Subaru Wants To Shed "Quirky" Image, Broaden Mainstream Appeal

[MJD]

Why get another? I really like the cars. Very reliable for the wife and kids..Simple..The BEST AD running now is the Dad talking to the little kid in the car that in the next scene is his daughter..That tells it all not some hippy baloney and tree-hugging stuff. It is a great, safe, relaible car and that is how they should sell it.

[ironbandit]

I just came on board, and I just wanna say, Subaru can do what they want with their cars, so long as as the keep the powertrains unchanged. I didn't know how much fun an engine could be to work on until this HO4 came along. Get the under cover off and it's all RIGHT THERE!

I recently replaced the timing belt on my Mom's 2005 'Ru 2.5L SOHC Outback. The only con was the idler pulley adjuster for the A/C, which split in 2 when I was rolling the bolt thru it. I have the FSM in PDF for 2000-2007 Legacy models, and was nonplussed at the missing timing belt guide, until I saw the "MT" note when it was concerned.

The car is a lot of fun to drive, knowing that it can go just about anywhere and not get stuck, and working on it can be just as enjoyable. Nothing like having an engine from an aircraft propelling your vehicle.

[matty231]

They better not turn it into some shitty plain old brand like Honda or Toyota. These cars are different and should stay that, eventually people will hook onto the difference that these cars have, don't going making them more like the others, thats just going to make anyone loyal to it now less drawn to them because they will be plain / boring. But yea DO NOT change the powertrain subaru... if you EVER make your cars FWD, RWD, Non-boxer, non-symmetrical you can say goodbye to me buying anything. I'll go buy a BMW.

[jason10mm]

I bought just a few weeks ago and got a survey that definitely seemed to try to quantitate my rationale for buying the car. Lots of questions about wanting to either differentiate myself or "go with the pack", what about the car was most important to me (with "brand reputation" being a choice), and stuff like that. Certianly seems like they are fishing for info on how new buyers (and first time buyers especially) view the Subaru brand and what they value about it.

Personally I think they have a good niche to exploit if they can grab the "weekend outdoor enthusiast" market with a car that is a well behaved, safe, DD that can also survive leaving asphalt (can't even count how many times I've seen these soccer mom land tanks refuse to even hop a curb). I was pretty off-road aggressive* with my previous car, a Mustang, taking it on the beach, up muddy dirt roads, and into snowy mountains, but I feel way better doing this in my OB.

*Note, I'm talking about the off-road stuff you encounter going skiing, camping, or driving around in rural areas, not that crazy stuff some of you guys do (hey, look at that cliff, I bet I could drive up it!).

[Amerikaner83]

My wife has a 1st gen (97) OBW, my Father in law has a 2nd Gen Outback (2000/2001?) and my grandparents have a 3rd Gen Outback. Each one of these cars have their own quirks.

the first gens are gutless (seriously, my wife's 97 takes longer to accelerate than her first car, a '91 Legacy wagon - and the legacy has about 50K more miles. I think that thing is a 2.2? that car knows how to GO!).

the motor on my FIL's 2nd gen is better, it's got a bit more guts and steering seems a bit crisper to me.

My grandparents' 3rd gen is good, I haven't driven it but it seems to have enough get-up-and-go.

ALL of them HATE the styling of the new Outback. Waaaay too much like an SUV. We even had a family get together and I parked my wife's next to the new one, so we had all 4 gen's parked next to each other in a restaurant parking lot (should have taken a picture - D'oh!)...the 4th gen isn't all that much larger than the others, it just looks to be that way. perhaps its the higher ground clearance, but the new OBW is more like my aunt's Chevy Equinox than it's older Outback heritage.


That being said, the sales numbers seem to be saying that folks like it. I personally prefer the look of the 3rd gens. the first gen looks a little bland, the 2nd gen looks a bit bloated to me.

[shirohniichan]

Personally I think they have a good niche to exploit if they can grab the "weekend outdoor enthusiast" market with a car that is a well behaved, safe, DD that can also survive leaving asphalt

Yea, verily.

I wanted something that was reliable, got decent gas mileage, could haul enough stuff for a camping trip, and wouldn't leave me stranded on sandy or high-clearance sections of dirt roads in the desert. My '09 OB does all of that, so I'm satisfied. I certainly didn't get one so I could portray myself as a hippy/ lesbian/ eco-warrior (although I must admit I am sexually attracted to women-- my wife can vouch for that).

[loaba]

Originally Posted by Amerikaner83

the 4th gen isn't all that much larger than the others, it just looks to be that way.

When were at the dealer, they gave us an '09 loaner to use while ours ('11) was getting tinted. The '09 was definitely smaller the new generation, so much so that the back seat felt cramped. The front was nice, but you sort of dropped down rather than stepped in.

[Euchre]

I live in an area where there are lots of Subarus. Outbacks, Foresters, and WRXs by the scores. Fair number of Impreza and Legacy too. Of the OBWs and Foresters, the first 3 and 2 generations respectively, you can easily spot them and say 'that's a Subaru'. It saddens me that with the current models it takes me a bit to pick either out of a herd of wannabe woodsy 'crossover wagons' and run of the mill SUVs.

[OutbackUFO]

Originally Posted by Euchre

I live in an area where there are lots of Subarus. Outbacks, Foresters, and WRXs by the scores. Fair number of Impreza and Legacy too. Of the OBWs and Foresters, the first 3 and 2 generations respectively, you can easily spot them and say 'that's a Subaru'. It saddens me that with the current models it takes me a bit to pick either out of a herd of wannabe woodsy 'crossover wagons' and run of the mill SUVs.

As the owner of an '11 OB I agree with your statement. IMHO the Gen 3 is the best looking OB out there. My mom has one and I like it better too. However the Gen 4 is bigger on the inside and for me that is what I needed. Also the new 3.6 does not need premium gas either, a big plus in the rip-off game played by the 'market'...
Is Gen 4 better? Only time will tell, but I hope Subaru isn't going to change their styling too much like SAAB did and then go the way of the Dodo...
I dislike the looks of most bland bloated 'jellybean' cars, as they seem to come from people with little imagination. At least Subaru's still stick out of the crowd more than most.
Oh and eh, I refuse to call my OB an SUV.....It is a WAGON...

[MNSteve]

We'll give this thread a little kick. My first Subaru is a '98 OB Ltd 5 spd. Currently has 122,000 miles plus about 10,000 towed miles behind our motor home. I bought it for several reasons. The first is the great all wheel drive to take us skiers to the ski area (I was a ski patroller until 2003 -37 years patrolling). With Blizzaks it was unstoppable. Only problem was the head gaskets at 96,xxx miles and a right rear bearing at 121,xxx miles.

Like the Outback so much bought a 2008 Tribeca 7 passenger (for the grand kids ) and it burns regular gas. Didn't like the 2006-7 Tribeca because the front looked too much like an Edsel. Really like the Tribeca as a road car. Comfy, quiet and decent gas mileage. Runs at 80mph just fine. With Blizzak snow tires it does just fine in the snow. The Blizzaks go on both cars in November and come off in April.

Over all Subaru styling is not too bad and the looks of the 2012 Outback are fine with me. We live in snow country so there are a lot of Subaru's in the area.