My wife just bought an Outback Wilderness, and for some reason, two people have already told her that they aren’t great in the snow… like, what?!
One of them was her friend, who straight-up said she’d rather drive a Prius in the snow over the Outback. The other person claimed they’d seen Subarus struggling in the canyons during snowstorms.
I know this is complete BS, but why do people feel the need to drop their dumb opinions like this?
Your wife’s friends are absolutely delusional.
Ethan said:
Your wife’s friends are absolutely delusional.
Yeah, this is one of the dumbest takes I’ve seen in a while… and that’s saying something considering, you know, this is the internet. 
My 21-year-old, rusting H6 Outback is an absolute weapon in the snow here in the Canadian PNW. I can only imagine how solid the OBW is.
Owned six Subarus now, and they’ve all been tanks in bad weather.
@Quinlan
My 2005 Outback 2.5i has never been stuck. Original owner here—this thing has gone through blizzards, over 2.5 feet of snow, and I’ve even rescued pickup trucks and Jeeps stuck in the snow.
Currently loving it on Colorado mountain passes.
@Quinlan
If there’s any weak point, it’s the stock tires. Subaru put slightly more off-road-style tires on the Wilderness, but they’re still not full-on winter tires. That said, they still get the job done—got a ‘24 OBW myself.
@Flynt
Yeah, for sure. My old Impreza came with garbage all-seasons that were completely glazed over, and I couldn’t afford new ones my first winter.
Even with those, it was still better in the snow than most 2WD cars.
Ethan said:
Your wife’s friends are absolutely delusional.
They’re 100% just jealous.
It’s literally the opposite—Subarus are outstanding in the snow, especially with proper winter tires. The Symmetrical AWD system is fantastic.
Honestly, I look forward to snowstorms now.
CarEnthusiast said:
It’s literally the opposite—Subarus are outstanding in the snow, especially with proper winter tires. The Symmetrical AWD system is fantastic.
Honestly, I look forward to snowstorms now.
Absolute tank in the snow with good winter tires.
There’s no way anyone in their right mind would take a FWD Prius (or even one of those weak part-time AWD models) over a full-time AWD Subaru.
@JACI
Yep, and nothing beats them in deep snow—maybe a Grand Cherokee, but that’s about it.
CarEnthusiast said:
@JACI
Yep, and nothing beats them in deep snow—maybe a Grand Cherokee, but that’s about it.
Yeah, maybe.
All I know is every winter I love driving my 2020 Outback with Blizzaks. Every summer, I wonder why I’m driving a boring Subaru.
Had an Accord and a Civic before this, both with Blizzaks—they were fine in the snow, but nowhere near as solid as the Outback.
CarEnthusiast said:
It’s literally the opposite—Subarus are outstanding in the snow, especially with proper winter tires. The Symmetrical AWD system is fantastic.
Honestly, I look forward to snowstorms now.
With good tires, it’s an absolute beast in the snow—in the best way possible.
Jealousy makes people say some wild things, man.
As a Canadian who drives in the snow every year—this is not true.
The only time Subarus struggle is when people run them on bad all-season tires just because the AWD system is so good. But a Subaru on proper studded winter tires?
That thing could probably drive up a tree if you weren’t careful.
@TEXIANA
Whenever I see a Subaru with studded tires, I wonder if they’re about to drive up a ski slope.
@TEXIANA
No joke—Subarus can climb.
I decided to get an Outback after watching one accidentally drive onto a 3-foot fence because the driver hit the gas instead of the brake. It was terrifying, but also kind of impressive. 
All cars will struggle in the snow if they have bad tires or a bad driver. Subarus are fantastic in the snow, but they’re not invincible.
Bell said:
All cars will struggle in the snow if they have bad tires or a bad driver. Subarus are fantastic in the snow, but they’re not invincible.
This. Tires make a huge difference, unless all four wheels are completely stuck.
RWD is another story, though—those cars just cannot stay in a straight line when accelerating in the snow. Saw a BMW struggling so hard today while every other car was fine.
Subaru has sold more AWD cars than any other manufacturer, and their AWD system is one of the most advanced out there.
Let them drive their Prius.