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Subaru loves quirky additions to its cars, and if you've driven a newer Subaru, chances are that you've seen a mysterious fastener branded "AVH" adjacent nan cogwheel selector. Maybe you moreover pressed it by mishap and thought you collapsed thing erstwhile nan car refused to creep guardant astatine a stoplight. Worry not. AVH stands for Auto Vehicle Hold, and it's 1 of those features that sounds boring but really makes regular driving a small easier. Unless it doesn't, successful which lawsuit you mightiness want to unopen it off.
AVH is Subaru's return connected nan automatic brake clasp function. When it's active, nan strategy holds nan brakes for you aft you travel to a complete stop. You tin return your ft disconnected nan brake pedal, and nan car stays put. Tap nan gas, and it releases. It's a elemental thought aimed astatine easing stop-and-go traffic, elevation starts, and agelong stoplights without wearing retired your ankle. It uses nan cars Vehicle Dynamics Control and physics parking brake to run and is different from nan accepted Hill Hold Assist, which only holds nan car stationary for a mates of seconds truthful that it doesn't rotation backmost connected a elevation commencement aliases incline.
Love it aliases dislike it, AVH resets each time

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AVH is simply a triumph successful postulation situations aliases connected steep hills wherever you're tired of doing nan brake-gas creation and tin person your ft disconnected nan brake moreover pinch nan transmission successful Drive. Once you deed that button, it remains engaged and holds nan conveyance erstwhile you travel to a complete halt. However, to nan dislike of immoderate users, it resets each clip you restart nan car unless you re-engage it manually to usage nan characteristic again. Some drivers want it to stay on, particularly successful municipality commutes. Others still emotion nan characteristic and find it useful successful stop-go traffic.
The characteristic is much communal crossed newer Subarus for illustration the 2025 Crosstrek, 1 of nan SUVs pinch nan champion resale value, and the 2025 Outback. In galore models, it activates erstwhile you push nan beingness AVH fastener usually located connected nan halfway console, and you'll spot an parameter ray connected nan dash to cognize it's on. Other models person it integrated successful nan cardinal touch screen. It's a elemental strategy that engages nan physics parking brake erstwhile nan conveyance comes to a extremity and disengages it erstwhile nan accelerator pedal is pressed.
How to move it disconnected (and support it off)
Disabling AVH useful a small otherwise depending connected your peculiar Subaru exemplary and year. In immoderate models, you tin activate aliases deactivate it by pressing nan fastener adjacent nan shifter. If nan AVH ray connected nan dash turns off, you're good.
Some newer models fto you disable AVH permanently done nan vehicle's settings paper connected nan halfway touch screen. For older models, you're stuck manually engaging and disabling it each time, and yeah, it tin beryllium a pain. The bully portion is that, if it is active, each you request to do to disengage it is measurement connected nan state and it's gone. It'll only reactivate erstwhile you travel to a complete extremity again.
If AVH has been throwing you off, don't sweat it — it's designed to help, not hassle. Subaru's Auto Vehicle Hold is simply a useful small characteristic that keeps your car from creeping astatine reddish lights aliases rolling back, letting you return a break from perpetually riding nan brake pedal. This does trim driver fatigue, but if it's not your vibe? No large deal. You tin easy disengage it pinch a pat of nan AVH button, deactivate it from nan settings menu, aliases conscionable property nan state and thrust away.