Why Are Subaru Owners So Loyal? It’s Love!
Jenn Mitchell
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2021 Subaru Crosstrek Limited. Photo: Rebecca Lindland
7 Reasons Why Subaru Owners Love Their Cars.
As an owner of three Subaru Outbacks, I have officially joined the ranks of the Fiercely Loyal Subaru Owners Club. Okay, that’s not a real club, but it could be (more on that later) because once you’ve owned a Subaru, you are a Subaru fan for life. Despite its vehicle lineup changing over time, Subaru continues to retain the same owners. Subaru owners are some of the most dedicated and loyal to their brand.
Subaru owners are known for living life to the fullest and they love to share their interests with others. The brand even offers a unique way to let other Subaru owners know what they enjoy most with a personalized Subaru Ownership Badge. Here’s the one we created for our car:
Graphic: Subaru So I think I speak with authority when I share the following list of seven reasons Subaru owners love their cars.
Related: Why We Bought A Subaru Outback
1. Love. It’s What Makes a Subaru a Subaru
You’re probably familiar with this Subaru slogan. The word “Love” is core to the brand. Partially due to heartfelt marketing and commercials, owning a Subaru is something loyal owners can relate to. As seen in one commercial, Subaru is the kind of car you bring your baby home in and then let her drive it when she’s grown up. We did exactly that. We brought our son home in our first Subaru and gave him our third when he started driving. A family’s Subaru is full of love and memories.
Related: 2021 Subaru Crosstrek: From Sporty to Refined, This AWD SUV is the Ideal Playmate
First solo drive for my teenager. Photo: Jenn Mitchell
2. Safety, Safety, Safety
Many Subaru owners chose their cars for their safety features. All Subaru models consistently get high ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Many owners share first-hand experiences of how their Subarus exceeded their expectations when experiencing an accident. For example, my children were in an accident just around the corner from our house. My son lost control during a turn. He crashed into a tree and the car ended up flipping on its side. When the police first arrived on the scene, they could not believe that both of my kids were fine.
Related: 10 Reasons to Love the New 2020 Subaru Outback Even More
No one was hurt. A happy ending. Photo: Jenn Mitchell
Another example comes from my uncle, a Subaru dealer. “I had a young girl whose Impreza was crushed between two dump trucks. The cabin stayed intact and she just opened the door, got out, and called 911. The state police officer didn’t believe her when she said she was the driver and was not injured.”
Subarus also have a braking feature that applies full braking force and brings you to a complete stop in case of an emergency. And, Subaru developed a driver assist system called EyeSight: this focuses cameras on the road as a human eye does, watching for traffic, lane markings and potential crashes ahead. It helps drivers stay in their lanes with and will apply the brake if the driver does not. Other safety features include:
- Rear-view Camera and reverse automatic braking
- Hands-free tech such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- Adaptive cruise control
- Blind-spot detection
- LED Steering Responsive Headlights
3. Style, Comfort, and Storage
Most Subarus have a sporty, rugged look. They let onlookers know that owners love a bit of adventure. The inside, however, is built for comfort. Top-of-the-line models have luxurious leather seats and all the bells and whistles. Some of our favorite features include (these options vary per model):
- Heated seats
- Excellent storage space
- Roomy interior makes it comfortable for road trips and daily driving
- Heated steering wheel
- 60/40-split flat-folding rear seatbacks
- Leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter handle
- Auto-on/off wiper-linked headlights
- Advanced Adaptive Cruise Control
- Dual front and rear USB input ports
- Dual-zone climate control
4. Standard All-Wheel-Drive
All models, except the BRZ, have all-wheel drive as a standard feature. “I drove home from Cortland, NY in a blizzard when the main highways were closed,” my uncle told me. “If another SUV was stuck, I just drove around it. They are fantastic in foul weather.” As a Massachusetts driver, I love the all wheel drive (AWD). Not only does Subaru AWD provide power to all wheels at all times, but it can also move power from left to right and from wheel to wheel instead of just from the front axle to the rear axle, like many other AWD systems.
Subaru Outback Wildnerness has no problem traversing this creek. Photo: Subaru
Subaru is the unofficial state car in New England. If you’re ever in Vermont in particular, you will see them everywhere. The cars can take on mud, water, rocks, and more. A Subaru can often outmaneuver even the toughest trucks. When A Girls Guide To Cars writer Erica Mueller tried the Subaru Ascent, she said, “We left the pavement, crossed a field, and parked on the dam of a lake to watch a fireworks show, and you’d have thought the SUV was a goat the way it scrambled up the hill without breaking a sweat.”
5. Letters from the Owners
Stop by the Subaru website where you can read letters from Subaru owners. Many speak to how well their cars performed in dangerous weather conditions. One owner, an off-duty police officer, writes, “My next-door neighbor slid off of a step coming out of her house and fell while holding her six-month-old child. 911 was called and an ambulance was dispatched to my neighbor’s house. I heard the call and began heading that way. Three ambulances attempted to get to her house but got stuck in the snow. I was able to get across town in my Subaru Ascent and transport my neighbor and her infant son to the hospital without any problems thanks to Subaru’s all-wheel drive.”
6. Subaru Lives for Adventures
While Subarus make for great family cars, they are perfect for nearly any adventure. Owning a Subaru is like joining an exclusive club full of adventure-loving people. In fact, there are even Subaru clubs where owners get together for their Subaru adventures. If you need your car outfitted to fit your adventures, Subaru’s got you covered. Features like:
- Provides a comfortable ride that handles winding mountain roads like a boss
- Moveable top racks convert to hold bikes, kayaks, and more
- Storage spaces have optional liners and bins you can simply pull out and wash off
- Clear bumps and rocks with nearly 9 inches of ground clearance
Related: Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid Review: A Use Less, Give More, Feel Better Car
Subaru Outback Wilderness even has a tent option. Photo: Terri Marshall
7. Above All, Subaru Gives Back
The Subaru Corporation is also a leader in donations to charities. Over the last 13 years, Subaru, and participating retailers, have donated more than $200 million to charity. Customers can choose between these national charities:
- ASPCA
- Meals on Wheels
- Make a Wish
- Joslin Diabetes
- National Park Foundation
And, local dealers donate to more than 1,610 hometown charities. Subaru is also leading a program with the National Parks Service to help rangers and other parks departments to put zero-landfill strategies to work to reduce waste in the parks. Subaru and their retailers have also partnered with the National Forest Foundation to help replant 500,000 trees in areas devastated by the California wildfires.
Whether your Subaru fandom leads you to joining an actual Subaru owners club or an unofficial pretend one, you can be sure of one thing: you have lots of company!
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