A Subaru SUV Once Saved Actor Bruce Campbell's Life & You Probably Never Knew It
Bruce Campbell might be best known for surviving demonic possession in "Evil Dead," but in real life, it was a Forester, one of the best Subarus of all time, that kept him and his wife, Ida, safe. Not in a movie, and not on a sound stage, but in an actual rollover crash.
Right after buying their Subaru Forester, Campbell and his wife were in a serious accident that left the vehicle upside down in a ditch. The SUV was totaled. The couple climbed out through the side window and walked away without a scratch.
Why did they pick the Forester in the first place? According to Campbell, it was because of its crash test scores. "We bought the Forester because it ranks number one in crash tests," Campbell explained in a dealership testimonial. Subaru approached him in Oregon after the crash for a commercial, asking him to talk about the car's safety features, to which he happily agreed.
Subaru didn't design this ad as a viral campaign. Just Bruce, Ida, and a really wrecked Forester. That raw honesty has stuck around because the takeaway is simple: some cars are built for survival first, looks second. And in this case, the formula worked.
Subaru still builds them safe, but there's more to the story now
Fast forward to 2025, and the Forester has evolved. It's in its sixth generation, with a new hybrid model added to the lineup. But safety remains the headline. Every trim, from the base model to the top-end Touring Hybrid, comes standard with Subaru's EyeSight driver assistance suite. That means adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, and automatic emergency braking.
The Forester Hybrid, in particular, aims to improve more than fuel economy. It adds 14 extra horsepower over the base gas engine, layers in more sound-deadening materials, and comes with an updated chassis and thicker glass for better peace of mind. It's quieter, more responsive, and has a generous 8.7 inches of ground clearance.
That said, it's not perfect. The hybrid version still trails rivals like the Mazda CX-50 and Kia Sportage in overall space and value, respectively. But if you're buying based on safety, space, and peace of mind, Subaru has doubled down. Most SUV ads flex horsepower or screens, whereas Subaru has focused on reliability. Not every carmaker can run a testimonial where the product got destroyed but still came out as the hero, but when Bruce Campbell says, "It saved our lives," there's nothing more to add.