Subaru SUCKS now.😐

Seems like the newer Subarus are getting worse. In this video I'm comparing my previous generations of Subaru outback to this newer (new to me) 2012 Subaru outback 6MT. I I picked this car up cheap with no brakes. On further examination of this car more thoroughly. I am discovering many new things. I don't like about Subaru anymore. I fell in love with some of the older designs and features Subaru used to include. But unfortunately, as the company puts out newer models, they seem to become substantially worse, cheaper in many ways, and almost intentionally designed to fail.

[PocketDrummer]

1:00 - This is a weird criticism. Yes, I'd rather have the lever, but this is the way ALL cars are going nowadays whether we like it or not.


1:50 - Another weird criticism. Yes, aluminum is better at conducting heat, but in this case that's a bad thing. Plastic acts as an insulator so that the heat from the heads and the convective and radiating heat inside the engine bay doesn't heat up your intake charge. This is why heat soak is an issue on the top mount intercooler on the turbocharged Subarus. The only negative is potentially heat cycles cracking the intake manifold, but I haven't seen that to be an issue yet. Also, black is allegedly emissive, but not as much as people think and certainly not enough to really matter inside of the engine bay. Also, that emissivity works both ways; hot or cold.

2:25 - Where did this vehicle spend most of its life? Subarus are most popular in the rust belt, so that's the main reason they have that reputation. I have zero rust on my 2005 STI or 2018 Forester, but I'm in Texas.


3:25 - The LSDs really depended on the model. They've had open diffs with no braking assist in the past on non-turbo models. The STis had the best diffs by a mile. The newer vehicles have open diffs with active torque vectoring, which is basically what you said. They apply brakes to the wheels that are slipping to redirect torque to the wheels that actually need it. The main disadvantage is more brake wear, but not much. Granted, I'd also rather have LSDs, but even with them, there are limitations to what they can do, and active torque vectoring is still the fix for those limitations. It's not really a bad thing, just a different strategy for getting the job done.


4:40 - A full size spare is a double-edged sword. Yes, it's nice to have an adult-sized tire on there when you have a puncture, but the issue is that people tend to leave those on and then replace the spare with another tire instead of considering the tread depths. Subaru has always required tires to be within 2/32" of each other in order to ensure the transmission and diffs aren't damaged. If you have 6/32" on your tires, puncture one, and then pop an 11/32" tire on it. You're going to cause issues. Having a little donut spare saves weight and forces owners to take their car to a shop where they'll tell them they should be buying 4 new tires instead. They have to consider the lowest common denominator, unfortunately.

[snnyburnett]

color of the plastic does not matter under the hood. We're not concerned about how warm they get on a sunny day with the hood open.
Real concern is brittleness after heat cycling for 150-200k, those inserts are going to snap off.

[collin]

As much as I agree about the E-brake. The data to back the intake manifold complaints are weak, all Subaru's deal with rust. My 03 is currently riddled with it. You're complaining about metal fenders rusting but most cars come with metal fenders, even older Subarus. The LSDs usually only came with top packages or the STI. X-mode is literally LSD done in a different fashion. It's cheaper to produce and smarter with modern sensors. Only fallback is brake wear. Almost no car comes with full size spares. It is an optional upgrade in newer cars though. If, you're buying used then just get a 5th wheel? "Says the EJ22 is an amazing engine, Says about all Subaru engine designs being dumb from the start." To blatantly say horizontal engines are bad because of unique challenges is a wild overstatement. Porsche to this day has created some of the most efficient engines that way. Not sure if you're complaining of their engines due to it taking you 4 times to get it right but that's not really the engine's fault. You're complaining about capitalism problems, not Subaru problems. This whole video is just you hunting for reasons to complain. Also to state that pique Subaru was in the 90's is wild because they weren't really on the map until the mid 90s anyway. They were such a small close to bankrupt brand before WRC championships.

[rwlauterbach]

Black absorbs more wavelengths, not more convection heat.

[gramgram]

“I’m not gonna be fumbling around for a button”
*leans head damn near under steering wheel*

[lucasglowacki]

I got an 07 Outback…regular E brake, aluminum intake…analog EVERYTHING! No rust at all! I absolutely love it and will keep taking it to my local Subaru specialist and fixing it forever!😬👌🏼

[nyoutcast]

I agree it's all across the board now a day's. Just gotta do your research and pick something with common issues your comfortable with. 👍

[corvuscanis]

Ok that's not now, thats a 2012, this is before they switched to chain timing belts which is what you should worry about.
"Hydraulic brake systems. Motor vehicles manufactured on or after September 2, 1983, and equipped with a split service brake system must, at a minimum, meet the partial failure requirements of FMVSS No. 105 in effect on the date of manufacture. "

They are required to have a parking brake that is capable of holding a vehicle at rest.

Each singly driven motor vehicle not subject to parking brake requirements of FMVSS Nos. 105 or 121 at the time of manufacturer, and every combination of motor vehicles must be equipped with a parking brake system adequate to hold the vehicle or combination on any grade on which it is operated, under any condition of loading in which it is found on a public road (free of ice and snow).

That is all they are expected to do, by law. They are not emergency braking systems.

[deanmichael]

The 16’s have the lever but they have a shit ton of issues and the semi-used parts are hard to come by. It’s fairly uncommon to find anything in a junkyard that hasn’t already been stripped clean. Compressor clutches are especially hard to come by because Subaru updated the part to fit newer models. If you want a new compressor clutch you not only have to buy it directly from Subaru but you also have to modify the housing. When you hear average people bitch about service or costs there is a reason.

[wpww]

I think there has to be a difference between the USA made subs and the japanese ones.

Here in Europe, subarus are VERY rare outside of a couple countries like Switzerland and Norway, they just aren't common cars, they are imported from japan and cost A LOT.

The outback's starting price in the usa is 25000 usd, in France it is... 55000 usd.


See the difference?

[MikesToolShed]

I had an 03 impreza, 02 wrx and a 15 forester and i don't exactly agree with your reasoning, but they have gotten shittier. The 03 RS had both control arms rust out, the wrx had a bad 02 sensor and a leaking head gasket, 15 forester started burning about a quart every 10 days with less than 50k. I have had a 10' 4runner with 125k miles for the past 3 years and never looking back.

[ianl.]

The transition towards more plastic, poor quality, buttons and computers for everything and shorter design life is pretty much across all brands. I recently brought my 2004 Toyota van to a mechanic who specialized in German and Italian cars and he said "they just don't make cars as simple and bombproof as they used to". Granted, this guy sees a lot of over-engineered expensive cars, but still he recognized the "KISS" principle. Good luck repairing modern cars! 😅

[gramgram]

My 2004 forester X had a head gasket so I was told and I ended up selling it. Baby had the sexiest sound system I still can’t match to this day

[samkitty]

CVT, TCV, VVT, infotainment with mind of its own, self-cracking windshield, poor suspension and brakes, PITA to work on (try replacing sparkplugs)... They use boxer engines and insist on liquid coolant which will never work. VW knew this decades ago. This is why they chose air cooling instead...and no risk of blown head gasket. Subarus need constant maintenance and upkeep.
If you change your engine and CVT oil every year it may last, but who wants to do that? Changing CVT oil is a pain, and many places don't do it right. Many older cars on the other hand will rack up hundreds of thousands of miles with minimal maintenance. I speak from personal experience.
I would never consider buying a Subaru...

[LegerAndCo]

the word subaru for me anyways = screams Blown EJ. love hate relationship. went thru 3 EJ25's in 6 years, got a 2020 Vw GTi and never looked back. My old WRX hated me I swear just a bolt on car stage 1 cobb nothing extreme.

[theadvocate]

You forgot the cvt's! A collegue had his broken 2 times in less than 60 000 km...he wasn't a maniac either...

[stevenwinnie]

I had to do a lower control arm on my buddy's 2016 forester because the bushing was so blown out that the car would almost lose control while braking on the highway (pretty scary stuff). plus it had a noise in the transmission around the torque converter area, I couldnt pinpoint what it was, the car drove fine but i know any noise coming from the transmission is never good 🤣.. the car only has 50, 000+ miles on it smh. I used to swear by these cars, I had an 02 wrx wagon, and an 05 outback XT (both of which i loved). Very dissapointed on what this brand has become.

[ChrisLoew]

having rebuilt the top end from a blown head gasket (standard subaru) I will NEVER own one again

[gogozy]

own one once, not impress with the ej boxer, head gasket, coolant, issue. etc.

[mudpuddle]

I've had many, many subarus. I agree, the are getting worse and worse. They discontinued the STi! I still have two but will not buy another.