The Trouble With Pretending Subarus Can Go Off-Road

They get stuck, and there’s very little you can do about that safely

As of the time I’m writing this, a helpful note I left on a neighbor’s windshield has accrued 389,000 views on Instagram and 267,000 on Threads. So I thought it might be useful to add some additional context. Here’s why it’s so problematic that Subaru pretends you can take its cars off-road, all wrapped up as simply and quickly as possible, so anyone can understand it.

Why Do Subarus Exist?

Subaru pretends its economy cars can go off-road in order to exploit an emissions loophole. Under federal law, any vehicle that either has a gross weight over 6,000 pounds or which is equipped with four- or all-wheel drive, and has at least four of these five additional features: an approach angle of at least 28 degrees, a breakover angle of at least 14 degrees, a departure angle of at least 20 degrees, and either 7.8 inches of total ground clearance or 7.1 inches of axle clearance is classified as an “off-road vehicle.”

“Off-road vehicles” fall into a legal category subject to less-strict emissions requirements. That means they are cheaper to make, but cause more pollution.

What Defines Off-Road Capability?

Unlike subjective features like ride quality or handling, it’s easy to objectively define off-road capability on paper.

The first challenge is traction. Four-wheel drive locks the speeds of the front and rear axles together. This sends all power to the wheel on each axle with the least traction. When things get slippery, 4WD drives two wheels.

All-wheel drive sends all its power to the wheel (of all four) with the least traction once that wheel starts to slip. When things get slippery, AWD drives one wheel.

All other things being equal, an AWD vehicle has half the traction of that provided by 4WD. An AWD will get stuck much more easily on any sort of loose surface like snow, mud or sand.

This is doubly problematic when Subaru pretends its vehicles can go off-road because it’s the job of a vehicle’s suspension to keep the wheels in contact with the surface. The instant that a wheel lifts free, it loses all resistance, and AWD will re-direct power entirely to that wheel.

Where 4WD vehicles tend to be equipped with at least one live axle, which tend to facilitate much greater articulation than independent suspension, Subarus are fitted with independent suspension at all four corners. Where the wheels on something like a Jeep Wrangler are capable of moving up and down by about 12 inches, the wheels on a Subaru only move up and down by about six or seven inches.

Lift a wheel on a Subaru—something that occurs very easily over even mild obstacles—and you will lose traction and become stuck.

And then there’s those angles. Subarus are otherwise basic economy cars just tall enough to meet the minimum numbers required by the “off-road vehicle” definition. Compare the above angles to those of again a Jeep Wrangler, which offers an approach angle of 44 degrees, a breakover angle of 28 degrees, and a departure angle of 37 degrees.

If a vehicle gets hung up on an obstacle, and doesn’t have the traction necessary to overcome that, it will become stuck.

How Do You Get A Subaru Unstuck?

Most 4WD vehicles are built on sturdy ladder frames. Look under the vehicle and you’ll see large steel rails, onto which the body is mounted. Those pieces of steel are strong in all directions and force vectors, and it’s easy to securely bolt stuff to them.

Subarus and other economy cars are built using “unibody” construction in which the frame and body are one single component. Unibody vehicles are typically made from thin sheet steel or aluminum. Think of them like a beer can. They can be very strong so long as you keep the top on, but pull the tab and you can crush the thin metal using only your forehead. That thin metal is not strong enough to bolt stuff to.

All of that is important because, when a vehicle gets really stuck, you may need to use another vehicle to pull it free. And in order to do that, you need a secure, safe way to connect the vehicles together.

On a 4WD vehicle with sturdy steel frame, steel loops can be bolted to the frame, through which you can connect a designed-for-purpose strap or rope.

On the thin sheet metal body/frame of a Subaru, there is no safe way to connect such an attachment point.

These orange covers do not signify the presence of real recovery points.

Why Subarus Are So Dangerous

Like most other economy cars, Subarus have threaded holes in their bumpers into which a metal eyelet can be screwed. These are designed to allow such vehicles to be pulled onto a flat bed tow truck or trailer, and aren’t designed to resist even the entire loaded weight of the vehicle itself.

Should a vehicle be stuck in mud, snow, sand, or on an obstacle like a rock, you’ll need to pull on it really hard in order to free it. Often, the force required can momentarily exceed three times the vehicle’s laden weight.

The weight of even the smallest Subaru—the Crosstrek—complete with the passengers and cargo it’s designed to carry approaches 5,000 pounds.

Should a 15,000 pound force be applied to a Subaru’s metal tow eyelet, that item will be stripped out of its threads and fly through the air with that amount of force. Anyone or anything in its path will be destroyed.

This is a particular problem for Subarus specifically, because in pretending that its economy cars can go off-road, Subaru applies snazzy colored covers over those tow eyelets, which understandably creates the misleading impression amongst the low-information customers the brand courts that those are hiding actual recovery points. It is common to see Subaru lessees driving around with steel recovery shackles mounted to their tow eyelets.

This problem cannot be resolved by using “soft” fabric shackles in place of steel ones, because the weak link remains the tow point, and the metal eyelet will still be ripped free of its threads and go flying.

Anyone traveling off paved surfaces or through inclement weather needs to be prepared to get stuck. This is doubly true in a Subaru, given the significant limitations built into each and every one. But, Subaru provides its owners no safe way to get its vehicles unstuck, while creating the misleading impression that its vehicles’ tow points are actually recovery points. And that means Subaru puts the lives of both its customers and anyone who stops to help them at risk any time one of those customers attempts to operate their Subaru on any sort of unpaved or winter surface.

You can make all of this as complex as you want to, but that’s the basic danger anyone in or around a Subaru should be aware of at all times. If you have any questions about the specifics, I’d be happy to help answer those in the comments.

A journalist with more than two decades of experience working around the world, Wes Siler is here to cut through the outrage and disinformation to bring you the factual, insightful, actionable reporting you need to understand what’s going on. Upgrading to a paid subscription supports this reporting, and buys personal access to Wes, who will help you save money on gear, plan outdoor adventures, and prepare for real life, and who promises he’s less salty in real life than he sometimes comes across as on the Internet.