This week I mercifully returned my Saburau Impreza to the dealer, the two-year lease having expired. Thank God I only took a two year commitment! I hated the car from Day One. It was my wife’s idea to let go of our two big vehicles (my Toyota Highlander SUV and her Mazda MPV van) as part of “walking the talk” about going “green”. Since I will not drive a car without All-Wheel-Drive, I settled on the Impreza as a reasonable alternative. But shoehorning a 56 year-old, back-surgeried, 6′2″ 250 lb. Sasquatch into this low-slung, sporty hatchback made for guys 20 years younger proved a daunting daily task replete with much grunting and cursing.

This week I also took possession of my 2010 Subaru Forester and breathed a sigh of relief as my ass willingly slid into the front-seat with hardly any bending or stooping. This “crossover” feels great and since it uses the same engine as the Impreza should have almost no additional gas consumption penalty.

Subaru is the only car company that only does All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) vehicles. Every one of its cars from the least expensive to the most luxurious are based on the same platform. There is a great misconception about All-Wheel-Drive. Most people think you only need it if you live in snowy climes. And while it’s true that it sure helps in deep snow, AWD is the single most important safety feature in a vehicle the whole year round. If you gave me a choice between seat belts/airbags and AWD, I’ll take AWD every time! The reason is simple: In the winter, you are already likely to be more careful, especially in snowy or slick conditions, where you know that the risk is higher. But the rest of the year, when it first starts to rain and the oil that is always embedded in the asphalt mixes with the water, or some truck has dropped sand or grease, or some nut tries to swerve into you…that’s where AWD makes the difference…by helping you avoid an accident rather than have to survive it!

And by AWD I mean all four wheels have power all the time! Not this “Intelligent AWD” bull where the car is actually front-wheel drive and has to detect wheel “spin” in order to actuate, or “On-Demand AWD” where you have to actually hit a button to activate it. There’s a lot of smoke-and-mirrors in this technology and you have to truly understand how each system works in order to make a good decision.