What makes a Subaru so safe?
Standard all-wheel drive and vehicle dynamics
Subaru relies on its hallmark Symmetrical AWD to deliver balanced traction in rain, snow, and ice, while safety systems monitor handling and intervene if needed. The combination improves control during braking, cornering, and sudden maneuvers.
- Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive (AWD): A symmetrical drivetrain layout that distributes power to all four wheels for stable, predictable handling in adverse conditions.
- Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC) and Traction Control: Electronic systems that help keep the car on its intended path by adjusting braking and torque.
- Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and related brake technology: Prevents wheel lockup and helps maintain steering control during hard braking.
- Ring-shaped Reinforcement Frame: Subaru's cabin-framing design that channels crash energy around the passenger cells to help protect occupants.
- Passive safety features and airbags: Front and side airbags, with curtain airbags, to cushion occupants in a crash.
These elements collectively support stability and crash survival by maintaining contact with the road and absorbing impact energy, while providing structural integrity during collisions.
EyeSight Driver Assist Technology
Subaru's EyeSight uses cameras (and, in some generations, radar) to monitor traffic and help prevent crashes through alerts and automated braking. The system has evolved across model years to include more features and broader coverage.
- Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC): Maintains a set following distance from the vehicle ahead, adjusting speed as traffic changes.
- Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection: Applies braking automatically to avoid or reduce a collision with people in the roadway.
- Lane Departure Warning with Lane Keep Assist and, in newer iterations, steering assist or lane centering: Helps keep the vehicle in its lane and gently steers back if you drift.
- Pedestrian (and cyclist) detection: Alerts or acts to avoid collisions with people walking or riding near the vehicle.
EyeSight doesn't replace a careful driver, but it adds proactive safeguards that can prevent many frontal and low-speed crashes by warning drivers and taking corrective action when needed.
Structural safety design and crash performance
Beyond active aids, Subaru emphasizes crash energy management and cabin integrity through body engineering and materials. The goal is to keep occupants safe by absorbing impact forces and maintaining a survivable space.
- High-strength body structure and energy-absorbing crumple zones: Design features that deform in a controlled way to absorb crash energy before it reaches occupants.
- Ring-shaped Reinforcement Frame: A continuous frame around the cabin intended to distribute and dissipate crash loads away from the passenger compartment.
- Reinforced roof and pillars; side-impact protection: Structural elements designed to resist roof crush and lateral forces in side impacts.
- Comprehensive airbag deployment alongside seat design: A safety net of protection to cushion occupants in various crash modes.
These passive safety features work in concert with active systems to help keep the passenger compartment intact and reduce injury risk in a crash.
Summary
Subaru's safety approach blends relentless all-season traction with proactive driver assistance and robust crash-energy management. The combination of symmetric AWD, EyeSight driving aids, and a strong, reinforced body structure has earned Subaru a reputation for helping drivers stay on the road and protect occupants when accidents occur. For buyers, the result is a package that emphasizes prevention and protection across the lineup.
