If you stick to city driving you probably don't think about ground clearance very often. Every once in a while, you might scrape the underside of your car on an especially steep hill or dip, but for most situations, your clearance doesn’t have a huge affect on your commute to work or your ability to run errands around town.
Ground clearance, sometimes referred to as ride height, is the amount of space between the ground and the chassis. Clearance is measured on a flat surface with an unweighted vehicle without passengers or cargo. Ground clearance is typically viewed as an indication of how well a certain vehicle can handle certain types of terrain. Sports cars typically have lower ground clearance, while vehicles designed for off-road driving will have higher clearance.
Vehicles with low ground clearance have a lower center of mass, giving them better handling. This is perfect for fast sports cars that want precision on the pavement. Higher the ride height means that a vehicle will have a higher center of mass, which makes for lesser handling. However, higher clearance is necessary for off-road vehicles that deal with uneven terrain and debris.
Obviously, there are extremes on either end of the spectrum when it comes to ground clearance. There are low profile sports cars that couldn’t clear a speed bump and then there are massive SUVs that require a ladder to enter. But if you’re looking for a vehicle that handles just as well on the pavement as it does the dirt, you want to find the balance.
If your clearance is too low, you will bottom out on the regular, and if your clearance is too high, you're sacrificing handling. Ideally, you want a vehicle with good clearance, but no so high that the center of mass significantly affects a vehicles handling. Luckily, there are a few vehicles in the Subaru lineup that strike this balance perfectly.
The Forester, Outback, and XV Crosstrek models all have high enough clearance to handle the ruts and ridges of backcountry driving, without being so high that you feel like you’re the captain of a boat. The 2016 Outback, 2016 Forester, and 2015 XV Crosstrek all have a ground clearance of 8.7 inches at base curb weight, an optimal height for city as well as country driving.
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