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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  Need better seating - 2010 Subaru Outback
  By Norman - September 6 - 11:36 pm

  Teenager driver wrecked our Grand Cherokee and we wanted good visibility, all wheel drive, heated seats and economy in replacement vehicle. Five months with Outback and wife still says every day "I love my car." Mileage hasnt been as good as wed hoped, but the style, access, build quality and utility of the vehicle are perfect. Of course, im comparing it to a 13-year old jeep, but handling is quick and fun. It leans a little in cornering. Car runs down the highway like an eager hound with no complaint except for fear we might stop. I just feel smart in this car, like I made the right choice after much searching and pondering.

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  Great except for black interior and NAV system - 2013 Subaru Outback
  By cmlsudbury - August 31 - 7:48 am

  Very good in all respects EXCEPT 1) the choice of interior (both light and dark show every single mark, especially along door where low entry almost guarantees your toes will mark the lower door panel) and 2) the AUDIO/NAV systems (which are easily the least-intuitive and most frustrating interfaces I have ever used in my life). They are so bad that they deserves a recall to fix the software

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  Fun to drive around mountains roads. - 2002 Subaru Legacy
  By Glenn - August 29 - 3:16 am

  My car has over 170000 on it. Its still very tight and smooth. Its great in the snow (under 8") with new tires on. Ive always had problems with the brakes (front calipers) and of course the wind noise. The check engine light has been on for a long time. New Catalytic converter cost over $1500). All my driving is highway but I havent done the timing belt yet. Ill do it soon. The dealer was able to correct 50% of the wind noise. The rear defroster isnt very strong compared to other cars. I drive over 1000 miles every week. It only gets 25- 27MPG (due to the AWD and the weight of the car.

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  Next time Ill go Manual - 2005 Subaru Impreza
  By MTLA - August 26 - 10:20 pm

  Were getting ready to trade in old Scooby due to punishing fuel consumption and need for more room for older-folks stuff like groceries, boxes of toys, gallon jugs of milk, etc. The cars been utterly reliable; nothings fallen off; nothing creaks or buzzes, even after 3 1/2 years. The interiors pretty dull to the point of being jail cell-like. The base engine / auto box combination is far from ideal -- pretty sluggish actually, but really, I cant complain. It handles superbly and corners like its on rails, you run out of courage before the car runs out of grip. Its hardly depreciated, always started, and would make a brilliant student car. Well done.

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  Forester XT Premium - 2016 Subaru Forester
  By jon - August 25 - 9:50 pm

  Great highway car. Here in CO, the altitude ranges from 5000 feet in the city to more than 10000 in the mountains, but this car handles all highways the same--80 mph. On straight-flats it gets about 26 mpg, and about 21 mpg in the city. Notice that these figures are about 2 mpg lower than EPA estimate. This is not an error, but I will get back to that in a minute. The vehicles appearance is plain, which can be charming, but it lacks some standard features, which make it feel cheap. Which it is, unless you upgrade to Touring. In that case the plain appearances and functionality mesh a little better. In my opinion, the car looks best when lowered 2.5", but then you lose "off-road" capability. Which brings me to the cars performance. As I said earlier, the car is a great for highway-driving. Its also pretty fun to drive in the city, too. It easily gets from 0-35 mph in about 4 seconds, and from 60 to 80 in about the same, If power-braking and/or flooring it, it can shave those times significantly. This accounts for the 1 to 2 seconds of turbo lag, which this car has a lot of, at lower speeds especially. The traction control is only okay. It cannot be completely turned off (doesnt really turn off at all), and is slow to react and sometimes over-reactive. The interior is decent with HQ LEATHER or leather/fabric seats, but once again lacking features: better dome lighting, electric passenger seat, push-button start, backseat charger ports, etc. The entertainment system is even COMPLETELY LACKING A FEATURE which has a grayed-out button. Its called MirrorLink, which allows you to connect your phones display to the head units display. This feature works on my phone when I plug it into the cars USB (rendering my phone useless), but does not light up the ML button. Turns out that feature is disabled in the U.S. This one bums me out. Remember how I said the vehicles mpg is lower than EPA estimates? Well, let me tell more about the cars technology. I have completely filled the tank 23 times since I purchased in Dec 15. Every time I filled up I divided miles driven by gallons filled, and every time I got a significantly lower than the EPA estimates of 23/25/28. For the 20 fill-ups that I calculated: miles since last fill-up divided by gallons filled, I got a range of deviation from -1.4 to -2.1 with an average of 23.3 mpg. This is a 7% average difference from 25 mpg, a somewhat significant value. And I know what this sounds like, but its not the effects of altitude, because there is a twist. The vehicle calculates and displays values fairly close to EPAs from virtually the same numbers... The altitude would have no effect on the vehicles calculation of mpg. Thats right the MPG CALCULATOR in your Forester is probably incorrect. Check it out. Overall, the car is really GOOD FOR SOMEBODY WHO LIVES AT ALTITUDE, that wants a reliable sport-SUV to get them from point A to B. However, it would be a much better vehicle with: an accurate fuel economy gauge, better UI on infotainment system, a way to completely disable TC and other safety features (such as roll-over airbags that can go off even when the is just on a steep incline). I would trade my car in a second for Forester that has these features plus a six-speed transmission. Add a slightly lower stance, and other STi traits, and I would pay anything.

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  Traded My 03 WRX - 2005 Subaru Outback
  By Rob M - August 25 - 9:03 pm

  Perfect all around car. Does everything well without a complaint. Traded my 03 WRX because I needed more room. Leather interior is great, versus cloth in WRX. Extremely reliable, never a worry. Get loads of compliments, Atlantic blue with grey. Looks great even while standing still. Best buy for the money, compared to the other imports from AUDI, VOLVO, BMW. Thousands less and more power, paid just over $29k.

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  03 outback 2.5L SOHC - 2003 Subaru Outback
  By subie7 - August 25 - 10:27 am

  great car very reliable recommend changing the factory head gaskets their junk and upgrade them and youll never have the problem again ik i havent other than that the tranny and engine runs great havent had any other issues with the car other than minor stuff here and their like tube seals and blown dash light 10 yrs old so i thinks shes done me good still gets me from a - z fires up EVERYTIME one lesson i learned for anyone looking to do spark plugs though only run ngk plugs and wires amazing difference

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  A great car - 2002 Subaru Impreza
  By Wheeldog - August 23 - 2:00 am

  As of this writing I have about 146000 miles on my WRX wagon. It has been a terrific car. It was at the time I bought it the best combination of performance, utility, and value, and it still holds up well. I would definitely buy this vehicle again.

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  Sleeper Hot Rod Forester XT - 2017 Subaru Forester
  By Jack - August 21 - 2:17 am

  This car has lots of power, and handling, and once you get used to it, is superb. However, this car is extremely twitchy, with no slack or weighted steering right in the middle. The 02 Outback Eddie Bauer edition we had, was way better in the steering. This is a serious problem that Subaru should address: Please subaru, drive a German Car, a Mercedes, BMW, or VW, even an old one. You can see how cars should steer. You have to pay attention constantly when driving, good for the Zen meditation expert who wants to use the art of driving as a tool for addressing Life, but poor for the average person that has to text, pay attention to the phone, figure out the climate controls and the radio and has a passing interest in the art of driving. I do love this car, but wish it had more storage, a voltmeter (how come we dont get to know how the battery is doing?), and a little more luggage area in the back, although you can fold down the back seat. (Dont make it any larger!) The styling is sort of "me, too"; but Im getting used to it, and learning to love it because it is so average. A sleeper Hot Rod, the XT! The headlights are way good, and really shine down our deer laden roads in Wisconsin. I will write a more thorough review once Ive had it longer. Oh Subaru! You must address the twitchy steering!

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  Bad Drivetrain - 2005 Subaru Forester
  By Chris - August 20 - 7:33 am

  Lots of head room, fairly fun to drive, but has a loud clunking sound coming out of the transmission when you take off. Also has some bad rattling sounds already coming from the hatchback. Stuff that shouldnt be happening with 12,000 miles on it. This is the second Subaru i have had with drivetrain problems. They are very expensive to fix! I wont be buying another one and will be trading this one off before the warranty runs out. It sure goes through the gas with city driving. I will try a Toyota next, or maybe a Honda.