The year 2009 is one most car companies would like to forget.  But a few brands have actually prospered:  Subaru, Hyundai and Kia are 2009’s big winners.  Subaru has defied gravity and increased sales when their main competitors were losing 30-35-40% year-on-year.  Subaru passed up well-known brands like Mazda and Volkswagen.  The Korean twins Hyundai and Kia have seen their sales skyrocket, making the company #4 in the world after Toyota, GM and Volkswagen.

The newest Kia, the entry-level Forte, is an interesting model to analyze.  A base Forte costs under $14,000 and promises to earn high consumer ratings just as other recent Kias have.  The test car was a very nicely equipped four door that included leather seats and a power sunroof in addition to a comprehensive list of stereo, Sirius radio and Bluetooth that you’d expect to find in a $30-50,000 car. This one retails at $20,000.

Driving it reveals a very taut structure with excellent soundproofing and a distinctly expensive feel.  This is a 2.4 litre, 170 horsepower car so it’s quick and capable.  A 6’-5” friend expressed doubt about its headroom, tried it and shook his head in amazement.

What’s not to like?  As good as this car is, it left me wanting something more – I felt it was sterile and needed some character.  But most buyers, who simply want reliability, safety, easy driving and comfort, will be amply pleased.  Those of us seeking some sort of automotive nirvana will pay more and get a Mini Cooper or a VW GTI, which will feed our egos and dreams.

The sister brand Hyundai has dazzled buyers, consumer satisfaction experts and industry analysts with its blizzard of attractive new models, highest ratings and keen marketing and pricing.  General Motors would do well to study Hyundai/Kia to find out how a turnaround is managed.

The new Subaru Legacy is a handsome addition to this second success story.  Subaru has appealed to a wide audience from the motor sports group to the Birkenstock crowd with their sort-of bargain priced, counter-culture Audi-like cars.  This new Legacy is a bit more mainstream but still animated.

Only Porsche shares with Subaru a range of “flat” engines – meaning horizontally opposed cylinders.  Subarus also feature all-wheel drive, with all its traction and security advantages.

This Subaru Legacy, with a range of options that allow the price to vary from $20,000 to about $30,000 proved to be a very pleasant drive.  The car tested, a Legacy Premium version, is priced at about $23,500 for a very capable, well-appointed car with a 170 horsepower engine and CVT transmission, the smoothness and efficiency of which is quite remarkable.  This generous-sized car gives 31 mpg (!) on the highway.

When shopping for a new car, it can be helpful to have a benchmark against which you can measure the value of various cars.  The Subaru Legacy would be a good baseline to use.  In testing various cars, every so often I run across one I’d actually buy with my own money.  This Subaru is one of them.

I’ve had two recent cross-country trips with my son in his 2007 Subaru.  One was in mid-winter with snow, ice and freezing rain.  The surefootedness of the all-wheel drive was reassuring when we traversed Nebraska in this brutal weather.  While the locals were sliding into the median, or crashing into the roadside barriers, we proceeded serenely.  Later in the year, in good weather, we enjoyed comfortable 800-mile days, with our capable little Subaru armed with a radar detector, knocking off the miles, often at three-digit speeds.

Interestingly, in the midst of restructuring, General Motors owned a small share in Subaru until recently.  GM’s share was acquired by Toyota who, I suspect, will be more understanding partners.

And in case you’re fretting about “Buy American,” this Subaru is built in Princeton, Indiana.

Logos

While looking through a Japanese car magazine recently, I realized that I couldn’t identify the cars pictured because I couldn’t see the logos on them (and the text was only Japanese).  Look at various sedans, a C-class Mercedes, Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Ford Fusion, Chevy Malibu.  They’re all about the same size and not-so-different shapes.  Now remove the logos.  Could you tell which was which?  You are reminded how important those logos are.  The best one of all is probably the Mercedes-Benz three-pointed star.  Its elegance and simplicity are recognized the world over.  Those three points represent land, sea and air, the three areas in which Mercedes-Benz has supplied motor power.

Audi, BMW and Alfa Romeo logos rank next in my book.  Those Europeans designed their logos long ago.  They incorporated symbols of history or technology relevant to the brand.

Americans?  That Ford blue oval is used internationally and is likely the most effective of the Americans.

The Japanese were late to this logo game and, in my view, not particularly effective.  Their best effort is the Infiniti symbol.

But look at the Toyota “sombrero,” Nissan “hamburger,” Lexus “L” – not too impressive.

It all underlines a marketing problem:  All cars today must meet certain norms such as crash-worthiness, aerodynamics, packaging of passengers, mechanical elements and luggage area.

Designers have computer aids to help them accommodate these often-conflicting demands.  The result is that cars come out looking much like one another, regardless of price.  Things like fine interior finish are not visible from the outside.  The logo is.  And if it’s an elegant, simple, recognized-the-world-over symbol, the product bearing it has a big advantage.