Subaru: Coming Soon

Subaru is not a brand very many Filipinos are familiar with. After Columbian Autocar’s half-hearted introduction of the brand in the mid to late 1990’s and General Motors Philippines’ decision to concentrate on the Chevrolet brand at the expense of their lone Subaru (the Forester SUV) product, it is no surprise that the brand isn’t the first that comes to mind for new car buyers.

But for driving enthusiasts, the name "Subaru" conjures images of outdoors adventure and World Rally Championship-quality performance. If there’s one car to challenge the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution for affordable supercar notoriety, it is Subaru’s WRX STi. And for Subaru, its motorsports heritage has worked to create a halo effect for its more mainstream products such as the plain-Jane Impreza, the Forester, and the Legacy. Not too mainstream, however, as Subarus have always been just slightly left of center in the areas of design and driving dynamics. Whereas the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla Altis have easily likable, cookie-cutter aesthetics, the goggle-eyed Impreza has love-it-or-hate-it looks. Whereas the Honda CR-V and Ford Escape employ safe, timeless styling, the Subaru Impreza’s angular body is an acquired taste. In short, Subaru’s products are not "me-too" in appeal, and that has been both good and bad for their image. Good because Subaru customers tend to be fiercely loyal to their cars, bad because the decision to consciously look different from the rest also means not as many people buy Subarus worldwide compared to Toyotas or Hondas or Fords.

But this may not really matter to Subaru. Their styling has been quirky for many years now, which hints that they’d rather have a clear identity than go head-to-head with manufacturing giants such as Toyota, Ford, and General Motors. This strategy seems to have paid off recently: the hot Tribeca SUV (styled by a designer who used to work for Alfa Romeo) has a months’ long-waiting list in the US market. As for the rest of lineup — the Impreza, Legacy, Forester, and Outback — they’re clearly styling standouts in their respective categories, and whether you like the look or not, the fact is that they are some of the best driver’s cars ever made for ordinary (that is to say, not stupendously rich) enthusiasts.

Subaru’s niche is and has always been its all-wheel drive technology. Built around compact platforms with a low center of gravity courtesy of horizontally-opposed ("boxer") engines, every Subaru is a joy to drive. Only the Impreza WRX STi has the high-octane performance that could put a Porsche 911 to tears, but all the rest have the same, almost sublime balance of steering refinement and suspension suppleness that seem to have been copied from a BMW. Neutral handling at the limit, reassuring grip at all four wheels, and silky power delivery are delivered by every Subaru as we found out for ourselves at Sepang (see this week’s A Day with Subaru at Sepang).

In a series of emergency lane change, braking, acceleration, and slalom tests, changing from the Legacy to the Impreza to the Forester every time, I was struck by how similarly all the cars responded to steering, braking, and throttle inputs. As long as Subaru decides to stick with its quirky designs and dynamic handling, it will always be a niche player against the big boys of industry. But what a very satisfying niche it will be for people who love to drive hard.

Soon, Filipino enthusiasts can decide whether a Subaru belongs in their garage or not. Early next year, Motor Image Philippines will open its doors to the public with the initial introduction of four models: the Impreza WRX, Forester, Legacy, and Outback. Helmed by Country Manager Nicandro Mariano (formerly of GM Philippines), the Philippine office will be the 7th country to be invested in by Motor Image Enterprises Pte Ltd. The latter is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tan Chong International Limited (TCIL), a group listed in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange which engages in automotive, commercial, manufacturing, trading, and property investment.

As the exclusive distributor of Subaru to Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Motor Image promises to deliver the same level of service and parts availability to Philippine customers. Coming from a weekend of almost unfettered fun driving their cars (along with real customers) to the limit at Sepang International Circuit, it looks like they’ve got their priorities right with the brand. Let the customers enjoy their cars on the track, and watch them come back for more. We’ll expect that same kind of savvy in a few months’ time.

Well here’s a pleasant surprise. I attend the regional launch of the new Ford Focus for three days (more on that in the coming weeks) and I come back to the biggest response inbox for Backseat Driver ever! Here are but some of the many comments we got from you last week. — Ed.

To the MMDA: Ginawa nang terminal ng bus ang EDSA sa harap ng Galleria Mall, hirap tumawid ang mga tao. Bulag ba kayo? — 09189073810

The "how’s my driving?" printed on all PUVs should be scrubbed off! It’s a dumb question and totally useless. — 09224235321

To Lester Dizon: Natuwa ako sa kwento mo about your father in law. Nakakuha ng katapat ang driver ng Revong &*#$%&$%! You made my day. Thanks. — 09183001953

To Lester Dizon: So what happened to your little scuffle with the police characters in your story? Bitin, eh. Thanks. — 09216722758

To Lester Dizon: Why didn’t you file your report with Napolcom and PNP Chief Lomibao? Why no name of the cop and his passenger or car owner? — 09228626594 (Mr. Dizon, I do believe you have a thread to follow in your next column...)

Want to be untouchable sa highway? Just use TMG plates! Ganyan dito sa Isabela at Cagayan! Kaninong pakana nanaman kaya ito? — 09185657767

I would like to have a feedback and review of the Hyundai Getz. — 09153212115 (Send us your email address and I’ll make sure you get a copy of the last one we did.)

Please do a complete road test of the new Toyota Hiace Grandia. — 09173211759 (Calling our friends from Toyota...)

Could you do a detailed comparo between the Kia Sorento and the Hyundai Tucson? I’m saving that one on the Toyota Fortuner and the Isuzu Alterra. Thanks. — 09198692466 (Calling our friends from Kia and Hyundai...)

Jeepney with plate number PXP 246 using the busy N. Domingo Bridge at Sta. Mesa as a terminal, thus causing heavy traffic. Is this guy untouchable? — 09178459239

Speak out, be heard and keep those text messages coming in. To say your piece and become a "Backseat Driver", text PHILSTAR<space>FB<space>MOTORING<space>YOUR MESSAGE and send to 2333 if you’re a Globe or Touch Mobile subscriber or 334 if you’re a Smart or Talk ’n Text subscriber or 2840 if you’re a Sun Cellular subscriber. Please keep your messages down to a manageable 160 characters. You may send a series of coments using the same parameters.