Skip to Content
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Log In
Ad Nauseam

Ad Nauseam Double Feature: Safe Subaru vs. Deadly Dodge

If you've been watching the NCAA men's basketball tournament, which resumes tonight, you've probably seen this Subaru spot, called "Baby Driver." In it, a distressed father leans into the passenger side window, imploring his preschool-age daughter to be careful on the road -- stay off the freeways, put the phone away -- to the point that she interrupts with a sweetly impatient "Daddy, o-kay." When he gives up the keys, we see the child as a present-day teenager. As she backs out of the driveway, to the obligatory strains of an acoustic guitar, the word "love" pops up on the screen. It dissolves into the Subaru logo as dad's voice intones: "We knew this day was coming. That's why we bought a Subaru."

From his body language and tone of voice, the way he watches helplessly as she drives away, you'd think his daughter was shipping out for Afghanistan. What the voice-over might as well have said was, "No one wants their kids to drive. We know it's incredibly dangerous. So we bought a Subaru in hopes that our child won't die."

If you can get past the myth of driving as an unavoidable rite of passage, you have to hand it to Subaru on this one. Based on the YouTube comments, it's pulling a lot of heartstrings. And the emphasis, at least, is on safety (albeit for those inside the Subaru). Contrast that with the current campaign from fellow March Madness sponsor Dodge, featuring commercials like the one after the jump. Given its celebration of sociopathic behavior -- watch as the Charger plows heedlessly through urban crosswalks at "movie car chase" speeds -- we wonder if the narration by Michael C. Hall, TV's favorite serial killer, is more than coincidence.

It's enough to keep a Subaru dad awake at night.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog Los Angeles

This Week In Livable Streets

Metro 405 Freeway widening meeting, weekend Metro A Line closures (Duarte to Azusa), Metro Rail to Rail path construction, and more

October 15, 2024

CicLAvia Heart of L.A. 2024 – Open Thread

Sunday's Heart of L.A. event was the 56th iteration of Los Angeles' popular open streets festival, CicLAvia

October 15, 2024

Eyes on the Street: Santa Monica’s New Michigan Avenue Greenway Extension

The 1/8-mile-long Michigan Avenue Neighborhood Greenway (MANGo) extension includes two short bike/walk paths and one block of two-way protected bike lanes

October 12, 2024
See all posts