Scooby Doo
The popularity of Subaru in South Africa was for many years directly linked to its motorsport heritage. Most people's first interactions with the brand would have been due to seeing a blue and gold streak crossing their path. The WRX STi set the bar for high-powered all-wheel-drive sportscars with the ikes of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution following close behind.
Related: Top 5 Subaru WRX articles on AutoTrader
In subsequent years Subaru kind of grew up and presented a cleaner more adult version of the WRX and then we got the invasion of lifestyle SAV's. Subaru now offers a lineup of vehicles that cater towards folks that lead an active lifestyle but the blue starred oval has so much more to offer than outright performance.
Forester
The Subaru Forester is the bread-and-butter for Subaru, not only locally, but globally too. It's the go-to for both active lifestyle individuals and consumers who demand a high level of quality and reliability. Subaru has listened to the public and the new Subaru Forester is a noticeable improvement over the outgoing model.
XV
Apart from some concerns regarding outward visibility and fuel consumption, the Subaru XV ticks most of the boxes for new drivers. Not only is it very safe and pretty spacious, but its available technology (and current CVT-only range) makes it a low-effort car for daily driving
Outback
Originally based upon the Subaru Legacy station wagon, the Outback was developed by Subaru as a more off-road-ready wagon complete with cosmetic and suspension changes. With the brand’s symmetrical all-wheel drive and signature naturally aspirated and turbocharged four and six-cylinder boxer engines, which also included a turbodiesel boxer engine for a while
Impreza
Subaru first opened its doors in South Africa in 1992, the same year the Japanese automaker first introduced the Impreza which later became a World Rally Championship (WRC) legend at the hands of Colin McCrae. The 1992 Subaru Impreza offered a 2.0-litre boxer motor as motivation which was controversial in its day, to say the least.
WRX
Motorsport fans will know that if there's an Impreza to have, it's the WRX. Listed as a separate model to the Impreza (but still sharing the same platform and many of the mechanicals), the WRX is for the consumer who wants a little more punch from their purchase. Competing against the likes of the Audi S3 sedan, BMW M235 Gran Coupe, and Mercedes-AMG A35 sedan, the WRX is able to hold its own and then some.
Verdict
With high levels of safety, modern design, and putting forth vehicles that are very easy to drive, Subaru's will make excellent first cars if you can get around the price.
