See how Subaru cars and SUVs score in braking tests. Six models score better than average, but it’s not the WRX or BRZ.
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The Subaru brand is known for its all-wheel-drive vehicles, but how do they score in braking tests? If you have ever had to make an emergency stop to avoid a car, pedestrian, or animal, you know how important it is to have good brakes. A new study by Consumer Reports tests cars and gives the average stopping distance from 60 to zero mph by category.
Subaru has six models that score better than the competition, but it’s not the WRX and BRZ sports cars equipped with standard brakes. The 2021 Subaru Forester, 2021 Outback, 2021 Crosstrek, 2021 Ascent, 2021 Impreza, and 2021 Legacy all score better than average.
In the Small SUV category, the average stopping distance is 132 feet from 60-0 mph. The 2021 Subaru Forester is better, with a stopping distance of 130 feet. In the Midsize SUV category, the average stopping distance is 134 feet. The 2021 Subaru Outback stopped at 132 feet.
The 2021 Subaru Crosstrek falls in the Small cars segment and has a stopping distance of 125 feet (the average stopping distance is 130 feet). In the Midsize SUV segment, the average stopping distance is 134 feet. The 2021 Subaru Ascent stops in 129 feet from 60-0 mph.
The 2021 Subaru Impreza sedan and hatchback models also fall in the Small car category (130 feet) and have a stopping distance of 124 feet from 60-0 mph. In the Midsize Car segment, the average stopping distance is 133 feet. The 2021 Subaru Legacy stops in 131 feet 60-0 mph.
In the Sports/Sporty car segment, the average stopping distance is 120 feet from 60-0 mph. The 2021 Subaru WRX is average with a stopping distance of 120 feet with standard brakes. Consumer Reports does not rate the STI, so we don’t have their figures for the higher-performance model.
In Motor Trend’s tests, they found the STI had a 60-0 mph stopping distance of just 103 feet with the high-performance Brembo brakes. The WRX equipped with the same Brembo brake package, the sport-tuned sedan had a stopping distance of 110 feet, considerably better than the average of 120 feet.
In Consumer Reports testing, the 2021 Subaru BRZ Limited trim has a 60-0 mph stopping distance of 126 feet with standard brakes. They did not test the BRZ tS trim with the Brembo performance braking system. We assume it would have improved significantly.
The 2021 Subaru Forester, 2021 Outback, 2021 Crosstrek, 2021 Ascent, 2021 Impreza, and 2021 Legacy all score better than average brake performance. When equipped with the Brembo performance brakes, WRX, WRX STI, and BRZ all score considerably better than average.
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Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a consulting role working with every major car brand. He is an accredited member of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press. Check out Subaru Report where he covers all of the Japanese automaker's models. More stories can be found on the Torque News Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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The tires play a much larger
The tires play a much larger role in the stopping distances than the brakes do these days. For most vehicles, the brakes are plenty strong enough to lock up the wheels, indicating that the tires don't have enough grip to stop any faster.
So putting better brakes on the cars won't do anything other than maybe mitigate fade (if it exists), it's the tires that make the biggest difference in the stopping distances. That's why the STI stops quicker than the WRX with the same brakes, it has the better tires.
This article could make people think that the brakes might not be that great on certain vehicles, when the difference is actually the tires.
"The 2021 Subaru Outback
"The 2021 Subaru Outback stopped at 132 feet." This is a little bit more than 40 m. Should not be regarded as a good result, not in 2021. Equivalent European cars, (size and weight), brake a lot better. Actually, breaking distances and breaking resistance is one of the weak points of Subaru, except for the STI which uses Brembo brakes.
The tires are the reason for
The tires are the reason for the longer stopping distances, not the brakes. The brakes themselves are fine. I explained that in my previous post. Better tires would yield shorter braking distances (and better cornering) from the increased grip.
Tyres do not explain the fade
Tyres do not explain the fade. Which occurs, how some tests have shown and I experienced too. This is my fifth Outback and braking was always one of the issues I had with these cars. Improved along but still not up to date. However, I am still owning what in the US is the previous generation, so... There is space for hope.