Re-Forester

Subaru’s new family hauler plants hardy seeds in the three-row sward. 

- James Lipman

HOW MUCH CAR DO YOU WANT, and how much car do you need? It’s a nearly impossible distinction to parse, and the automakers like it that way. They make more money if you buy more car than you need, and most of us do exactly that. Hence America’s best-selling vehicles—the Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado rather than the Honda Fit and Volkswagen Golf.

Subaru has exploited this imprudence as deftly as any brand. In recent years, it has transcended its humble roots as a small, offbeat automaker with an unconventional customer base by convincing an ever larger number of people that not only do they want all-wheel drive, plastic body cladding, and extra ground clearance, they need this stuff. Sure, not all of it is strictly necessary for the daily commute, but what if someday you just want to take a spontaneous camping trip into the wilderness, with all the dogs, in the middle of a snowstorm? The company wants you to believe that you need a Subaru. This is what is known as good marketing.

Three-row SUVs play a similar game. Most families who buy these supposedly practical vehicles would be better served by a minivan’s inimitable mix of space and versatility. But who wants to be seen in a minivan? The irrational appeal of crossovers is both visual and ideological, and has caused this now crowded segment to absolutely dwarf minivans in terms of sales.