With summer undoubtably here, many of you are already thinking where your next adventure will be. If you happen to have a Subaru, you might have a few more options. This is the idea Motor Image Pilipinas hopes to promote with its recent activity that’s meant to remind us of the brand’s outdoor capabilities.
Dubbed the Subaru Adventure Drive, the event hopes to highlight just how capable their vehicles are, ready to hit the dirt roads and trails right out of the showroom.
A fleet of Crosstreks, Foresters and Outbacks were waiting for us to take them on to a dirt road to a place called Camp Well in Tanay, Rizal. Joining us would be none other than the Managing Director of Motor Image Glen Tan. Turning left off the main road of Marilaque was a smaller unpaved road. It was not a problem as all the vehicles we were driving were capable of getting us up and down the hilly dirt slopes and right to the stony edge of the Daraitan river.
All of the Subaru’s we brought were equipped with Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive (SAWD), which gives you confidence, knowing that traction is available to all four wheels. Unlike other vehicles where you can turn 4WD on and off, or some AWD’s which are front biased until it detects traction in the rear, Subaru’s SAWD is on all the time and will guarantee traction on most road surfaces.
To augment the SAWD’s abilities, there’s the X-Mode drive system. This is essentially terrain response control that uses a combination of traction control or braking on individual wheels to retain traction when it detects wheel slip. It then applies the right amount of engine power to the wheels to keep the right amount of torque to also prevent wheel slip.
In addition Subaru’s boxer engine is set low, giving the vehicle a lower center of gravity allowing for better balance and stability on and off the road.
Finally, there’s Eyesight 4.0, Subaru’s Advanced Driver Assist System (ADAS) suite with a feature list that makes this lineup probably the safest you can drive anywhere in the country. The system features stereoscopic cameras with a wide field of vision and improved image recognition that can see ahead and warn the driver, Adaptive Cruise Control, Pre-Collision Braking System, Lane Departure Prevention, Pre-Collision Throttle Management, Lane Centering Control and Preceding Vehicle Adaptive Steering Control and Automatic Emergency Steering. These are all looking out and ahead and actively keeping the driver and occupants aware and out of danger. And to tie this whole package up in a bow is the Subaru Global Platform on which all these vehicles are built on, putting occupants in a protective cocoon that offers superior crash protection.
Ground clearance is another advantage Subaru’s have over other crossovers, and we were able to drive them through the river and not have to worry about scraping the bottom over submerged rocks.
The dirt route to Camp Well is what you’d typically encounter when you drive off tarmac to get to somewhere scenic, and being out in the mountains, you can expect the random rain shower to turn dirt roads slippery. Nonetheless, all of Subaru’s features worked together to get us there safely.
As the day wore on, we got to try the Crosstrek, Forester and Outback, and easily came away with the same results. You really can take these cars out of the showroom and into a river. All you have to bring are some friends to make it memorable, and you’ll have the ideal makings of a summer getaway.
You can also get to try some of these vehicles and features when the Subaru Adventure Tour Drive heads to Bacolod on June 28 and Davao on September 27.