[notjulianjaynes]

Was this stock? I do not recall this feature in either the 1998 nor 2001 Subarus I drove into the ground. Seems strange but not implausible it would have been briefly an option in the generation after that. 2005 is about when Subarus got less boxy with big plastic bumpers and crumple zones.

Jokingly, perhaps it was not a feature but happened accidentally due to the head gaskets design on the EJ25 engine.

[bentcorner]

It was stock in my 2003 Forester that we eventually got rid of due to head gasket problems.

[Syonyk]

I had a 2002 Outback wagon for a while with weather band in the stock radio. I rather liked it for rolling across country during the winter - with a good set of snow tires, that car was pretty much unstoppable!

... and wisdom also suggested that when you realize you've not seen semis on the road for a good while from how bad the snow is, you should take the hint and go find a spot to sleep for a while until things improve.