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Comment by Aqueous | Hacker News Reader

As an 18 - 34 year old man and recent Subaru owner, I can only reason that it's not just that lesbians are (intelligently) into Subarus, it's that everyone else is an idiot about what cars they buy. Subaru means AWD! Furthermore, the Subaru Impreza is the only compact sedan on the market in its price range that comes with AWD standard - the only car you can buy where you receive a nice, small, fuel-efficient, new vehicle with AWD for the price of a compact - 18000 to 28000. AWD is a huge value-add, not just for outdoorsy types but for anyone who lives in a region with unpredictable weather, like New England or the Pacific Northwest. It's no wonder Subarus depreciate slower than other vehicles. Anyway, count me among the satisfied non-LGBT owners of a Subaru.

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I've lived in the upper mid-Atlantic/almost-but-not-quite-New England area my entire life. I've driven just about every combination of AWD, FWD and RWD with summer, all-purpose and winter tires.

Obviously AWD with new snow tires will let you cut through just about anything. I mean it felt like driving a tank sometimes, it's amazing. And that was a sedan - I can't imagine how easy that much be in an SUV or Jeep.

I've also driven FWD compacts with snow tires and experience was worlds better than AWD with regular tires. If AWD + snow tires is 100/100, FWD + snow tires is 90 and AWD + regular tires is 50. My point is that AWD isn't all it's cracked up to be, even with feet of snow on the ground.

And just because it's standard doesn't mean you're not paying a couple thousand dollars for it like everyone else - it just means you don't have the option not to.

And OT: I never understood this "smart people like $CONSUMER_PRODUCT" mentality. Different products fit different use cases. I wouldn't drive a BMW Z4 in Augusta, Maine just like I wouldn't drive a Subaru Forester in San Diego.

I live in Michigan and drive a 4WD Jeep Patriot (standard tires). There's a lot of things to dislike about it (underpowered, chintzy cabin, etc), but one thing I can say with 100% confidence is that when traction control is enabled it stays absolutely glued to the road at all times. It's actually kind of shocking some of the things you can do while maintaining control, and it's really important to keep the old adage in mind - the difference between 2WD and 4WD is about 20 feet of chain.

The day after a big snowstorm is pretty rough here thanks to lake effect, but I just pop on 4WD and plow through it, while praying that some idiot doesn't slide into me.

100% agree with this (New Hampshire native). Snow tires on an FWD are far better than regular tires on AWD.

AWD means you can accelerate better in the snow and become un-stuck easier. If you want to stop sooner and slip less, snow tires make the real difference, not AWD.

There's a reason snow tires are mandatory in Iceland (illegal to not have them) from November onwards.

>I can't imagine how easy that much be in an SUV or Jeep.

Possibly not at all easier. SUV usually has bit more clearance than sedan. And possibly more suspension travel and overall weight. End of the day SUV vs. AWD sedan difference is almost insignificant.

Real off-road cars also have differential locks and reduction gears. While they usually don't weight that much (relatively). Now you have real advantage, as you can approach any tricky spot with incredible amount of quaranteed torque and slow speed.

What I'm sayin is that if you drive on a swamp off-road car is 100/100, SUV is 60 and AWD sedan is like 50.

When I say everyone else is an idiot about what cars they buy I'm being hyperbolic and also joking, so no offense intended. There are plenty of excellent cars and excellent car-based experiences to be had. AWD cars that I've owned (in my experience), not just Subaru, just feel like they grip the road much better than at least the FWD cars I've driven. But maybe my experience is illusory. Also, here in New England AWD has saved me from being trapped in a driveway or on an ice patch more times than I care to admit.

Augusta is pretty urban (for Maine). I'm sure I've seen at least a few Z4s around.

Not all AWD is the same, some manufacturers have better AWD systems than others.

I've driven 4WD and AWD and 4WD is the clear winner. When my wife replaced our old GMC Jimmy (a terrible car in most respects) that had 4WD with a Forester with AWD, I didn't feel pride or love or satisfaction. I felt I had been short-changed. It cost too much, has fairly low gas mileage (26MPG), is small and cramped. I'm 6'4" and while there's headroom aplenty (ok that part is pretty nice) the legroom is middling to poor.

And AWD! It comes with something called 'traction control' which in Iowa means, pulling out of a parking lot onto a snow-covered street, it starts vibrating the drive and you drift across the lanes like one of those little football players in the vibrating football game. How is this supposed to be a good thing? You can punch a button to 'turn it off' but other than displaying a message that its disabled, it still happens. So major fail there. I can drive on snow; have for 40 years. I don't need some Engineers broken idea of how to 'help me' drive.

And AWD is essentially a differential? So at no time are all four wheels gripping the road and clawing my way through the snow and drifts. Like 4WD does. So again, a big step down.

And finally, they put a smarmy stupid badge on the back, 'pze' which apparently means "Partial Zero Emissions". What kind of double-speak is that! It offends me, and embarrasses me to have it on the car.

I could go on, but I'll summarize. No, not a Subaru fan.

I've never driven a Jimmy, but my brother had an S10. And it didn't get anywhere close to 26 mpg. And many factory 4wd vehicles don't have locking differentials at the front and rear, although granted the transfer case doesn't have a differential in it. So you still don't have all four wheels gripping the road. If your unlucky, you'll have one tire in the front spinning, and one in the rear.

MJM46 here (this is not a cl ad... it's a paean to my car) and I loved my Subaru Outback wagon.

It was a challenge to get a 2.5i without the turbo but with the 5-speed manual, apparently the target demographics want automatic transmissions or high-strung engines. It perfectly fit with my life of young kids, upstate NY winters, and carting around stuff. It was more fuel and space efficient than the Honda Pilot we owned prior. It was almost unstoppable in snow with the right tires and smooth use of the throttle. It carried more than the VW's we had over the years.

I wrote letters when they announced the boxer diesel engine, http://www.boxerdiesel.com/, asking them to import it to the USA and once got a polite response that they were looking into it. Buyers like me are still waiting.

Sadly my wife didn't like the seats or interior and we couldn't beat the fuel economy of a Toyota Prius when we were driving several hundred miles per week. I wasn't a fan of the engine compartment (changing plugs and coils was okay for three of the four, the fourth was awful) but I didn't have problems with head gaskets, etc. that I've heard about.

Cars are almost always an emotional purchase. I don't think everyone else are idiots for not getting a Subaru, it probably means something about the car did not resonate with them. For me, it was the lack of luxury features. I am also from the south where AWD is not needed as much. The Subaru WRX is a great car though.

I live in Canada, AWD is great to get you out of a bind, to get going from a stopped position, it does absolutely nothing to stop or control the car (actually it adds weight so is a bit worse for stopping). I have an AWD car and a regular one, I needed AWD maybe once or twice in several years, I think is a bit overrated.

Don't forget fantastically reliable and easy to repair (so I hear).

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