Lost the plot???

[Allan L]

When I and some of my friends and associates took to Subaru vehicles they were cars/hatchbacks/estate cars with good roadholding and handling (and towing) thanks to their unusual design features such as all-wheel-drive and horizontally-opposed engines.
In those days they spent a fortune on taking part in and winning the World Rally Championship which must have been responsible for many sales.
Now that my current Impreza Wagon is a little old, I find they offer only a range of truck-like lumbering vehicles for which they use the US term SUV, but there's nothing (S)porty about 'em and they are of doubtful (U)tility. The brochure photo emphasis is on off-roading, but they fit wheels and tyres more suitable for parading on King's Road and not only have no proper spare wheel but nowhere to put one - let's see one getting home from off-road on a "spacesaver".
Does anyone know if we in the UK are alone in being treated like this, or are normal cars available in other countries, such as Japan?

[Samjeev]

Im not going to lie from reading that chunk of text above I think you're the one that has lost the plot.

It has always been the case that at the base of any car company that makes a few nice performance models there will be a large number of boring car models to help actually make them money so they can keep giving us exciting performance cars.

Subaru are no excpetion, they have been giving us boring cars for years, be it a boring non-turbo saloon impreza or a big SUV albeit they're still a bit cool being equipped with a 6 cylinder boxer engine. Just look at Nissan who has given us godzilla incarnate but also manages to give us a little micra or a big Qashqai to ferry our family around in.

[marcosal]

I believe Subaru are about to take the Levorg on to the track, saloon car racing, to put some adrenaline back in the marque in the Uk and Europe. Other markets do get different variations of the Model range. American scoobies are built in the USA and have their own specs and the Aussies get their own speccd cars from Japan. Australia and America are big markets for Subaru whereas the Uk is not. Consequently they have more say over the cars they get for their markets and the cars they want are predominantly off road capable estates and SUVs.

[GravelBen]

Allan L said:

Now that my current Impreza Wagon is a little old, I find they offer only a range of truck-like lumbering vehicles for which they use the US term SUV, but there's nothing (S)porty about 'em and they are of doubtful (U)tility.

What, like the WRX? The STI? The BRZ? They are also still making the Legacy, Impreza, XV, Outback...

If they're not available maybe you just need to complain to your local importer about what they're choosing to bring in.

In fact the only one that comes even remotely close to your description of a truck-like 'SUV' is the Forester?

Edited by GravelBen on Friday 22 January 22:50

[AdamIndy]

I drove a 61 plate Subaru SV? Yesterday and did wonder WTF is this all about! I'm a big Subaru fan but that Diesel engine is ste. Then I drove an 09 legacy 3.0. Great engine and an all road lovely car to be honest.

If they built nothing but Impreza turbo's of varying flavours, they would go bust in no time at all.

[Allan L]

GravelBen said:

What, like the WRX? The STI? The BRZ? They are also still making the Legacy, Impreza, XV, Outback...

If they're not available maybe you just need to complain to your local importer about what they're choosing to bring in.

In fact the only one that comes even remotely close to your description of a truck-like 'SUV' is the Forester?

Thank you Gravelben (and Marcosal and AdamIndy) for sensible comments.
I did specifically ask if we in the UK are alone and it seems we are. To emphasise my point, we are offered a truck-like Outback but not Legacy, a "crossover" XV but not Impreza. ETA I'm wrong in that there is an Impreza, but it's a weak-kneed 1.6 litre job which can barely tow more than its own kerb weight. The 2 litre and 2 litre diesel are only available on the XV.
So far as I can see the WRX STI and BRZ STI are hotrods and not general-purpose cars with good load-carrying and towing capability like the Impreza Wagon I am thinking of replacing.
If Sam Jeev finds such cars as the Impreza Wagon and the Legacy boring that's his business, but I don't need to know about it. As AdamIndy points out, the hotrods alone would not be good business.

Edited by Allan L on Saturday 23 January 09:10

[marcosal]

The Impreza estate you mentioned is the "Levorg". In Subarus mind, the Levorg is the alternative to the Impreza/Legacy wagon. This is the car that Jason Plato will be using in this years BTCC. As you say, the UK Levorg only comes with a 1600 boxer engine mated to a CVT gearbox. Perhaps the BTCC venture will spawn something more interesting.

Edited by marcosal on Saturday 23 January 09:23

[GravelBen]

marcosal said:

The Impreza estate you mentioned is the "Levorg".

There is the Impreza hatch as well.

[Screaming Beagle]

"I find they offer only a range of truck-like lumbering vehicles for which they use the US term SUV, but there's nothing (S)porty about 'em and they are of doubtful (U)tility"

Forester XT ( turbo and SI drive for sport) with X Drive (utility) and room for the family dog ( more utility) seems to fit the bill.

[Samjeev]

Allan L said:

If Sam Jeev finds such cars as the Impreza Wagon and the Legacy boring that's his business, but I don't need to know about it. As AdamIndy points out, the hotrods alone would not be good business.

Edited by Allan L on Saturday 23 January 09:10

I still say you've lost the plot or at least need to get with the times.
No where in my comment did I say a wagon or legacy is boring. Seeing that these cars are basically WRX's with a bit more practically and even come in an STI variant makes them awesome but to assume that Subaru are hiding their exciting cars from us and shoveling the big boring SUV's (which probably sell a lot better) is just some proper tin-foil hat ridiculous thinking however its no secret that Subaru's priorities over recent years have evolved their line up of cars to be less performance orientated replacing the vast majority of Ej20/Ej25 equipped cars with the 1.6 or 2L petrol/diesel motors you mentioned above.

Its just as easy to walk in to a subaru dealer or go on their website and order a big boring SUV Forester as it is a WRX STI whether you're in the UK, the US, Aus or Japan.
The only market I bet Subaru have a different lineup for would be the Japanese Domestic Market with their culture and road running costs being so high they prefer their tiny Kei cars rather than massive American SUV's.
However if you go in to a Subaru dealer you're likely to see waves and waves of SUV's as in this age that's what sells in the same way that if you walk in to ford dealership you'll be bombarded with C-Max's, Kugas and Focus' rather than the latest firebreathing V8 Mustang because it gives the general populace that walk in their looking to buy a brand new white goods SUV the wrong idea.

Edited by Samjeev on Monday 25th January 13:31

[TEKNOPUG]

There was quite a culture shift in the UK at the beginning of the millennium, whereby Subaru tried to move upmarket and push themselves towards competing with BMW et al. Much to the lament of many of their dealers. They had a core market of loyal owners (niche, granted) who appreciated Subaru for their utilitarian vehicles, such as the Impreza, Legacy and Outback. They quickly managed to lose these customers whilst failing to capture may from the European premium market. I'm not really sure what their brand image is supposed to be today or who their target audience are.