The rotten truth is that Subarus aren’t really any more reliable than other vehicles, but uave much more expensive repair costs than comparable Hondas or Toyotas.
Subaru’s AWD system is legitimately better at putting down power to the wheels and getting traction than the vast majority of other AWD systems on the market. There are plenty of third party tests showing as much.
That said, it’s a question of whether you actually need that. The truth is the vast majority of people don’t need AWD at all for the kind of driving they’ll actually do.
I have an STi which has an active center differential beyond even the typical Subaru system and I absolutely love it. It’s magic feeling it at work. But my “likes to take the car on dirt and go sideways at 50MPH” use case isn’t needed for a commuter either.
Also important to note, Subaru’s AWD system is picky as hell and a tread depth difference across the axle is actually pretty likely to damage your diffs or transmission.
Meaning, if you need to replace a tire, you replace all four tires or else run the risk of catastrophic damage to the vehicle. The AWD works great and it’s a good system but it can and will screw you out of a thousand bucks worth of tires with no warning. Pros and cons.
For those in the US, Tire Rack can shave down a new tire to a specific depth for you. You just need to measure the other tire(s) to give them a measurement.
Had to do this for my Subi once and it worked like a charm. No mechanical problems after (although I did sell the car, like, a year later).
Yeah but they are pretty nice driving in the snow, or at least my wife is content with hers. I’d much rather have 4x4 for snow and ice, but I also enjoy goofing around with it. No car I’ve every driven handles snow better than my 6-speed jeep.
I can attest, my mom has a 2017 Impreza hatchback with a manual transmission. In the first two years it was in the shop like 4-5x for various issues, the main one being wiring harness for the engine.
I’ve driven it a handful of times and it’s a fucking pile. She regrets buying it… the shifter vibrates horribly, the car constantly shudders like it’s going to stall, the interior is awful hard plastic, everything looks and feels cheap, and the car is PAINFULLY slow. The first time I tried to drive it I was literally flooring it and it felt like it was barely moving. Eco mode was off, it’s just a slow car.
I’m never buying a Subaru and I recommend against it if it ever comes up. I almost bought a new WRX but after seeing what my mom went thru I got a GTI and it’s been reliable. Cheaper at the time too.
I think your mom’s Impreza has been in the shop for more issues than all of my Subarus combined. I got a buddy driving a 20 year old Impreza and it still runs great. I get it, I had a rogue that was similar. Just constantly not working right. I’ll never buy another Nissan. Getting a lemon does that.
Yeah older Subarus are mint. I noticed Honda has been less reliable in general as well when I was shopping for cars. My first two cars were civics and both were great but I’ve heard mixed things (consumer reports) on the newer ones. I miss old Japanese cars… Simple and reliable.
Of course it’s slow, it has the least powerful engine they could legally mount inside the engine compartment. Their interiors are like 10 years behind all of their competitors, which is a huge deal considering how much progress there has been in the last 10-15 years.
See, i thought i was just shitty at driving stick. My crosstrek also stutters and shakes a ton, and once a week it just refuses to let me shift into reverse.
I just spent a weekend in a rented crosstrek. I hated the throttle curve. It’s super twitchy at low speeds and lacks power at highway speeds. It made navigating parking lots way more finnicky than necessary.
I own a Forester. It’s a car that drives when I press the pedal. I’ve literally never had an issue navigating a parking lot, and it keeps up just fine on highways.
As a beige Camry haver, my car is 22 years old and runs like a champ. Had to swap out the spark plugs, the cat, battery, tires, and brakes, but that’s expected when the car’s got a moonlength of mileage on it. I love this thing and will drive it until the frame is broken, I’m dead, or the car becomes illegal.
At least with smaller shops you have some negotiating power. The dealership is like “oh, you don’t think we should charge $300 an hour for oil changes? How about you go fuck yourself then?”.
As the formerly-smug owner of TWO Crosstreks, believe me when I say the smugness dissipates quickly after a few stealership visits…
tl;dr - buy the beige camry
The rotten truth is that Subarus aren’t really any more reliable than other vehicles, but uave much more expensive repair costs than comparable Hondas or Toyotas.
also the suspension and steering and acceleration and interior padding is all rough.
Yeah, my crosstrek has some of the stiffest suspension i have ever felt. And their symetrical AWD has always seemed like just a gimmick.
Subaru’s AWD system is legitimately better at putting down power to the wheels and getting traction than the vast majority of other AWD systems on the market. There are plenty of third party tests showing as much.
That said, it’s a question of whether you actually need that. The truth is the vast majority of people don’t need AWD at all for the kind of driving they’ll actually do.
I have an STi which has an active center differential beyond even the typical Subaru system and I absolutely love it. It’s magic feeling it at work. But my “likes to take the car on dirt and go sideways at 50MPH” use case isn’t needed for a commuter either.
Also important to note, Subaru’s AWD system is picky as hell and a tread depth difference across the axle is actually pretty likely to damage your diffs or transmission.
Meaning, if you need to replace a tire, you replace all four tires or else run the risk of catastrophic damage to the vehicle. The AWD works great and it’s a good system but it can and will screw you out of a thousand bucks worth of tires with no warning. Pros and cons.
In fairness, tires really should be replaced at minimum in pairs on any vehicle. Definitely hurts more when it’s a full set, though.
And it hurts extra hard on the STi. My latest set of tires a few weeks ago because I damaged a sidewall was ~$1500.
(Sorry for the comment on a 2 week old post)
For those in the US, Tire Rack can shave down a new tire to a specific depth for you. You just need to measure the other tire(s) to give them a measurement.
Had to do this for my Subi once and it worked like a charm. No mechanical problems after (although I did sell the car, like, a year later).
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Yeah but they are pretty nice driving in the snow, or at least my wife is content with hers. I’d much rather have 4x4 for snow and ice, but I also enjoy goofing around with it. No car I’ve every driven handles snow better than my 6-speed jeep.
I can attest, my mom has a 2017 Impreza hatchback with a manual transmission. In the first two years it was in the shop like 4-5x for various issues, the main one being wiring harness for the engine.
I’ve driven it a handful of times and it’s a fucking pile. She regrets buying it… the shifter vibrates horribly, the car constantly shudders like it’s going to stall, the interior is awful hard plastic, everything looks and feels cheap, and the car is PAINFULLY slow. The first time I tried to drive it I was literally flooring it and it felt like it was barely moving. Eco mode was off, it’s just a slow car.
I’m never buying a Subaru and I recommend against it if it ever comes up. I almost bought a new WRX but after seeing what my mom went thru I got a GTI and it’s been reliable. Cheaper at the time too.
I think your mom’s Impreza has been in the shop for more issues than all of my Subarus combined. I got a buddy driving a 20 year old Impreza and it still runs great. I get it, I had a rogue that was similar. Just constantly not working right. I’ll never buy another Nissan. Getting a lemon does that.
Yeah older Subarus are mint. I noticed Honda has been less reliable in general as well when I was shopping for cars. My first two cars were civics and both were great but I’ve heard mixed things (consumer reports) on the newer ones. I miss old Japanese cars… Simple and reliable.
Of course it’s slow, it has the least powerful engine they could legally mount inside the engine compartment. Their interiors are like 10 years behind all of their competitors, which is a huge deal considering how much progress there has been in the last 10-15 years.
See, i thought i was just shitty at driving stick. My crosstrek also stutters and shakes a ton, and once a week it just refuses to let me shift into reverse.
I just spent a weekend in a rented crosstrek. I hated the throttle curve. It’s super twitchy at low speeds and lacks power at highway speeds. It made navigating parking lots way more finnicky than necessary.
Did it have a CVT? I hate those damn things…
I think so since it was a 2021 model.
The auto stop-start functionality was also really rough. Overall, it just was not a pleasant driving experience.
I have an outback with CVT. It’s fine. That’s not a racing machine though, it’s main job is towing my boat
I own a Forester. It’s a car that drives when I press the pedal. I’ve literally never had an issue navigating a parking lot, and it keeps up just fine on highways.
As a beige Camry haver, my car is 22 years old and runs like a champ. Had to swap out the spark plugs, the cat, battery, tires, and brakes, but that’s expected when the car’s got a moonlength of mileage on it. I love this thing and will drive it until the frame is broken, I’m dead, or the car becomes illegal.
I just bought silver Corolla. Is that good enough?
Never take your car to the dealership for service unless it’s under warranty.
True although, I’ve been screwed by independent shops pretty damn bad also.
At least with smaller shops you have some negotiating power. The dealership is like “oh, you don’t think we should charge $300 an hour for oil changes? How about you go fuck yourself then?”.
Can confirm, I worked at a dealership.