Ideas/thoughts on Subaru's upscale movement?

I'm afraid they are going to end up creating products nobody will want and alienating their diehard customers.

One of the major factors I look at for Subaru in addition to the reliability is the price. If I wanted a BMW or an Audi I would buy one. I like Subaru because they are different and not like every other car I pass on the road.

Hi,

I know I don't speak for a lot of people, but I first became aware of Subaru when their sales pitch was "Inexpensive, and built to stay that way."

My parts guy makes fun of my "antique" Subie, a '90 Loyale 4wd wagon, that's now at 355,000 miles and wonders when I'm gonna buy a new one. Unfortunately, for me, Subaru's gone down the wrong path. I'll probably buy another one, but it will be another "oldie."

I can take mine off on dirt roads with adequate ground clearance and no worry about tearing up an expensive 16" "show tire," kick it into 4wd if life is slippery (and truth be told, I use the 4wd VERY seldom) but leave it in 2wd and get decent fuel economy other times, and do virtually all my own maintenance/repair work. I'm not sure I'd have the same confidence in a new one.

It's nice to see Subaru's building some cars with a bit of go (those of you who've driven EA-82 and prior engines know what I mean!) and all mfrs are going the more bells and whistles route, but I think Subie's reaching for a market it's not going to be that competitive in. Look at the best selling car in the US: the Toyota Camry (and I've got one of them, too.) It's rock solid, reasonably economical, and there are a lot of them out there with numbers on the clock approaching Subaru's "legendary" long life (mine's got 217k, and frankly, it's in better shape than my Subie was at that point given similar usage.) Ok, it's not a real exciting car to drive, but the sales numbers keep Toyota excited enough. I think Subaru should be careful NOT to forget where they came from, and keep that part of the market in mind.

Just my opinions, of course!

Rick

I have to agree. I have a newer model, a '96 Impreza that I am thrilled to death with. I bought it mostly for the fact that I can get to most anything I need to under the hood to work on myself.

Subaru has a heritage to be proud of. They don't need to screw it up by becoming a cross-dressing street-walker.

I hadn't noticed a move to upscale. TG

?newsId=100366 Articles are a few months old, but still good reading. I noticed the trend even before reading those articles, when I stopped up to the Subie dealer to get some parts. I strolled on over to the new Legacies and was almost startled by the differences between the new model and my ancient '95. Dual exhaust? Big wheels? A turbocharger not to compensate for a lack of power, but simply for the sake of more? They are moving upward, or at least are trying to. As of right now you can still get a Subaru for under $20k but who knows for how long? I'm not complaining, mind you, but not everyone can afford a $35k+ car and I'm just worried that Subaru might alienate their "Inexpensive and built to stay that way" fan base.

-Matt

I got my 04 OBW for under 20k . I am quite pleased with the car as it is the perfect combination of sporty fun to drive but ale to handle bad weather and moderately rough terrain. I am concerned that subaru is pricing themselves out of their former tatrget audience. When I need a new car in 7 years (I usually keep a car for about 8 years- then its not worth fixing to me) and Subie is 35k I may look elsewhere. Go back to your roots subaru or you;ll be in chap 11 isn the us

I got my 04 OBW for under 20k . I am quite pleased with the car as it is the perfect combination of sporty fun to drive but ale to handle bad weather and moderately rough terrain. I am concerned that subaru is pricing themselves out of their former tatrget audience. When I need a new car in 7 years (I usually keep a car for about 8 years- then its not worth fixing to me) and Subie is 35k I may look elsewhere. Go back to your roots subaru or you;ll be in chap 11 isn the us

What about the Turbo and bigger engines? Hadn't noticed? It's all over the place. That and plusher interiors, etc.

I like the turbo & engine upgrades, but don't need the plushness; if I wanted that I'd switch to Dodge SUVs. (Gag!)

Don

I think Subaru is going in the right direction. The STi is a case and point. For what you get it is a bargain. Sure there is the EVO. But it is a kidney jarring monster that you have to drive like you stole it. The STi has a smooth powerband and a ride that is bearable. I think they struck a good compromise between power/handling/ride/price.

BlueSTi "Scary-Fast"

Subaru's have been available with turbo's for 20 years or more. I don't think of upscale as having anything to do with power anyway but to me it's a good thing. We leave the Legacy at home when traveling 2 lane highways...the wife's VR4 has soooo much more power for passing safely, handles better and looks better also. As far as the interior I don't see anything great but it might be nicer by a bit, I just went and looked at a new '05 GT Legacy so I could feel a little more like I know what I'm talking about and I certainly like the changes...it wasn't that expensive either. TG

I think I'm with Blue. My Forester is just at the bottom end of what I'd be happy with, as far as creature comforts and performance go. The Forester XT (while not a "Premium," it's still toward the top end of their "bells and whistles" scale) was actually a step down for me from my previous cars. It was a sacrifice I made in order to gain AWD and still remain inside my budget. Had I been able to wait a bit, I'd likely be in an '05 Legacy GT right now instead of the Forester. If I'd had deep enough pockets, I'd be in an AWD Audi, BMW, or Volvo. The Forester XT fills an otherwise empty niche. I fully expect that my next vehicle will be the 05-generation Legacy GT -- unless they come out with something better in the mean time.

Will Subaru alienate their so-called "core" customers by continuing to offer more up-scale products? Not being in that "core" demographic, I can't say for sure. I'm guessing that these customers are being kept quite happy with the base Impreza and Legacy models, which IMO still offer an excellent bargain, if AWD is important to you. But I can tell you this much for certain: I wouldn't be a Subaru owner today were it not for their more upscale offerings. I wouldn't have even considered it. I'd have purchased a used European car before a base Impreza or Legacy, or even an Outback.

- Greg Reed

--

1983 Honda V45 Magna 2001 Chevy Astro AWD (wife's) 2004 Subaru Forester Turbo 5-Speed

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I've driven Subarus for almost 20 years because they are:

• low center of gravity/handle well ("boxer engine") * 4WD/AWD * Moderately priced

I've come to dislike what I see as Subaru Corporate's lack of concern for customer service and lack of interest in customer feedback.

If Subaru goes upscale with *part* of its line, but not all of it, I don't particularly care. If it goes upscale with its entire line, though, that will remove one strong reason for me to buy Subaru. If I can get a good small Audi AWD wagon for the same price as a Subaru with the same basic features, Audi's superior customer service might well tilt the balance.

-- Catherine Hampton Home Page * The SpamBouncer *

(Please use this address for replies -- the address in my header is a spam trap.)

And, given what I've heard about Audi reliability, you may also enjoy more frequent contact with the service department.

Of course, the low end 2005 Outback is about 2K more in real dollars than the 2004. It will be interesting to see if in places like Vermont where Subaru had a 5% market share, if they keep that share. I have noticed a lot of Toyota Matrix automobiles up there recently.

I didn't get my first Subaru until 1997, an OB. I'd really not paid any attention to them since the first I saw in 1975 or so. "Cute little cars." They've changed a bit since then.

And I guess that's what we are talking about with "upscale movement." I got to thinking about that a little more and the best comparison I can make is to comment on "upscaling" the Model T in 1917. Glad we aren't still there! It's all about marketing. If you don't improve something, it used to be the dash, the wings for rear fenders, etc. you don't attract new buyers each year. I don't like the Porsches from 1990 on, but look at how they've been accepted by a new breed of buyer, with purple interiors with yellow piping, etc. Enough to gag a maggot.

But that's what sells cars. Otherwise you go into Chapter 11; not becuase you stay the same year after year.

D>

Interesting. I wondered what kind of effect the Matrix and Vibe might have in the long run on the high-concentration Subaru areas. I know that Toyota and Honda didn't do nearly as well in the 4x4 car segment as Subaru did, just as Subaru abandoned the bland front drive segment in an effort to concentrate on their niche marketing strategy which has worked so well for

10 years.

-Matt

AUDI? Out of the top 30 manufacturers rated for overall reliability by Consumer Reports (admittedly a questionable group), Subaru ranks 6th and Audi a sad 20th....that's even worse than 7 of the US manufacturers...not good! From my experience repairing Audis and the expense of parts I don't consider them an equal car or much of an alternative. TG

So then what Subaru is planning is to up the price and lower the quality? Figures.