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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  Reliability - 2005 Subaru Outback
  By Earl Evans - December 23 - 4:30 am

  This is our 10th Subaru, all were reliable, great in snow, dealer is fantastic.

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  Handles like no other - 2009 Subaru Legacy
  By Tony Torres - December 22 - 10:53 pm

  This vehicle handles like no other. This is the fourth "new" car I have owned, and it handles far better than any new car I have ever driven. I traded in my clunker...96 chevy tahoe with a 5.7 litre V8, so the 4 cylinder took a bit of getting used to, but as I get accustomed to the power, it is pretty snappy. Seats not too comfortable for long drives, but its very easy and very fun to drive. I took it up to the Colorado mountains twice and it climbs with ease and handles those curves, above the speed limit, without so much as a mild screech. This vehicle is phenomenal, I love it, I recommend it to everyone. The elderly may find it too low to the ground, so it is with most "cars".

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  2010 Subaru Legacy 3.6R Limited 4dr Sedan - 2010 Subaru Legacy
  By Rob - December 22 - 2:10 pm

  First Subaru Ive owned, Germany watch out. After owning an Audi which I loved I switched to the 2010 Legacy. This car seems to have everything the Audi has without the 40K plus price tag. For 29K the performance is great. The 258 hp. 6 cyl (which runs on 87 oct.) matched to the new 5 speed auto with paddle shifters really gets the job done. The car looks very BMW like and the interior is top shelf with plenty of room for 5 real size adults.

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  Great Buy! - 2005 Subaru Legacy
  By Willam Tara - December 22 - 10:00 am

  This wonderful sedan handles great and takes the bumbs very well. This car looks great but could have more power.

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  Just Got it - 2005 Subaru Legacy
  By Bob_N - December 22 - 10:00 am

  Just got it this week and Ive owned 6 Subarus and none compare to the refinement of this one.

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  Sporty AND cute - 2005 Subaru Baja
  By Nurse - December 22 - 10:00 am

  I had no intentions on buying a car when I bought this Subaru....I drove an Isuzu Rodeo and was going to look at the new Isuzu (which I found out that they were the same as a Trailblazer or Envoy) So I was not impressed. I saw the Baja at the lot and it really caught my eye. I took one out for a test drive and it was sweet! Then the guy asked me to drive the turbo version...so I did. That was all it took! I never had a car with such pep and its so much fun to drive. The safety features were also a major selling point. I wasnt ready for a luxury car yet, I still like the fact I can go to Home Depot and throw stuff in the back! I got Quality, Safety, Perform

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  Best suv for suv haters - 2005 Subaru Forester
  By New to Subaru - December 22 - 10:00 am

  The forester has been a great car so far. We have had it for about 2 weeks and it is getting about 29MPG on mixed driving. We needed more room for camping, bikes, dog, and eventually children and had a hard time buying a suv. The only thing that won us over is that it is as close to a car as you can get end gets better milage than most cars do. The car feels solid even when comparing it to the prelude we traded in for it. Still in the break in perid so we havent run it hard yet. We would recomend the car to anyone.

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  Loving Subaru! I do not want to drive anything els - 2003 Subaru Outback
  By Denise - December 21 - 7:26 am

  We have enjoyed this car, bought in 2006 at 130000 miles. Now we have 284000 and it is still driving like new. I sold my sweet 2003 at 288.000 miles. Never had one problem. We bought a 2016 brand new! Although the car is new and the technology is great it does not compare with my 2003. The old car was an LLBean Legacy Outback with leather interior. CD player (5 CD changer) which really was wearing out. Separate Moon and Sun Roofs. No navigation system. I used a separate GPS System. The new 2016 is an Outback. The ride in the 2003 is way smoother and the engine is so much quieter. The navigation system really ... well ... sucks. Everything I said before still goes about my 2016 Subaru. I have to really say that the navigation system in the car is hard to use! What I do not like about the whole system in general is that it takes over and does not allow you to do anything while the car is in motion. Or even sitting with your break on in Drive. Even the passenger cannot make any changes to the route or look up anything. The mapping program is archaic to say the least. Why cant Subaru integrate a system that matches what you have on your cell phone. You are used to looking at that screen used to in putting the data or information. I use a couple of mapping programs. The only thing good about the mapping program in my car right now is the graphics are good. But its so difficult to put an address in and the first time I tried it I kept putting the address that I wanted to go to as my home address because you cant tell what it wants and then you find out that youve put your home address as an address youre trying to navigate to. I really dont use it much its a waste of time for me. I also do not like the sound Radio / whatever its called. You cant take stations off that you dont want on there. I took Sirius radio off there because its seriously not worth the money. But I cant get the Sirius channels off. Ive tried going in and just putting another channel on top of that one that works but its very time-consuming it needs to be more user-friendly because you have to sit out in your garage for hours the program it. Subaru please send us a fix... I need a computer upgrade this year one that is not 20 years behind the times. I have leather seats my car does not smell like leather my husband said well theyre not really leather... I did not know that when I bought the car... Well I can live with it but its just one of those frustrating things if you know what Im saying. When I come up to my car and its locked I have a car full of groceries and I have my key in my purse I can open the doors no problem but I cannot open the tailgate it will not open for me. I have to unlock my car and then open the tailgate. It wont even unlock with the remote. , so far this car drives like a dream... I have no complaints about the car just the computer system that runs the mapping program and the child guards apparently that I cant turn my radio off when Im backing up since someone left it on parked it I turned on the car put it in reverse and then all the sudden the radio comes on and just blasting scared this scares the heck out of me and I have to stop backing up put my car into park to turn the radio off. Just those little aggravating things they super add up. And the little drop-down for the sunglasses that is in the ceiling of the car up close to the front windshield pops down put your sunglasses in... No sunglasses will fit in there it is so freaking small. Just saying

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  great car - 2006 Subaru Legacy
  By ted phillips - December 20 - 5:36 pm

  This is a very high performance wagon with outstanding road holding characteristics. The turbocharged engine provides excellent power and is well matched with the 5-speed automatic transmission. The sport shift and manual features of the transmission are very useful on winding roads or grades because you can hold the gear you want without the automatic shifting mid-corner or when you lift your foot. The suspension has considerable travel and soaks up road irregularities quite well although I would prefer a little more roll resistance. The car is very quite with minimal wind noise and very little road noise despite the 17 inch wheels.

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  Great car - 2000 Subaru Impreza
  By Erik Raab - December 20 - 2:00 am

  very good in snow, Fun to drive, Safe, worth every penny!