[presently no screen name]

Really? What is counterculture about them - what’s the appeal to them? I travel in nothing but conservative circles and never heard this. But then, again, not one of them has one either - so maybe you are right. What’s my defense? Help me out here.

[RegulatorCountry]

They're utilitarian and outdoorsy while being economical and slightly offbeat, that's what draws them. It was VW in the sixties and into the seventies, Volvo after that. Volvo's gotten expensive and VW has gone almost mainstream so they've taken up with Subaru.

I personally don't care what other people buy and drive, I choose what I buy and drive for my own reasons. But as far as a defense, they've all got a five star safety rating, practically all Subaru models are rated as a Consumer Reports “best buy,” they hold their resale value well and they're just neat, interesting vehicles withthoughtful and unusual touches throughout, you can tell engineers hold sway there.

[RegulatorCountry]

They also dig the name. “Subaru” is the Japanese name for the "Seven Sisters," the most visible stars of the Pleiades, that's what the oval logo with stars is about, that and the number of stars also represent the various divisions of Fuji Heavy Industries, the parent company.

Counterculture types do get a kick out of the somewhat spacey connotation. Very few outside the counterculture realize this, though, even among Subaru owners.