cars full of cheap hard plastic. Hondas are a bit nicer than Toyotas. Subarus are nicer than both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a brand, Subaru > Honda > Toyota
Toyotas are the cheapest low budget cars full of cheap hard plastic. Hondas are a bit nicer than Toyotas. Subarus are nicer than both.

What are you even talking about? I've owned a Subaru and it wasn't substantially nicer than my Toyota.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Isn’t there safety just lane detection and auto stop? Or are they safer in crashes like old Volvos?

[Anonymous]

Sorry, but you Subaru lovers aren't convincing me that your cars are better than Toyota or Honda. But I applaud your car-love

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, but you Subaru lovers aren't convincing me that your cars are better than Toyota or Honda. But I applaud your car-love

Who cares?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Isn’t there safety just lane detection and auto stop? Or are they safer in crashes like old Volvos?

Both - lots of standard safety tech + some of the best crash protection.

The truth is in the insurance rates, which are rock bottom for Subaru vehicles. I was shocked at how cheap the insurance rates are for a brand new Subaru.

[Anonymous]

I’m the PP, former Outback and current Forester owner.

I chose these for the following safety features.

Blind spot detection
Lane keep assist
Rear camera with object detection alert
Auto brake (detects when you’re too close to car in front)
Multiple air bags


Not to mention that my Outback completely protected me during a horrible multi car accident on 495. Car was destroyed and I had minor scratches and bruises.