4 ms·

I'm very much in the same boat. It's one of the things that has always confused me a little about Subaru, since they seem like they've been really well-placed t

by qchris 6y ago

I'm very much in the same boat. It's one of the things that has always confused me a little about Subaru, since they seem like they've been really well-placed to take advantage of the transition to electric vehicles. A lot of their customer base cares about things like the environment, usually has some degree of disposable income (they're not the cheapest car on the market) and places a high value on areas like reliability and simple functionality. Electric cars already are supposed to require less maintenance than your average ICE vehicle, and the four-cylinder boxer engine/CVT combo isn't exactly known as a hotrod combo either, so it's not as if the need to satisfy their customer base on 0-60mph time anway (for that type of car, ignore the WRX for a moment). If they made a Crosstrek/Forester-type vehicle with 300-400 miles of all-electric range, kept the ground clearance, roof rack, and usual interiors, I've always imagined that those vehicles would sell like hotcakes. I know I'd be interested in immediately trading up, in a way that I probably won't be otherwise for a long time.

ivraatiems 6y ago
Subaru is slow to move on industry trends. They were some of the last to get USB ports in their cars, Bluetooth, modern power steering (the wheel in my 2013 Impreza is shockingly heavy for a new car), better fuel economy, etc, etc. They do one thing - they make solidly reliable 4-wheel-drive cars - and they do it quite well. But I've never seen them be the first on any new thing the industry is doing, no matter how good it is.
- sakopov 6y ago
  You're absolutely right. I always thought of Subaru as a niche car maker appealing mostly to outdoorsy types who don't mind getting their hands dirty to do some maintenance on their car. I don't think they really put much effort into their interior aesthetics. Heck, until recently they weren't really making the best looking cars either. I drive a 2016 WRX and it's literally a box on wheels. There is barely any sound proofing, the audio quality is horrid, the interior is as plain as it gets and they're probably 5 years behind everyone else on innovation, but the car is just insanely solid and incredibly easy to maintain.

by qchris 6y ago

ivraatiems 6y ago

Subaru is slow to move on industry trends. They were some of the last to get USB ports in their cars, Bluetooth, modern power steering (the wheel in my 2013 Impreza is shockingly heavy for a new car), better fuel economy, etc, etc. They do one thing - they make solidly reliable 4-wheel-drive cars - and they do it quite well. But I've never seen them be the first on any new thing the industry is doing, no matter how good it is.

sakopov 6y ago
You're absolutely right. I always thought of Subaru as a niche car maker appealing mostly to outdoorsy types who don't mind getting their hands dirty to do some maintenance on their car. I don't think they really put much effort into their interior aesthetics. Heck, until recently they weren't really making the best looking cars either. I drive a 2016 WRX and it's literally a box on wheels. There is barely any sound proofing, the audio quality is horrid, the interior is as plain as it gets and they're probably 5 years behind everyone else on innovation, but the car is just insanely solid and incredibly easy to maintain.