During this season of gratitude, we’re counting all the reasons we’re thankful for Subaru's safety features. And there are so many of them! From the all-wheel-drive to EyeSight Technology to responsive LED headlights, which focus the headlights in the direction the car is moving when driving on the curvy roads of the Philadelphia area, Subaru is looking out for all of its drivers, doing everything possible to keep them safe on the road.
What Makes Subarus so Safe?
When you buy a Subaru, you are buying a vehicle with a reputation for one of the best safety records of any car available. In addition to all-wheel drive, Subaru offers the EyeSight suite of safety features that offers assistance with braking, lane centering, and blind-spot monitoring. In addition, most new Subaru models today have safety features such as third-row seat belt reminders, that send audible alerts when passengers are not wearing their seatbelts in the back rows, and responsive LED headlights that turn in the direction the car is steering. Another important safety feature is the Boxer engine under the hood of all Subarus. In the event of a collision, the Boxer engine is designed to disconnect and slide underneath the vehicle rather than into the passenger compartment.
What is EyeSight in Subaru?
According to Subaru, EyeSight has been found to reduce the rate of rear-end crashes with injuries by up to 85%. This safety feature monitors traffic movement, optimizes cruise control, and warns you if you sway outside your lane. The EyeSight system works with a set of dual cameras near the rearview mirror that scans the road for unanticipated dangers. Its features include:
- Adaptive Cruise Control - EyeSight automatically adjusts your speed to maintain a safe distance between you and the vehicle in front of you.
- Lane Keep Assist - Monitors your position in your lane and will alert you if you sway or swerve.
- Pre-Collision Braking - Applies the brakes in emergency situations to avoid the full force of a collision.
- Pre-Collision Throttle Management - If EyeSight detects something you are likely to hit, the engine reduces power to minimize the forces of the collision.
- Adaptive Cruise Control - This allows you to choose the distance between you and the car in front of you and helps you maintain it.
What Safety Features are Standard on 2021 Subaru Models?
There are so many safety features across new Subaru models. For example, the 2021 Subaru Legacy offers a DriverFocus® Distraction Mitigation System, which uses an onboard camera that focuses on the position of the driver’s eyes and sends an alert when it detects distraction or fatigue behind the wheel. The Legacy also features Pre-Collision Braking which can fully apply the brakes and come to a complete stop in an emergency. And the new 2021 Subaru Ascent has Adaptive Cruise Control with Lane Centering and Lane Keep Assist that uses cameras to identify lane markings and make sure your vehicle stays in its lane.
How does Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive Make Subarus Safer?
Nearly every Subaru sold today has the symmetrical all-wheel drive safety feature, which helps drivers maintain control of the vehicle even in imperfect driving conditions. All-wheel-drive offers extra stability in less than ideal driving conditions by evenly distributing power to give you more traction for better handling. Because all-wheel drive sends power to four wheels instead of just two, you can accelerate better with the added grip. In wet and slippery conditions especially, the vehicle feels more stable.
Which Subaru Model is the Safest?
Two Subaru vehicles made the list of Top 15 Safest Cars from US News last year: the Legacy and the Impreza. US News gave the Subaru Legacy high marks because all trims come with adaptive cruise control, lane keeps assist, sway warning, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and a rearview camera. In addition, the 2020 model received a five-star rating from the NHTSA, a perfect crash-test score from the IIHS, and a Top Safety Pick+ accolade.
US News notes that the Subaru Impreza offers standard all-wheel drive, a safety feature not found in many compact cars. Impreza also has the EyeSight suite of safety features leading IIHS to name it a Top Safety Pick+, due to its top rating of Good in all six IIHS crash tests, and a Superior rating for the effectiveness of its crash protection features. In addition, the NHTSA gave last year’s Impreza an overall safety rating of five out of five stars.
In terms of safety features, you really can’t go wrong with any Subaru vehicle. We are thankful every day that Subaru’s engineers are designing new safety features to keep us safe. Stop by Rafferty Subaru for a test drive to see Subaru’s safety features for yourself!
