What confused me about The Devil Wears Prada is the constant questioning of the fashion editor figure around who the movie is based.
Numerous references are made to her being a bitch and her eccentricities and her career-oriented focus are made to seem almost evil. If Meryl Streep’s character had been a man, nobody would have questioned his business ethics if his company was a runaway success, nobody would have frowned on his failed marriages and nobody would have thought any less of him for being cut-throat in a business world where there is no such thing as the good guy.
Initially, I felt sorry for Streep’s character, for the battles successful women have to win over and over to prove their worth, but towards the end of the movie I realised that she had become quite accustomed to working twice as hard as a man to be seen to be half as good.
So, what has this feminist rant got to do with motoring, you might ask. Well, simply put, the very same applies — women in the motoring industry are looked upon as token appointments who couldn’t possibly have a passion for cars, who couldn’t possibly enjoy the thrill of pushing a car to the edge of its abilities, and who couldn’t possibly be interested in motoring for any reason other than to impress the men in their lives.
It all gets a bit tiresome sometimes and it is for this reason that I felt slightly better about life, the universe and everything else at a recent Subaru vehicle launch.
Subaru’s MD Teresita van Gaalen is the kind of woman who is comfortable to be around, but talk to her employees after a few whiskies and you soon realise that, while she may be amiable, she’s certainly no pushover. She is always approachable, but is also driven (pardon the pun), leads by example and is a taskmaster of note and it is for these reasons that she commands the unquestionable respect and loyalty of her employees.
It could be said that it is also for these reasons that Subaru is growing its percentage of female customers as it, unlike many other manufacturers, has realised that there is a significant number of women buying cars these days and ignoring such a lucrative market would be detrimental to any company’s success.
Subaru boasts an 88% retention level among its customers.
During the recent launch of the upgraded Legacy and Outback ranges featuring Subaru intelligent-drive (SI-Drive), motoring journos had the opportunity to put the new vehicles through a range of driving conditions to test SI-Drive and appreciate what Subaru is calling ‘three engines in one”.
When you think Subaru, you think hard-core performance vehicle, asymmetrical all-wheel drive and a vehicle that is as thirsty as that dodgy uncle of yours at a family function with free drinks.
Hence the introduction of SI-Drive, which is available on the 2,5-litre and 3,0-litre Legacies as well as the 3,0-litre Outback. By selecting between the three driving modes on the rotary knob situated behind the gear lever, SI-Drive offers a fuel saving of between 10% and 14% by configuring the amount of fuel needed for different styles of driving. The three modes are sport (the default choice), intelligent and sport sharp. Intelligent mode is perfect for rush-hour traffic as the power delivery is somewhat muted and peak torque is reduced, sport mode gives one access to maximum power and torque and can be used for most driving conditions and sport sharp mode gives the engine more rapid reactions, which performance lovers would find ideal for quick down-changes to get that extra bit of vooma.
Including changes to the bodywork, the suspension on the Legacy range has been tuned to improve road holding and handling and the 2,5GT-B and 3,0R-B now have bi-xenon headlights. Standard features across the Legacy range include all-wheel drive, ABS, EBD and six airbags.
In the mid-sized sedan range, there is no shortage of luxurious and often over-priced options, but there are few such options in the Subaru Legacy, which proves that its makers don’t take its clientele for granted and are constantly striving to offer value-for-money, quality products.
Legacy prices range from R227 000 for the 2,0R to R366 000 for the 2,0GT Wagon Sportshift