Suburban Dad Vacation: Subaru, Vermont
If they want to reflect reality, Subaru execs should really rename the Outback the Vermonter. I swear, virtually every fifth car I passed from Burlington to Brattleboro to Bennington was a Subaru of some sort, and the vast majority were Outbacks.
It’s not hard to understand: Vermonters are outdoorsy people, and they need the space that Outbacks offer to carry their stuff. In the summer, they’re carrying their bikes (I saw almost as many of those as I saw Outbacks). In the winter, they’re carrying skis and snowboards. Despite the harsh winter, Vermonters are dedicated to getting out.
Of course, there are other cars on the road in Vermont: Next on the popularity list were the Honda CR-V and VW Jetta. There were more hatchbacks per capita than almost anywhere I’ve been. It wasn’t hard to get the picture that accompanies this post; I just waited until I found a parking lot with Outbacks. This lot had four.
According to our staff Vermonter, Ian Merritt: “Vermonters don’t drive Subarus for their high quality and low-maintenance record, savvy interior design or for their charmingly good looks; they drive Subarus for one reason: snow. With an annual average snowfall from 65 to 75 inches (and as much as 300 inches at higher elevations), Vermont drivers need a car that can handle getting to school and work, keeping enough chutzpah to get the entire family to the mountains with a roof rack full of skis. Subarus eat snow, which is why Vermonters own Subarus.”
And as this tombstone in the Hope Cemetery in Barre shows, the Vermonters love of cars is eternal.
Related Posts:
Part 1: Suburban Dad Vacation: Packing Up a Dodge Sprinter
Part 2: Suburban Dad Vacation: Is It Like Driving a Bus?
Part 3: Suburban Dad Vacation: The Family Vote
Part 4: Suburban Dad Vacation: Hidden Gems, Nasty Surprises
Part 5: Suburban Dad Vacation: Mileage
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Its not just VT, Connecticut has some serious Subaru fever, its just the snowy weather and reliability of a Subaru that makes it a no brainer.
I felt the same way in the San Juan Islands in Washington state. Couldn't believe how many Subaru's there were!
Alex
i love subarus, i just bought one :D 09 forester to be exact 1 big con though, no height adjustable passenger seat
our '04 Forester is one fuddy refrigerator that gets the job done without fanfare. New England in general loves Subaru.
I had never seen so many Subaru's when I lived in Seattle this past winter. And during the unexpected heavy snow they got over the season, they were the only things on the road, along with some 4x4 SUV's. I plan on buying a used last gen Outback when I move back up for good.
If only AMC could have lasted long enough to catch the pseudo SUV craze,they would have made a mint.The AMC Eagle is the spiritual being that Subaru copied to get the "Outback"(Subaru's previous "Yama Yagi" attempt was a failure).Look at an Eagle wagon with sport package,and its an Outback Xerox copy.However it was the original.I also question the Outback name.A Japanese car with an Australian name (and without Mr.Hogan anymore) that copied an American car.Now thats marketing savvy to pull that off.
Subarus are just about the only cars sold in the US that make good sense. They're rugged, long-lived and very good to drive, offering Japanese reliability combined with chassis engineering that's nearly as good as the fancier German cars minus the heavy burden of prestige and fantasy-land maintenance costs. Subarus do everything well without gilding the lily.
I would buy a Subaru, but I ran out of stickers...lol
I have seen a lot of them in Colorado and NCarolina in the Mountains.
apparently they are getting better, but Subarus like our 'o4 Forester is too rough around the edges, unrefined for its price class. it goes from point A to point B very well -- snow, ice or otherwise, but it was neither comfortable nor sporty.
DL basically got it right. Until 2010 model Outbacks had unusable back seat.
"Subarus do everything well"
They don't do everything well.
"Subarus are rugged"
They just rugged-looking. Give it 10 years and they will be ton of rust in Vermont. BMW, Volvo, wouldn't.
Paul,
Explain Hyundai Tucson and Santa Fe, and get a life.