Overview & Reviews

Subaru is a Japan-based automaker whose recent offerings are both practical and fun to drive. The automaker crafts vehicles whose all-wheel-drive powertrains and available turbochargers facilitate sharp performance. Incongruously, most Subaru vehicles are discreet and versatile enough to serve as competent family haulers, and the brand is known for boasting some of the best crash test scores in the automotive world.

In the early 1950s, a collection of Japanese companies joined to form Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. Its automotive division came to be known as "Subaru," which is a Japanese word meaning "unite." In 1954, the first Subaru car was unveiled. Powered by a four-cylinder engine, the P-1 (its name was later changed to the Subaru 1500) boasted a front-wheel wishbone-type independent suspension and was the first car to feature a monocoque body designed in Japan. Sales were suspended due to challenges associated with funding and support, but Subaru soon resolved its difficulties and rolled out a sibling for its first-born; the 360 was introduced in 1958. Dubbed the Ladybird because of its ladybug shape, the compact 360 proved immensely popular, and remained in production for 12 years.

The 1960s saw the launch of the first Subaru truck. Based on the Subaru 360 platform, the Sambar minitruck offered both compact dimensions (a must for Japan's crowded, narrow streets) and an extremely spacious cargo bed. The truck was soon joined by the Sambar Light Van, a compact van built for both commercial and leisure use. In 1966, the automaker rolled out the 1000, a car that holds the distinction of being the first vehicle to use the drive technology that is the linchpin of current Subaru models: a front-wheel-drive system coupled to a horizontally opposed engine. This setup offered many advantages in handling and performance. By the end of the decade, Subaru North America had been founded, and exports to the United States had begun.

Subaru started the '70s with the introduction of the GL/DL (called the Leone in other markets). The sedan (it was soon joined by a coupe and a station wagon) broke new ground by offering four-wheel-drive (4WD) capability. Up until then, 4WD had only been offered in off-road-oriented vehicles. Coveted for use in the snow and in hilly regions, the GL and DL also benefited from the increasing popularity of outdoor sports like skiing and fishing, and went on to become the world's top-selling 4WD vehicle. In 1977, Subaru rolled out the successful Brat; based on the GL, it was a small car-based pickup whose cargo bed featured a pair of jump seats. More and more, young people were seeking a vehicle designed for an outdoorsy lifestyle, and the rugged Brat was perfectly in step with their needs.

Subaru continued to offer versatile but slightly quirky vehicles through the '80s. It developed the world's first electronically controlled continuously variable transmission. The technology made its debut later that decade in a new Subaru, the tiny Justy economy car. By the end of the '80s, Subaru had given birth to the Legacy, which replaced the outgoing GL/DL (now called the Loyale in the U.S.). Available as both a wagon and a sedan, the Legacy placed an emphasis on performance.

The automaker made a name for itself in motorsports in the 1990s by being the first Japanese marque to win the Manufacturers' title at the World Rally Championship three years in a row. The Subaru family continued to grow during this decade, with the addition of the high-performance SVX, the popular Legacy-based Outback wagon and the sporty Impreza. In the late '90s, General Motors acquired a 20 percent stake in parent company Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI) with the aim of strengthening its presence in foreign markets. This affiliation didn't last long, however, and Toyota currently owns a small percentage of FHI.

Today, Subaru's lineup includes everything from compact trucks to family-friendly wagons to high-performance cars such as the WRX STi. The brand is hailed as a top pick for enthusiasts seeking vehicles that offer a shot of utility with their performance thrills.

User Reviews:

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  2002 Subaru Forester - 2001 Subaru Forester
  By S. Benmeir - May 7 - 10:00 am

  2002 Forester. It would not start the day after purchase, but dealer could find nothing wrong. Few days later oxygen sensor went bad, and it had to be serviced again. The dealer (Morehart, Durango, CO) returned it to me with a large dent which I did not notice immediately, so what could I do. The gas mileage was bad at first (about 20), but have recently gotten over 30 mpg on the highway. The tires stink. I blew a tire by running into a rock on a dirt road at 3 mph. I was told that if there was more than 4/32" difference in the tread between tires, it would void the warranty on the car. Finally, its UGLY with a capital U.

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  Except for the AWD a poor winter car. - 2003 Subaru Baja
  By PLP - April 4 - 10:00 pm

  As far as winter driving goes: the wells below the wipers collect some serious snow & ice that will hamper the wipers if you dont clear it completely. Opening the door in winter deposits a nice clump of snow on your drivers seat. The passenger side of the front windshield will not clear completely in extreme cold weather. There isnt much space between the tire and mudflaps - the tires rub against the collected snow in winter and you can feel/hear the rubbing when you turn the wheel. The roof is hard to clear of snow but if you dont completely clear it you get an avalanche of snow that almost rips your wipers after it warms up and you put the brakes on. The biggest problem is hesitation.

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  Its ok and thats it! - 2003 Subaru Legacy
  By R.J.M. - March 31 - 3:33 am

  I love the versatility of the car. I will say that it will get you where you want to go no matter what is true. If you can live with the lack of power, style, and mediocre gas mileage. The manual transmission is much better for passing and is more fun to drive. Gas mileage is the same if compared to any small SUV. I have 90000 miles on mine in four years of driving it and it has had a lot of work done to it some under the warranty and some by myself to save money (water pump, hug bearings, brakes and rotors twice, O2 sensors and a CAT, and just last week the viscous coupler and bearings went in the transmission). I do not beat on the car but I do drive it on the expressway 80 miles a day at 75 mph.

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  Huge and Horrible upgrade in Technology - 2017 Subaru Impreza
  By Nate - February 22 - 1:40 am

  This is the 5th subaru that i have owned. So I think its safe to say that i am brand loyal and big fan up to this point, but this may be the last. I bought a brand new 2017 impreza sport with almost all of the options. The within the first week of taking ownership the screen had gone blank with nothing working that was run through it. Was replaced. Another 2 weeks later the same problem happened again. So out of the first month of ownership it spent 2 weeks in the shop. I am still having problems now where every other time i go to start the car the radio resets back to defualt deleteing all radio stations and such. Have tried to get a hold of the service manager to no avail. This may be my first run at the lemon law. learned my lesson never buy the first year of the redesign.

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  Very disappointing - 2002 Subaru Outback
  By New England Resident - February 15 - 8:34 am

  I purchased this car for my son in 2015. 110k miles, body rust like you wouldn’t believe. I voted no; son voted yes because he’s a millennial and believes everything that he reads on the web. In this case, social media shows that Subaru is a great car, incredibly reliable, etc etc. He showed me a quote/metric saying that 97% of Subaru’s built since 1997 are still on the road ... so they are bullet proof. And so safe (more on safety later)!! What the quote/metric didn’t say was that they leak oil from the head gasket like no other car, have electrical problems galore, exhaust issues, and many others. I honestly have no idea how these cars got such a reputation for being great cars. Do people who drive these rat traps know what a ‘great car’ is ?? I spent about $7000 on repairs over 18 months. What a PoS. Thankfully, my son totaled the car, hence I don’t have to suffer any more repair bills. BTW, it didn’t take much to total it. He hit a curb at about 20 mpg, which destroyed the front end. The insurance adjuster said that type of damage is very common with these cars, and that they aren’t nearly as safe as Subaru likes to say. Their only saving grace is the AWD system. It really is pretty good. Everything around that ... forget it. IMHO, if you ‘must’ have a Subaru, lease one. They are relatively cheap, and they are warrantied during the lease period. At the end of the lease period ... give it back. I

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  Not very reliable - 2002 Subaru Outback
  By Dakota Joe - February 13 - 6:13 am

  We purchased our vehicle new in the summer of 2002. Except for a lack of front-seat passenger leg room it is a fairly comfortable car. Performance is good and with good snow tires it is an amazingly good winter/snowy road vehicle. Furthermore, no trim pieces have fallen off or broken and the build quality seems pretty good. Our problem has been with vehicle reliability. We live in rural North Dakota and out here vehicle breakdowns can be downright life threatening. The Outback will leave you on the side of the road and it will leave you there often. During the 4.5 years we’ve had the Subaru it has broken and undriveable at least 10 times.

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  Subaru Unsafe Vehicle - 2010 Subaru Outback
  By djhk - February 3 - 4:36 pm

  Took the new car on a long trip. The cruise control resume creates sudden acceleration, Wide Open Throttle (WOT). The economy indicator drops to lowest reading whenever I encountered a hill. This is an obvious design flaw and shows a lack of attention to detail and safety. What other flaws does this vehicle have?

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  Love the car but HATE the cruise control - 2018 Subaru Legacy
  By cjmntgmry@yahoo.com - January 26 - 11:07 am

  We bought the 2018 Legacy because we think Subaru has safe vehicles. We also have an Outback and we are very happy with it. Unfortunately, we did not realize the cruise control had been updated and advances and decreases in 5 mph increments. This is very dangerous trying to get the cruise set at the speed you want rather than watching the road. We have complained to Subaru and were told if enough complaints they might do a software update. We are even considering a different car that does not have this type of cruise. We like the car and it gets great gas mileage. We just wish that not just Subaru, but other auto manufacturers would go back to the basic cruise control that only increases/decreases 1 mph.

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  1998 Subaru Forester - 1998 Subaru Forester
  By smokeymedic81 - January 13 - 11:04 am

  I bought this car uses so I cant say what the previous owner put it through. It had only 110,000 miles on it when I purchased it 6 months ago. Had my mechanic do a full inspection on it before I bought it. was able to drive it for 3 months, put a whole 3000 miles on it then the head gasket blew. The car is junk now because the cost to replace the head gasket is outragous. Will never buy a subaru again.

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  Bummed - 2011 Subaru Outback
  By mg82 - December 19 - 7:39 pm

  Im bummed about my first new car. My wife and I, recently married and just move cross country to the bay area. We bought a new subaru thinking that they were reliable. Weve had the car for about 5 months now and on several occasions have experienced loss of power and the sent of burnt clutch when heading up hills. In august we recieved a notification from Subaru that there was a recall maintainance on the transmission. some holes were missing on the transmission coolant tube. We promptly had the repair taken care of. since that time we have experienced the same issue a few more times. I think the problem is that the car is too heavy for the base models engine. -Bummed