Did not see anything in searches. so going fast (about 30-50 mph)thru 2-4" deep puddles, doesn't stall engine? My old 71 ford pinto could spray people like crazy!!!! The thing must have been part fish! I would put auto in low gear & punch it! Guessing puddles were about 4-6" deep & going about 30 mph. (two huge walls of water on both sides) Crazy fun when I was a kid! The ole 73 dogde van was ok in about 1-2", after that it was a gamble.( Going fast, any deeper, better to putt & plow) I think the belts would throw water up on distributor? If it did stall, would not restart. But wait approx 15 minutes & the warm engine would dry itself & start right up. (trick is, have patience, so you wouldn't crank engine before its dry & kill battery)

Since this is a new generation, go pop your hood. Look for the air intake snorkle. That leads to a sinus cavity in what we call the snorkus. This cavity keeps water out of the engine to a degree. I have had my car with the front bumper and then some submurged. The trick is good wires more then anything else. You stall in deep water your going to get wet and the inside of the car too.

I plowed through about 6-8" of ice slush water (big chunks of ice) at about 45 mph a few winters back. Snow had blocked a storm drain and the melt water flooded the road in one spot. Couldn't see it because it was around a curve and I just couldn't do anything about it when I got to it, there was a dump truck in next to me in the left lane. So 50 feet later I had probably moved about 100 gallons of water and ice chunks from the road up and into the back of that truck, and another hundred the opposite direction. Car kept running just fine.

A while back we had a friend over with a stock Baja. I don't remember the year. However, he was to ford a small stream and got deep enough to suck water into the engine. Hydro-locked the engine and destroyed it. Reason we had him over was to replace the engine. Not sure if going through water is worth it.

A while back we had a friend over with a stock Baja. I don't remember the year. However, he was to ford a small stream and got deep enough to suck water into the engine. Hydro-locked the engine and destroyed it. Reason we had him over was to replace the engine. Not sure if going through water is worth it.

 

I would have concern about sucking in water at the air intake snorkel. If too much water gets sucked into the engine, then as discussed above, hydro-lock can occur. If that happens, then their is a good probability the engine will be destroyed. I would also have concern about water getting past the seals, and into the wheel bearings. The wheel bearing seals are good, but not designed to be water proof. With these risks, I don't think I would want to pay for repairs, should water cause problems.

I'm talking about spraying up from 2"-6" puddles, not boating across the channel!

Very interesting to know. I am planning a trip to Iceland and subarus are rated as 4x4. So you are allowed to drive many 4x4 rated roads however some might include river crossings. How deep is deep, or to deep?

Any simple methods to modify the intake without making holes to the outside for an elevated snorkel.

I forded a creek that was about 8" in some spots. Any higher than that I would be a little nervous. The intake box in the fender is looped around so the air comes in through the top, but it does have a drain hole in the bottom. There's a check valve in the drain so hopefully water won't go rushing in, but the bottom of the assembly is only 14" or so from the road.