Stay Safe this Winter with the Latest Features from Subaru

Winter weather poses additional risks to drivers. Reduced visibility and traction can create dangerous conditions. If you live somewhere that experiences ice, snow, and freezing rain, the risks are even greater. It’s important to practice additional safety, keep up with your vehicle’s maintenance, and stay alert all year long, but even more so during the winter. However, Subaru models offer an entire suite of driver assistance features, collision-resistant vehicle construction, and technologies that increase traction in adverse conditions. The Herb Gordon Subaru team is here to break down some of the best safety features from Subaru to protect you and your family when the roads get slippery this winter.

Premium Traction Technology

Slippery winter road conditions require extra care while driving, but Subaru models feature intelligent technology features to make it easier to navigate situations with reduced traction. Subaru’s Intelligent All-Wheel Drive is available on the Forester, Ascent, WRX, Crosstrek, Legacy, Outback, and Impreza. This advanced system can send power to the wheels with the most traction. Standard features like 4-wheel ABS, electronic brake distribution, brake assist, and hill start assist all offer support without being invasive. The tire pressure monitoring system will alert you if one of your tires has low pressure, which can affect braking, handling, and traction. Traction control utilizes the sensors and systems already equipped in the vehicle to reduce understeer or oversteer, both of which can result in an accident. All of these features are so responsive that drivers don’t even notice how much they contribute to the smooth handling and drive of Subaru models.

Active Safety Features

For 2021, Subaru EyeSight Driver Assist Technology builds on previous generations with safety features that use radar and cameras to detect, warn, and even sometimes prevent collisions. 

• Pre-Collision Braking – This feature can detect potential frontal collisions with vehicles or other obstacles and notify the driver to apply the brakes or even autonomously apply full braking force during emergency situations.
• Lane Keep Assist and Sway Warning – By monitoring the markings, curbs, and road edges using the forward-facing camera, Lane Departure Alert can notify you when you deviate from your lane. On vehicles equipped with Electronic Power Steering, it can even automatically make steering adjustments when needed.
• High Beam Assist – Never blind oncoming drivers again. Automatic High Beams can sense headlights from oncoming and preceding vehicles and automatically switch between high and low beams when necessary.
• Adaptive Cruise Control – This system uses the same camera and radar input as the Pre-Collision System to maintain a preset distance between you and the car in front of you by automatically adjusting speed.
• DriverFocus™ Distraction Mitigation System² – By monitoring your driving patterns, this feature can detect when you’re inattentive and suggest that you take a break.
• Blind-Spot Detection and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert – Using radar sensors mounted on the rear of the vehicle, the Blind-Spot Detection system can detect cars in your blind spot. If a vehicle is detected in the blind spot, it will illuminate an icon in the door mirror on the corresponding side to notify the driver.

Passive Safety Features

In addition to the driver assistance features available on most Subaru models, these passive safety features are quietly working behind the scenes and keeping you and your passengers safe. These features inspire driving confidence that can help you tackle a variety of road conditions.

• Vehicle Dynamics Control with Active Torque Vectoring – In instances of strong oversteer or understeer while cornering, Vehicle Dynamics Control helps to regain and maintain predictability.
• Traction Control – This feature keeps your drive wheels planted in the event of excessive throttle input on surfaces like ice, mud, and wet roads.
• Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) – ABS keeps your wheels from locking up when brakes are applied heavily, making sure your vehicle comes to a stop when you need it to.
• Brake Assist – During emergency braking, Brake Assist may step in to help drivers stop in time by adding additional brake force.

Prevention and Protection

Subaru has always been dedicated to protecting its customers, and thanks to some amazing advancements in safety technology, your Subaru isn’t just built for value and reliability. It’s also built to protect you, your family, other motorists, and pedestrians in revolutionary ways. For more information about Subaru’s innovations in safety technology or to see these features in action for yourself, contact the team at Herb Gordon Subaru today or visit our showroom at 3161 Automobile Blvd, Silver Spring, MD 20904.

¹ EyeSight is a driver-assist system that may not operate optimally under all driving conditions. The driver is always responsible for safe and attentive driving. System effectiveness depends on many factors, such as vehicle maintenance, weather and road conditions. See owner’s manual for complete details on system operation and limitations.

² DriverFocus is a driver recognition technology designed to alert the driver if their attention to the road wavers or if the driver’s face appears to turn away. The driver is always responsible for safe and attentive driving. System effectiveness may be affected by articles of clothing worn on the head or face. See Owner’s Manual for complete details on system operations and limitations.

Image Credit: Subaru