Subaru’s three years of care and close attention

SO THERE I was, thrashing about in a swamp behind the Rockingham grandstands, turning an XV into a Chocolate Orange as the car did its best to show that Subaru has sacrificed none of its off-road nous in the race to join the terribly trendy compact SUV set, when a thought suddenly struck me.

“What if I’d just paid Subaru the thick end of a 30-grand wedge for one of these, only to prang the front wing on a rock, or to have an alloy chewed by one of the alligators that almost certainly live in this mire?”

Peace of mind comes in the form of Subaru Etc, a three-year care package bundled with every new Scooby. For no extra yen, your local Subaru dealership will carry out £3,000-worth of scratch and dent repairs and £1,000-worth of alloy wheel repairs.

If your car needs work to pass its first MoT, Subaru’s people will contribute £300 towards the bill. They’ll also store your winter tyres for you, and check the alignment of your wheels once a year. To top it all, you can take your manky XV to your local Subaru dealer once a month for the next 36 months and they’ll wash and hoover it for you.

It is, says Subaru UK’s marketing manager Kenyon Neads, “one hell of a package”. Well, he would say that, wouldn’t he? He’s the marketing man, after all. Mind you, he’s got a point.