Six Star Magazine Six Star Magazine Winter 2010/2011 | Page 40

TECH TALK

What’s clear from these examples
is that Canadian winters can wreak
havoc on Canadian cars – and Subaru
vehicles are designed and engineered
to withstand everything that a Canadian
winter can possibly dish out. But snow,
sleet, slush and ice can do more than
just cause corrosion – they can turn your
daily commute into the road trip from
hell. This is why great time and energy
has gone into countless other aspects
of your Subaru, two of them being
ventilation and visibility.
In the mid-1990s, FHI sent still
more engineers to Canada to study
ventilation systems. Prior to this time,
dry snow that would accumulate at the
base of the windshield would be drawn
into the heating system. The snow
could then melt and be deposited
on the cold windshield in the form of
moisture, which could then turn to
frost, reducing visibility.
Using this information and with
the assistance of Subaru Canada,
the engineers completely redesigned
the ventilation system so that the air
was drawn under a ledge that did not
accumulate snow. This redesign has
since been incorporated into all
Subaru vehicles.

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When it comes to visibility,
the following rule is pretty much
self-evident: more equals better. But
it’s never a simple task to maximize
the glass area of a vehicle because
there are stringent safety standards to
be met. Yet the engineers at Subaru
manage to keep the A pillar (front) and
B pillar (middle) of their vehicles as thin
as possible by using sandwiched layers
of high-strength steel – in other words,
they achieve strength without simply
making the pillars wider. For the Subaru
driver, this represents a significant
benefit – the vehicles maintain a
superior level of crashworthiness, but
still provide superior visibility, which
is especially critical when driving in
whiteout conditions.
But the legendary winter-fighting
capabilities of Subaru vehicles don’t
end there. Read on and learn more
about how your Subaru is deserving
of an Order of Canada for its unique
ability to help you withstand our bitter
and unforgiving winters.
Every car and SUV in the range is
designed to ensure the highest possible
ground clearance. Take a moment to
slide under your Subaru – make sure it’s
parked and turned off first, please! – and