Subaru Luxaru?

"MooseKnuckles" (andyschenk) 02/21/2019 at 08:21 • Filed to: None

1

37

long story short, some of my friends en masse believe Subaru to be luxury and “ really” expensive. the claim was it competes with Volvo and Lexus. i kept my mouth shut. one of those conversation where it isn’t worth it.

i thought maybe they were mistaking Subaru with maybe ol’ Saab? Or sticking to Japanese brands, maybe Infiniti or Acura.

is this belief about Subaru common? I’m not saying Subie is bad at all, just it isn’t a luxury brand . I’d say Mazda is closer to being entry level luxury like Acura or Buick.

Arrivederci > MooseKnuckles 02/21/2019 at 08:36

0

Have owned a Subie, can confirm not luxury.

PyramidHat > MooseKnuckles 02/21/2019 at 08:39

0

I went from an xc7o to an outback limited.  The OB is really nice and I’m not wanting for anything, but it’s not as...plush, say...as the Volvo...

dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford > MooseKnuckles 02/21/2019 at 08:40

3

Seeing Subie prices, I can see why they think that. Pretty overpriced for a regular car, especially used 

WilliamsSW > MooseKnuckles 02/21/2019 at 08:40

2

I can’t think of a brand with more austere l ooking interiors than Subaru.

Spanfeller is a twat > WilliamsSW 02/21/2019 at 08:42

4

Mitsubishi, if they still make cars.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > MooseKnuckles 02/21/2019 at 08:43

1

I would say some models of Subaru can be luxurious, I had a friend with a Legacy that was quite nice, leather, woodgrain, etc. But overall, no, not a luxury brand.

WilliamsSW > Spanfeller is a twat 02/21/2019 at 08:43

8

Who ever thinks of Mitsubishi? 

Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! > MooseKnuckles 02/21/2019 at 08:50

0

I mean I have an Outback Limited but I never have thought of them as luxury brand. I enjoy what it is but I know there are nicer cars.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > MooseKnuckles 02/21/2019 at 08:54

1

MooseKnuckles > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 02/21/2019 at 08:57

1

Premium trims can be nice, but not luxury. An Accord with leather isn’t a C Class and a Forester with leather isn’t an X C40

I’m not trying to sound snobbish . I have a Silverado LTZ, which sure had an $60k sticker (Canadian) but I would drive it over a $60k X5. It’s still just a Chevy and I k ind of like that part

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > MooseKnuckles 02/21/2019 at 09:01

0

I'd call them upmarket, but not luxury. Kinda like VW tried to be in the US. 

Chuckles > MooseKnuckles 02/21/2019 at 09:01

3

I am curious as to what cars these friends drive. If they’re all rolling around in 15 year old Civics, any new car is probably going to feel luxurious.

TorqueToYield > WilliamsSW 02/21/2019 at 09:01

3

Newer Subaru’s have nice interiors now, obviously not Mercedes or Volvo nice, but a million X better than they were even a few years ago . Especially on high end trims.

nerd_racing > MooseKnuckles 02/21/2019 at 09:02

0

I’d have to agree with you that current Mazda is more of a premium brand (by design focus) than Subaru.  Subaru doesn’t have to try and be premium though, they will end up alienating their loyal base if they do.  

punkgoose17 > MooseKnuckles 02/21/2019 at 09:03

0

Your friends must have figured out how to smoke crack in a vape.

Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > MooseKnuckles 02/21/2019 at 09:04

0

They are expensive compared to the competition but it’s because you’re paying for AWD, brand recognition, etc.

TorqueToYield > dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford 02/21/2019 at 09:05

2

Subaru’s whole pricing strategy is to be slightly less than Honda or Toyota with a few more features.

Base Highlander is like $32k and you don’t even get AWD. Base Ascent is about the same price but you get way more features and AWD standard obviously.

Used Subarus are ridiculous though.

MooseKnuckles > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 02/21/2019 at 09:06

0

is it upmarket because the starting price is higher? and is that because AWD on subaru where as other brands offer FWD on base models. Doing a quick build and price against Honda, spec for spec the prices seem comparable .

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > MooseKnuckles 02/21/2019 at 09:08

2

It’s funny how people get ideas in their heads about brands. A friend of mine is looking into buying something brand new to replace his POS 05 Explorer. His wife has hard Opinions about cars with no real knowledge to back it up. For example she ruled out Mazda for bring “too expensive” Kia for being “cheap crappy cars”, and, Similar to your friends, Subaru for being “too complicated, and fancy”

The Kia one is just outdated information, and doesn’t factor in Kia’s reputation for reliability. The rest I don’t understand at all.

Also she holds Toyota on a holy pedestal because she has had a Camry for a few years. To the point where she turned down the idea of a Honda Fit (my idea) because “isn’t a Corolla better?” 

TorqueToYield > MooseKnuckles 02/21/2019 at 09:09

1

Some fancy people I know, specifically certain types of rich people in New England who don’t like to show off their wealth with a BMW or Lexus, do prefer high end totally optioned out Subarus. Not sure that makes them luxurious though, but maybe where some of that started from.

Subaru used to compete more with Volvo but Volvo moved way upmarket.

Also, the richest person I’ve ever met drove a 20 year old Volvo wagon. Immaculately dealer maintained that they bought new. From an old money Boston family.

WilliamsSW > TorqueToYield 02/21/2019 at 09:10

1

  Yeah, I did see that the newest gen cars have finally maybe caught up with Honda and Toyota, but for a long time they were well behind those brands, imho. Certainly nowhere near luxury.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > MooseKnuckles 02/21/2019 at 09:12

0

That’s just my perception of the brand, somewhat arbitrarily. My mom used to have an upper trim Legacy (MY 2015ish?) and the interior was very nice. Much better than her current CRV, but worse than her BMW. AWD is a luxury feature IMO as well. 

MooseKnuckles > Chuckles 02/21/2019 at 09:17

1

that’s just it, the list includes

2018 CX5 GT

2019 CX5 Signature (with the new turbo offering)

2017 CRV Touring

2015ish GTi

2014ish Fit - unsure of actual trim, it has leather just like the rest

2016 Canyon Denali

2017 X3 - he was the only one arguing it, but he bought the badge and wants to show it 

It all started because a friend, who wasnt there at the time, just bought a 2017 Forester 2.5i Touring - i.e. with cloth seats and miserable engine and CVT.. and people were questioning why he bought such a nice crossover. that’s what made me think they were confused with Acura or other

Chuckles > TorqueToYield 02/21/2019 at 09:18

0

That's a good point. If rich people drive Subarus, other people might consider them to be luxury cars.

fintail > MooseKnuckles 02/21/2019 at 09:19

0

Never heard that one before, and I live in a Subie mecca.  Maybe those people don’t know cars?  In the PNW, Subaru is seen as good, but very mainstream.

MooseKnuckles > dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford 02/21/2019 at 09:22

1

subie prices seem high because AWD is standard. Put AWD on a Hondao-Toyota-Mazda etc and it’s comparable. it’s just base price on Subie is higher.. but with more features to justify it 

Chuckles > MooseKnuckles 02/21/2019 at 09:24

3

Well then I really don’t know what your friends are on. Perhaps they all went to a party with a Subaru marketing rep.

It's funny how people have misconceptions about car brands. When I bought my 2012 Fiat 500 in 2017, one of my friends asked me how I was able to get such a good deal on a luxury car. Uh, it's a 5 year old economy car, that's how.

Ash78, voting early and often > MooseKnuckles 02/21/2019 at 09:45

3

I love these kinds of discussions because the target changes over time.

At one point in the not-so-distant past, Luxury meant longevity and build quality. Think Mercedes W123.

Then people got more fickle and cars were built to turn to dust after a decade or so. Nobody kept them that long, anyway...especially with the proliferation of leasing.

Then Luxury became tech and comfort features. Heated seats in the 90s? Luxury AF! Heated seats today? Mid-level trimline on everything. Radar cruise control? Only on the S-Class. Today it’s all over the place, in addition to other driver assistance aids. So that’s no longer a good differentiator, especially when you consider that in-car tech tends to backfire and kill your reliability ratings.

What’s left? IMHO, a good ride, excellent NVH, quality leather and materials, high-quality paint jobs, and “surprise & delight” attention to detail.

So....Subaru is totally average. I’d argue that Mazda is more of a luxury brand than Subie.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > MooseKnuckles 02/21/2019 at 10:02

0

As far as Chevy’s just being Chevy’s, I think that’s slowly eroding as far as the Silverado goes, I full-well realize that when I see someone driving a new one that they easily plunked down upwards of $40k. And it’s becoming well-publicized that pickup trucks have crept up in price very significantly.

And yeah, premium trims aren’t luxury cars, but they are luxurious inside. But I do agree, when you see a Mercedes or an Audi driving down the street you go “ooh nice car”, when you see a Ford or a Subaru, you don’t get that same sense of prestige from the outside of the car.

OmerCarrothers333 > MooseKnuckles 02/21/2019 at 10:11

0

Luxury car for the Snowbelt?

His Stigness > MooseKnuckles 02/21/2019 at 10:43

0

I’ve got a pretty simple metric that doesn’t always pan out when determining whether a car is a luxury car or not.

If you close a door and the car and sounds like a hollow tin can then it’s NOT a luxury car.

Therefore Subarus are not luxury cars.

But by own metric that would mean VW's are luxury cars, which I don't believe. But I do enjoy the Germanic thunk everytime I close my doors. 

dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford > TorqueToYield 02/21/2019 at 13:09

0

I’m thinking about the price difference of the Outback 3.6 and the Volvo V60 Cross Country. Similar car, similar power and specs etc, the Volvo isn’t significantly more expensive new  and definitely a ton cheaper used

dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford > MooseKnuckles 02/21/2019 at 13:11

0

That’s fair. I’m thinking about the Outback vs other crossovers, but it’s kind of it’s own thing and Subaru knows owners will swarm no matter the price

AMC/Renauledge > MooseKnuckles 02/21/2019 at 16:52

1

The IS is Lexus’s smallest model, and roughly the same size as the Subaru Impreza. I compared the base IS with AWD to the top-line Impreza sedan with AWD. The results speak for themselves.

No, Subaru is nowhere near a Lexus competitor.

ranwhenparked > MooseKnuckles 02/21/2019 at 18:29

0

Well, I mean, that interior looks pretty similar to a couple of modern Jaguars, so maybe they’re on to something?

wafflesnfalafel > MooseKnuckles 02/21/2019 at 20:24

0

A gree - not a luxury brand. Some of Subie’s appeal  is that their cars are utilitarian. Also agree that Mazda is really trying to be a near luxury brand - makes them less appealing to me, but I hope they remain successful.

Svart Smart, traded in his Smart > MooseKnuckles 02/21/2019 at 21:42

1

Have your friends sit in the back seat of a 2014 Forester 2.5i. Point out that there is no center armrest, no cupholders (just a bottle holder in each door), no climate control vents. Show them the center stack with no rear-view camera. Have them feel the lumpy idle. A luxury marque, Subaru is not.