How should I break in a new VB, and should I change the oil at 1,000 miles?

Subaru's owner-manual guidance for new-vehicle break-in is the first 1,000 miles: avoid racing the engine and avoid exceeding 4,000 rpm except in an emergency. That is the official position and it is the one to follow. What the manual does not spell out is the practical layer, and here the owner community is consistent and correct. **Vary load and speed.** This is the part that matters most and it is the least intuitive. Piston rings seat by being pushed against the cylinder walls under varying cylinder pressure. Long steady-state highway cruising at one constant speed is the worst thing you can do during break-in, not because it is hard on the engine but because it is monotonous - the rings never see the varying load that seats them. Vary your speed, use different gears, and let the engine work across a range. **Use engine braking.** Deceleration under load creates conditions that help the rings seat. Coasting in neutral does not. **Stay out of sustained boost.** The rpm limit matters less than the load. Gentle throttle to 4,000 rpm is fine; full boost at 3,000 rpm is not what you want in the first 1,000 miles. **On the early oil change**, the community is genuinely split and both positions are defensible. Subaru's normal interval is 6,000 miles or 6 months. Many VB owners do an oil change at 1,000 miles anyway, and some do one at 500 and again at 1,000. The argument for it: a new engine sheds break-in debris and assembly material into the oil, and getting that out early costs one oil change. The argument against: modern manufacturing tolerances are far better than they used to be, factory fill is a proper oil, and the filter is doing its job. The honest verdict is that an early change is cheap insurance rather than a requirement. It will not hurt anything, it costs perhaps $60 to $80, and it buys peace of mind on a car you presumably intend to keep. If you do it, use a quality full synthetic meeting the 0W-20 specification and replace the filter. After break-in, capacity is roughly 4.8 quarts including the filter, and the interval is 6,000 miles or 6 months - halved to around 3,000 once the car is tuned. One thing worth carrying past 1,000 miles: warm the oil before using boost. Coolant reaches temperature far sooner than oil does, and the factory gauge only shows you coolant.