KTN’s Betty Kyalo’s hits back at Njoki Chege’s Blue Subaru ‘ignorance’

KTN’s Betty Kyalo has come out guns blazing over Saturday Nation’s controversial columnist Njoki Chege’s continued jabs on Subaru car owners. Here’s the response she put up on her Facebook wall:

“There are some people … hahaha… who am I kidding, just one person who has decided to use their space to misinform and insult people based on what I can only imagine as their own insecurities. Usually I don’t care, but there has been a constant vilification (that’s criticism for you) of Subaru owners and especially BLUE SUBARUS … which is utterly juvenile… so indulge me for a second.

Motoring aficionados like myself appreciate a good vehicle, more so a championship winning one like Subaru. As a young child many years ago, my bedroom wall was cluttered with newspaper cuttings of Patrick Njiru’s BAT sponsored Subaru literally jumping off a deep rut at full throttle.

This image is still vivid today some 20 years later. As a child I asked myself what made a Subaru A Subaru: is it the loud ear splitting exhaust note or the deep engine warble of the EJ20TT flat four with 16 valves? These questions became my focus for many years until I became well aware of what makes the Subaru brand achieve such love and (undeserved, infantile and always ignorant) hatred at the same time.

The founding fathers at Subaru wanted to be different from the Toyotas and Nissan’s that had already made a name for themselves in Japan and beyond. With extensive knowledge from the aviation industry, Fuji Heavy industries (Subaru’s parent company) decided to power their vehicles with the aircraft derived ‘boxer’ engine coupled with its symmetrical drive train layout.

Get it? … Good! Three world championships later and Subaru became a success story. The 555 Impreza with the blue and yellow livery, massive rear spoiler, ear deafening exhaust with gold Enkei rims became synonymous with every 12 year old in the 1990’s.

Back to reality all the boys and girls (oh yes… we love them too) who loved Subaru are grown now, with the ability to buy that Subaru that made them feel like super heroes. So when you see a fast and loud Subaru zoom past you (if you are able to), remember that that’s a man or a woman living a childhood dream. Yes sometimes these ‘boys’ get carried away with these fast machines but always remember when you are in your tiny hatchback, don’t hate but appreciate.

The thrill derived from driving a turbo-charged Subaru is second to none, that handling precision of its dual inverted struts, 300 Horse Power + 2000cc EJ20TT engine and symmetrical all wheel drive with driver controlled central differential unit all in one package is a heavenly feeling that your hatchback will never at any time achieve.

Word to the ignorant, you cannot judge a person by the car he/she drives… but seeing as you already have, you have inaccurately labeled the Subaru driver a ‘boy’. But you know or maybe you don’t… Boys don’t handle heavy machinery like the Subie and only boys care for such ludicrous opinions. Peace!”