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The New Subaru Outback Is Best For Your Dog But Not A Teen Driver

Two best car announcements are out. Autotrader says the 2020 Subaru Outback is best for dogs, while US News says there are no Subaru models best for teens.

Why are Subaru vehicles best for dogs but not teen drivers? According to Autotrader, the Subaru brand is recognized again for being dog friendly, and the 2020 Outback wagon gets the nod as one of the 10 Best Cars for Dog Lovers. This award is no surprise as the Subaru brand is involved with pet safety and has been for years.

It is a surprise that not one Subaru vehicle is on the US News 2020 Best New and Used Cars for Teens. Subaru has no cars on the long list of fourteen cars, mostly made up of Toyota, Hyundai, and Kia models. The Outback made the US News 2020 Best New and Used Cars for Teens list in 2017, but that was the last year the Japanese automaker was recognized.

2020 Subaru Outback

Autotrader says six things make some cars better for dogs. The list includes leather seats, tinted windows, a level cargo floor, a low cargo load height, rear air vents, and cargo area tie-downs. They also say safety is a primary concern. The 2020 Subaru Outback meets all the criteria.

Subaru and the Center for Pet Safety (CPS) have been in partnership since 2013 when the automaker began funding the research to test pet car safety restraints. Recently they supported more testing that will go into support the structural integrity of pet crates and carriers.

2020 Subaru Outback

US News says there are several things to look for in picking a vehicle for teens. Driver assistance features include forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, and teen driver controls/notifications for parents, strong reliability ratings, and excellent crash scores.

The 2020 Subaru Outback and other models meet the US News' best cars for teen criteria. They say to avoid sports cars, tiny cars, trucks and large SUVs, high seating capacity, and too much horsepower. Teens should avoid the Subaru WRX performance car because of its high horsepower.

We find it ironic that the 2020 Subaru Outback is an excellent vehicle for your dogs, but it's not a vehicle for teen drivers. We understand it's not cool for a teen to drive a wagon, but what about the Subaru Impreza sedan or hatchback or Crosstrek models?

You Might Also Like: Consumer Reports And IIHS Say 5 Subaru Models Are The Best Used Cars Under $20,000

Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a consulting role working with every major car brand. He is an accredited member of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press and the founder of Subaru Report where he covers all of the Japanese automaker's models. More stories can be found on the Torque News Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Photo credit: Subaru

Comments

JP (not verified)    August 29, 2020 - 3:03AM

Crummy photo of the dog in front of the Subie.The photoshopping is bad, and the juxtaposition of the dog looks terrible! Plus the dog looks mean, quite the opposite of a real Subaru dog!

Bigredd (not verified)    August 29, 2020 - 12:59PM

Subarus are probably the safest car for teen drivers. This article is poorly written, I couldn't read it and skipped to the last paragraph to just get the summary. A lot of words, but not much substance. A Subaru legacy is probably one of the better cars for a teen driver.

Kristine (not verified)    August 29, 2020 - 1:18PM

This article makes NO sense! The title states that the new 2020 Subaru Outback isn’t good for teen drivers but then goes on to say:

“US News says there are several things to look for in picking a vehicle for teens. Driver assistance features include forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, and teen driver controls/notifications for parents, strong reliability ratings, and excellent crash scores.“

I purchased a 2020 Subaru Outback this past March and it has ALL those features!

Colleen M Youngblood (not verified)    August 29, 2020 - 4:57PM

My sons Subaru saved his life after cartwheeling 8 times, not rolling... cartwheeling. The side curtain saved him from having his brains splattered on the highway and he walked away with a scraped hand from getting pinned between the highway and air curtain. Love my dogs, but my son means more. Put him right back into another Subaru and hoping to get one for my daughter.

Joey pastina (not verified)    August 30, 2020 - 1:16AM

In reply to by Colleen M Youngblood (not verified)

Glad to hear your story I've been a subaru lover for 27 yrs they are the safest cars in the world. That's the reason I'm a subaru master mechanic. Thank you for your post. God bless.