For
many, Subaru is synonymous with all-wheel drive. A smaller group
instantly equates the automaker with rally racing and performance. And
for a surprising number of people we talk with, any mention of Subaru
still conjures the iconic BRAT introduced in the late seventies. Very
few, though, associate the automaker with excellent resale value. But
this year Subaru tops Honda, Toyota and other usual suspects as our 2011
Best Resale Value Award recipient for best brand. How so? A styling
renaissance is putting the vehicles on more shoppers' radars, and what
they're discovering are cars and crossovers that are just plain nicer
and better-built than they've long thought. Subaru and its symmetrical
all-wheel drive are still extra popular in the white and wet parts of
the country, but the secret is slipping out and more people are taking
notice of a gem they may have overlooked since the BRAT went bye-bye in
1987.