Subaru The Most Baffling Brand In America

As a fan of excellent design it's easy to be an ardent supporter of the idea that if you make a great design they will come. A great design will usually yield benefits in sales for the brand and it doesn't even have to be beautiful, a properly boxy SUV or pickup can work just as well. With that in mind we are pretty big fans of the fourth generation (2003-2009) Subaru Legacy and Outback. Featuring a crisp and sophisticated design far beyond your standard midsize, the Legacy could have passed as a near premium product. Unfortunately for Subaru that generation had niche sales figures. A funny thing happened next, Subaru design deserted the brand but its sales have surged ever since. It's not hard to figure out the design direction of almost any brand as some lean towards bold, outrageous and swoopy. Others are clean, sharp and lean towards conservative while others still are boxy and purposeful. Subaru design direction on the other hand is impossible to read. The Subaru redesign philosophy seems to consist of blowing up its cars in every dimension and adding enough random jagged lines to meet a mandated quota.

Are there brands whose sales success just flat out puzzles you?
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chewy - 10/22/2014 2:17:31 PM

+1 Boost

Hyundai/Kia are making pretty big strides with better engines and designs. They have some appealing products now. Their latest engines are pretty punchy as before they were quite a bit weaker than their horsepower ratings. It looks like the new Sonata 2.0T is super slow though given its horsepower rating. On the other hand the new Genesis is pretty strong.

Sciros - 10/22/2014 3:30:39 PM

+1 Boost

There's nothing baffling with Subaru. What they offer for the money is unmatched by other manufacturers when you look at everything apart from design. Safety, reliability, roadworthiness in all kinds of weather, fun factor, practicality in terms of city driving (visibility), storage space, etc. Other cars that match Subaru in these respects cost quite a bit more. You want something as fun-yet-practical as my Forester XT? Maybe an Audi Q5 with the turbo. But you're paying way more, getting some luxury features, yet compromising quality won't be there since the Forester is built in Japan, plus safety.

The Mazda CX-5 is a nicer-looking design but sacrifices visibility and a few other things for the sake of that design. Plus you can't get a 250hp CX-5.

So, no, nothing baffling. Build a good car and don't overcharge for it and suddenly it doesn't need to be beautiful to be appealing.

Shitty cars better be good-looking, on the other hand. Ha.

MDarringer - 10/22/2014 8:38:58 PM

+4 Boost

Baffling because their cars are either bland or ugly. Baffling because their engines develop valvetrain clatter at 75K miles and they leak oil but people think they are reliable. Baffling because Toyota asked them to develop an RWD sports car without any prior experience from Subaru doing so.

I have no need for this brand.

W124E320 - 10/23/2014 10:09:51 AM

+3 Boost

I have never owned nor know anyone that has owned a Subaru. I cannot understand how they continue to grow. Their cars are ugly, boxy, have silly front ends, and interiors that are remind me of a 1970's Toyota... still the former Volvo wagon set seems to prefer them... bunch of freaks & weirdo's!

quizz - 10/23/2014 6:25:17 PM

+2 Boost

Subaru -> Outback -> lifestyle

People buy Subarus because of their reputation as an "outdoor hippy" brand. Perfect market for this because, these buyers are more about ideology than design.