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Some car brands like Subaru just can’t catch a break and their drivers are judged rightly or wrongly. According to custom license plate suppliers Click4Reg, Subaru Forester, Outback, Crosstrek, and WRX/STI drivers have the worst reputations among all car brands. They surveyed over 2,000 drivers to reveal the most common impressions people have of drivers of each car brand. If you drive a Subaru, it's not good for you.
Why are Subaru owners seen as the worst drivers more than all others on the road? You have probably heard jokes about Subaru owners. They drive too slow, or the back of their cars is full of stickers, or they are driven by granola-eating hippies from the 60s, or that their cars are too loud. Some of these things might even be true. The survey reveals some interesting findings.
Stickered-up Subaru Outback
When asked for their opinions on different car brands, it’s easy for people to speak up, especially when it’s about other drivers as everyone has an opinion. When asked “Do you think Subaru owners are likely to be fast or slow drivers?”, 40 percent (800 people) said, if they get behind a Subaru, they are likely to be a slow driver. They did not break it down by model, but we are guessing it’s Forester and Outback as some owners tend to be more conservative drivers.
The other interesting findings found 20 percent of respondents said they wouldn’t even date a Subaru driver. 32 percent said they dislike Subaru owners, and a whopping 75 percent agreed that Subaru owners are bad drivers.
This was not in the survey done by the custom license plate suppliers, but Subaru WRX and WRX STI drivers have a reputation for being the most annoying. If you live near a Subaru WRX or WRX STI owner you’ve probably been woken up or annoyed by their loud exhales pipes.
The Subaru Boxer engine has a unique sound and WRX/STI drivers like to make their performance cars even louder by installing custom exhaust systems. It’s called the “Subie rumble” and WRX/STI owners are proud of it.
Subaru WRX exhaust
If you buying a new 2020 Subaru Forester, Outback, Crosstrek or WRX/STI, just know you are already disliked by a lot of other drivers on the road. It’s because the perception out there is, you drive too slow, your Outback is full of stickers, you don’t know how to drive, and your WRX/STI is too loud. If you are in a long line of cars looking to merge into slower traffic, don’t be surprised if they don’t let you in. But you love your Subaru and you don’t care what they think.
You Might Also Like: New Subaru Crosstrek Is Involved In The Most At-Fault Accidents Than Any Car In America
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Photo credit: Subaru USA, Subaru Canada
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Comments
I have three relatives with
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In reply to I am 73 now. Have 1 2019 by Don Garrison (not verified)
I have three relatives with 2018 Subarus and all have HARSH rides that actually jar my spine. What is worse though, is that all three vehicles rattle like squeak like they are 20 years old. Every panel rattles and the cars vibrate on even the smoothest of streets. Tire noise is loud, wind noise is loud... I have owned nothing but German cars: VW Passat, BMW 325i, 328i coupe, X5, 535i and a Mercedes S-class. The BMW coupe had a tight suspension but was NEVER rough and all cars were so silent I was/am virtually unaware of the outside (even in rush hour). I have driven a new Bentley (out of my price range) but it was even more silent and felt like I wasn’t even in contact with the road. I’ve never heard a single rattle or vibration and my current BMW 535i and S-Class float on air suspensions. To compare these vehicles build and ride qualities is simply silly. I call fubar.... akin to saying I bought a new house in Texas with central air but I am just as happy living in a tin shack when the temperature hits 100F in Summer for 3 months or in spring when all of the strong thunder storms blow through rattling the whole structure while torrential rain seeps through the ceiling. To each his own, but I like living in my house and driving well built, sturdy, quiet, smoothly riding German autos.
This article is a poor
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This article is a poor generalization of Subaru drivers. Most are responsible normal people. Labeling is a poor way and to me is judgemental. There is too much negativity in the world today including politics. Need to take the higher road.
Dear Torque News,
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Dear Torque News,
Let me help you out with a few stereotypes of Car Drivers mostly by Make:
* BMW = a--hole, and entitled - more so related to the 3 series
* Mercedes and Lexus - wanna be snobs who think driving in 1 lane and turn signals don't apply to you.
* Toyota Corolla - where do you think you are going....? There's a red light 100 ft or my rear bumper just ahead of you.
* Makes of Minivans - all types, in particular older models- you are always driving angry and mad at the world, because you are driving one.
* Nissan = aggressive amateurs and still not going anywhere like the Corollas.
* Dodge Charger = Two types - Either you enjoy making people think you are undercover police car OR please use the gas pedal more often. Why do you drive so slow?
* Toyota Highlander = you drive boring and non-committal
* Jeep Wrangler = sorry but somewhere in there is a bit of crazy in all of you.
* Ford F150 = I got your number and I saw you coming a mile away. Now stop driving on people's bumpers.
*and I could go on... but I will stop there.
The people who wake me up driving by the house - are obnoxious pick up trucks, or modified maximas, or some other lame sedan.
As a female, conservative, I drive a WRX.
I keep up with traffic and like to actually get to my destination in a timely manner.
Also - keep up the wave my fellow WRX/STI owners!
I thought this was a 'news'
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I thought this was a 'news' site...this is absolute opinionated slanderous garbage. Seriously thought this was the Onion for a moment. How about you shut the fuck up and report some news? Done with this 'news' site already. Jesus.
A rather pithy and shallow
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A rather pithy and shallow article. We moved to a Crosstrek from an Audi at the age of 60. We don't fit the typical outdoor 30 something owner. We are excellent drivers and simply love the car. Moves fast enough and quiet with the boxer engine!
I drive my Forester because
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I drive my Forester because it handles well on wet, dirt, or snowy roads, gets 30 mpg on road trips to rock climb, ski, camp, and all my dogs fit in it (250 lbs of rescue mutts). We have roof storage for all the cool toys we need as dedicated adrenaline freaks. I don't drink, but my hubby won't touch IPAs.
I love my 2015 Subaru
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I love my 2015 Subaru Forester, but why do the wheel bearings keep breaking down? In just 3 months, I have replaced 5!!!
They took all the old
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They took all the old stereotypes of Subaru owners. There is no typical Subaru owner. Go to any Subie dealer and you will see folks from all walks of life. Subaru has greatly improved its cars over the years. Whoever made the comment about the poor handling has not driven a new Subie on the new World platform. It is 20% stiffer than previous models. My 2019 Crosstrek has a firm, well-planted feel when cornering. I take expressway offramps marked as 45 at 60 - 65 mph. My wife's Outback has a bit softer ride as it is on the old platform. It's fine for her. It is an excellent highway car. The new CVT is a far better transmission than the previous edition. It is way better than the CVT in the Nissan Rogue.
You must need a long downhill
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In reply to They took all the old by Mike DeLorey (not verified)
You must need a long downhill to get that Crosstrek up to 60-65, lol
As a Vermonter I
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As a Vermonter I wholeheartedly agree with these stereotypes of Slowbaru drivers. They clog up the roads around here all the time, driving slow in la-la-land, having a flashback or something.
That is right! Do not mess
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That is right! Do not mess around with a Subaru driver, including anyone who drives a Legacy. Ha...ha...ha..... I am "bad" driver, too.
90% of drivers are either in
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90% of drivers are either in the wrong lane or playing on their GD phone... I pass just about everyone... all the GD time... #phuckall But seriously I own a WRX (2 actually a GD I picked up new in 03 and a GR I picked up 12/12.. hehehe. Both running cobb stg1 GD for the last 10 years the GR for the past 3 years still running great with zero issues or engine problems.... so far at least...
This is the complete opposite
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This is the complete opposite in Kenya. Here Subaru drivers are considered the worst bacuse of their speeds. They are the fastest lot. They indicators are always ready to overtake whatever is in front of them. Infact there is a joke that a Subaru driver can even overtake themselves.
The references to justify the
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The references to justify the author's opinions--most of which he authored--don't really support the points he is trying to make. Subaru drivers have the worst reputations? No, the linked article says WRX drivers get more speeding tickets. That doesn't necessarily mean they have the worst reputation. Subaru drivers are seen as the worst drivers? No, the linked list has WRX drivers ranked 4th. And their cars are too loud? Again, it's the WRX that's discussed in the linked article. As an English 101 essay, this would get a D+, at best.
This is the type of mindless
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This is the type of mindless drivel and absolute bull crap that can even pass for news these days. This is a steaming hot pile of garbage posing as a full daiper that's been left out in the sun. I wish I lived next to this person so I could let me wrx warm up for 2 hours at 4am 5 days a week.
I have two wrx, I do not
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I have two wrx, I do not drive them slowly nor do I drive them too fast. I do however do not get stuck in a festival car park or, get stuck in the snow. Deploying smug face and wishing good luck to all the two wheel drive owners for the coming winter.
Most of these opinions (and
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Most of these opinions (and comments) are based on LOOKS or appearances. Look at highway accident per capita stats for the real "worsts".
I live a rural mountainous area. The outback is dependable and snow worthy. Last ice storm I drove home, slowly, with no problem, and have stuck neighbors a ride. I passed plenty of big pickups.
Speaking of pickups, those get my vote for most deadly. Don't know why every owner thinks 80-90 mph is a good idea on the highway. Just reckless and irresponsible. See a lot which have rolled in accidents here. My daughter is a paramedic; says a lot out accidents she works involve misused pickups.
I drive a 3.6R Legacy, a bit
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I drive a 3.6R Legacy, a bit hoonish, especially in weather and on anything twisty, but IMHO there are four buckets of Subaru drivers types, not one.
1) Hoons. Give their car a pet name, upgrade it, make it look nicer than stock, push their car hard when they drive it, can't wait to drive in crappy weather. Way too aggressive and often louder.
2) Practical & safe. Don't speed, don't want to get stuck or feel out of control, aren't leasing, keep it maintained, depend on their car. Slower, quieter.
3) Their Subaru is their gateway to other activities. Have lots of stickers, travelled, have specialized hobbies, have a roof torpedo or bike/kayak rack, often outdoor activities. Usually slower, quieter, but sometimes a little irresponsible.
4) Beater. Don't get enough servicing, car has multiple 'issues' (all Subarus have at least one 'issue'), it's older and rarely cleaned, probably some scrapes & dents, bought 2nd or 3rd hand. Couldn't drive fast for long if needed too. Only loud due to muffler perforations.
That's my observation. I will add that when I'm in a tough situation or need kind assistance, I look for the Subie owner: I get better help and more often than with other car brands, and I think there's fewer serial killers driving Subies.
One thing I hate about my
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One thing I hate about my 2005 Outback the color a weird very light olive green. 2 things I love. It fits my fat ass. 5'8" 423 lbs. The MPGs about 25 average. BTW fueleconomy.gov rates my Subie for 22 MPG. Not too shabby considering Olivia is 15 years old. My 2005 Explorer had more power 210hp
Versus 168 for my Subie. The Explorer had less equipment too. My Subie Olivia has heated seats and heated windshield wiper area and it is the base model as was my Explorer XLT.
"exhales systems"
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"exhales systems"
Long time Subaru owner here.
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Long time Subaru owner here. Had one of my driveway ever since 2006. I am probably on the faster side of the equation even though I have always owned Forester XTs or Legacys. Funny thing that I notice absent from both the poorly written article and the comment section is the one thing I used to get almost daily in my Subaru mostly from my alpha male coworkers in a predominantly male or at a job. The lesbian connection. Are we even allowed to say that anymore? It was prolific in the early 2000s. The Lesbaru (as it was unaffactionatlly called)... Don't get me wrong, I'm not hating here, it's just the way it was.. No need to rewrite history and pretend they weren't known as such... Anyway mine wore that moniker as a badge of honor
Lol
Reading this was delightful.
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Reading this was delightful. Thank you for sharing your fourth grade writing assignment with everybody. I hope your teacher was nice, and gave you the C-. As for the worst drivers, it's definitely a tie between Android, and iPhone users.
In my experience Subaru
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In my experience Subaru drivers are the most well behaved on road. They have a car which can give good mpg when needed and become a raging inferno when demanded. I am talking about the WRX sti with SI drive. So to hell with all the negatives. I love my Subaru and I am one of the best behaved on the road. Everyone else should try a Subaru once in their life, again I am talking of WRX Sti, and then comment.
Well. Very generalized
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Well. Very generalized wording all around ( including the comments). Sigh. We all have our reasons for what we do and we will never please everyone. That being the simple truth, I wholeheartedly admit to being the slow driving Forester.Also, I insist on driving one with a stick'. I perceive my driving as safe, my car dependable and my children riding in good hands. We've owned four Foresters in the last eighteen years. Both of mine were the manual drive I prefer. Yes, I see the impatient truck, four-doors and sport cars swerve around me as though they have the world to save and that's great. Please save the world, but I will always drive no more than ten miles over the speed limit. I will get in the left lane to pass when I get that chance. ( Can you believe someone is slower than a Forester driver?! Shock!) I agree completely with the last sentence of this article. Look for me and my Subaru sticker medals. I'm someone you may find quite interesting and fun to be around. Drive what you want. Subaru is the car company that gives me real satisfaction when I drive it. It's something most car companies seem to lack today. Do yourself a favor and get a friend who owns one or two or five. Drive safe, ya'll!
I live in CA and there are
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I live in CA and there are many Subaru drivers out here. While there is growing number of a-hole drivers out there and its getting worse in general; Subaru drivers are some of the most annoying. I am on the freeways often and Subaru drivers are one of the worst drivers ( I call entitled drivers). Many Subaru drivers never signal, seldom put there hazards on when double parked, make illegal turns from the 2nd/3rd lanes, merge on to speeding traffic then "slow" down, refuse to change lanes in the fast lane, extreme multiple lane changes (without signaling)..... I get it maybe some of you Subaru drivers have much higher IQ than me; Good for you! Please remember that it does not give you this entitlement to drive as if your the only one on the road. Btw I have owned and driven a Subaru Outback myself. Please also note that I rarely see WRX or BRZ driver issues. I apologize for the run in sentences and grammatical errors in advance.
They obviously never been in
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They obviously never been in front of me getting passed by my Outback cuz this Subaru owner is no slow driver
Look at all of these
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Look at all of these triggered Subaru drivers in the comments. As an extremely hard core car person who drives a manual and is always driving fast I can say without hesitation that Subaru drivers are the slowest and often times the most incompetent drivers on the road. This is excluding the wrx and legacy drivers. It all makes sense being that Subaru markets to bad drivers who are afraid of driving, hence the appeal to safety in their marketing.
The key is the driver. A*
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The key is the driver. A**holes drive every species of vehicle, as do normal, considerate, keep-up-with-traffic types. Characterizing people by their vehicles may be fun sport, but it is a fool's errand.
For anyone to say anything in
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For anyone to say anything in bad taste about any vehicle that Subaru has to offer makes me wonder if that person was not approved for a car loan through this establishment.
Stay Safe.
I drank the Koolaid for a bit
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I drank the Koolaid for a bit with Subaru. They are not terrible vehicles, but they are hit and miss like any other car. They lost me when they handled customers the way they do. My 2018 Outback went from 75mph to 20mph in seconds when my transmission came apart on the interstate. Apparently this is a known problem. Unfortunately, this car spent more time in the shop than it did on the road. Doesn't mean all Subarus will. The corporate office refused to warranty the brand new transmission their dealership put in. They gave me the run around on the phone, and then the super nice customer service agent sent me a vacuum. I no longer own a Subaru. Comparing it to what I drive now, it is subpar. The vehicle is louder in the cab, the seats are okay on comfort, the technology works sometimes, and the CVT transmissions are still in progress.