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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  STAY AWAY!! BUYER BEWARE!! - 2007 Subaru Forester
  By Kristina - October 25 - 11:13 pm

  My husband and I bought a gorgeous 2007 Subaru Forester that was red with a beige interior and had awesome reviews. The right price and a good looking car to boot! Well, shortly after buying it, everything that could go wrong did. It had the transmission go out, the catalytic converter, you name it it happened. It fell apart so badly that we couldnt even sell it for a good price. We had to sell it to a mechanic as a "shell", as in car body but not working, for a whopping $1,400. And we maintained the heck out of it with a reputable mechanic! You would think if you stayed on top of the maintenance it would be okay; well, not with this car! We spent about $8,000 buying it and then we spent about $5,000 repairing it. And then, a ton of other things went out and the cost to fix it is over 9,000! Ridiculous! I was still attached to the car because of its looks and thought I had myself a lemon the first time. I found one in mint condition, that looked just like the first one I had and thought about buying it. Then I read that they had fixed everything that I had! Plus some! The engine had been replaced! Red flag! I had to replace mine, too, and it only had 130,000 miles! Stay away! Find yourself another car! Dont be suckered in by its looks, it will make you sorry and broke!

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  Dont Buy a Subaru! - 2012 Subaru Outback
  By leodog1 - July 13 - 2:31 am

  Car has more blind spots than Hellen Keller! A death trap on wheels. Minor dent in rear finder costs $2K to repair! Gimmic rear view camera -- doesnt help backing at all. Grossly overpriced. Stay away from Subaru at all costs!!!!! Rattles like my Grandmother! Expect it to come apart at any minute. 5 months old and 2 recalls already. Replaced the new sunroof already! No free oil changes! God, what a mistake I made buying this thing! Never again!

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  Very Noisy and Missing Key Feature - 2016 Subaru Outback
  By BigAl - March 19 - 9:32 pm

  Outback has excessive win noise when travelling over 30 mph. Even though the windows and sunroof have been recycled many times, it seems like the windows are open a crack when going over 30 mph. With all the safety features, there is no option to have the doors automatically lock when the car is placed in gear or unlock when the car is in Park and ignition is turned off. A real turn off for me.

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  Nightmare of a car! - 2006 Subaru Forester
  By Ray Balker - January 21 - 1:06 am

  Do not even think of touching this piece of junk. This thing shifts like crazy. During a gear shift, the car slows down by a couple of MPH and revs up to another couple of MPH. I have back pain and neck pain because of this. The car talk guys were right, buy this if you want to be whiplashed every day and every time you drive this car.

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  Buy ANYTHING but the turbo model - 2007 Subaru Outback
  By Mike - November 19 - 11:52 am

  Maybe when they were new it was fine, but I bought a used one and the turbo destroyed the engine on the trip home. Buy any other non-turbo model, theyre probably fine, but the turbo is so unreliably my mechanic basically said theres no guarantee its going to last more than a year. This is after I spent $8,000 to buy it, and another $6,000 to put in a new engine. Not worth it. This is a nightmare. Never buying a Sub again. Avoid under any circumstances, no NOT buy the turbo model.

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  terrible car - 2010 Subaru Impreza
  By dhbsn - November 6 - 10:36 pm

  i was expexcting so much more out of this car.bought it new in 2010. after about 3000 miles realized that i had no oil thought that was weird. but let it go happen again.so i took it to the dealership where i had bought the car and they said they had been getting a lot of these kind of complaints. So i sold that thing as soon as possible and got my self a wry and could not be happier. same car just much better all around except for gas milage. glad i sold that car

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  Headaches from toxic fumes from ac - 2017 Subaru Forester
  By Jay - June 22 - 1:11 pm

  Dear 2017 Forester owners. I desperately need a feedback. I bought this brand new Forester with all the bells and whistles. Like any new car it had an upholstery smell which generally goes away with time but not in this car. I have been driving this car now for almost 2 months. My whole body would smell like old leather or shoe polish including from my breath. I always owned a new car but never a Subaru. This smell turned into headaches and lightheadedness and watery eyes when I turned my Heater on few days back. To experiment whether it is me only I told my wife to test drive with my son. Just 30 minutes into driving she started getting headaches and watery eyes. She had to stop the car and tell my son to go on the back seat to avoid a/c due to he getting nauseated. I took the car to dealer who found nothing wrong and referred me to Subaru tech team and I am still waiting to hear from them. I have kept my windows open but no improvements. I am so scared to drive because of headaches and drowsiness kicking in. Can someone please let me know if they are going through the same. One article I read showed in 2007 study that Forester was one of the 10 worst car for toxic fume in the cabin. I dont think since 2007 they have done any improvement in the quality of material they are using. Surprisingly only Forester was mentioned and no other Subaru models were mentioned. I felt so bad that I leased this vehicle. If they dont take back I dont know what my options are. Please any advice is highly appreciated. Jay

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  Major issue with electronics - 2011 Subaru Outback
  By Subaru users - May 19 - 6:49 pm

  According to Consumer reports this car has great reliability. We have owned the car for 6 years now. Since last few months we find that electronics like O2 sensors, rear view camera and now the electronic parking brake are not working. It is very expensive to get the issues diagnosed and even more expensive to get the parts replaced as these are electronic modules. Both the rear view camera and electronic parking brakes are nice to haves. You can get by the rear view camera by the old fashioned way of turning your head. Same with electronic parking brake. The old fashioned mechanical brakes are more robust and less expensive to repair. Long story short, the electronics start breaking down beyond the warranty period. These features are nice to have and expensive to replace.

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  DONT BUY THIS CAR!!!! - 2014 Subaru Forester
  By ex_subaru_fan - April 5 - 3:01 am

  I dont believe the rating system is accurately stating how disappointing this car is, based on some of the statements below: Using Oil ! – but 4 stars? Oil burner & Subaru does not want to admit problem – but 3 stars? Do Not Buy – but 2 ½ stars? Constantly having to check engine oil – but 3 ½ stars? BURNS OIL & has a slight hesitation – but 2 ½ stars? Incessant Rattling – 4 stars? Purchase Was A Mistake – 2 ½ stars? DISAPPOINTED - TERRIBLE RIDE – 4 stars? 2014 Forester BURNS OIL – 3 stars? Let me put it succinctly. Subaru thinks it is "normal" for an engine to use 1 quart of oil per 1200 miles. Thats insane. This is my 6th Subaru; I wont own another.

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  Subaru? Never before, never again - 2002 Subaru Forester
  By Richard - March 18 - 1:26 am

  I used to hear that Subarus were some of the most well built and reliable cars on the road. I believed that hype and bought this car three months ago because I wanted a wagon and the reliability that were both so easy to find with Subarus. I saw this S model being advertised for a great price and test drove it. It felt solid, but had a few issues that I figured were not deal breakers and would be easy, cheap fixes. The things I noticed and what I thought: A loud hum coming from the rear - wheel bearing, which I could get done for around $250 Central locking did not work - blown fuse Clock did not work - blown fuse Cruise control did not work - blown fuse, disconnected vacuum hose With that in mind, I paid what would be a slightly discounted price and I drove it home. I started to check fuses left, right and centre and found all to be in tact. After a day or so, I fixed the clock, which turned out to be a bad solder on the clocks circuit board. The central locking turned out to be an issue with the module located under the dashboard and could not be repaired. I ended up fixing it eventually by installing an aftermarket module and wiring it in with the factory actuators. Ive thus far been unable to get the lock switches on the doors to function with the aftermarket system. The cruise control still does not work. It either has a bad module or a bad vacuum system, both of which would cost more than the car is worth to replace. After a few days of ownership I tackled the wheel bearing and it did come in under $250, which was pleasing, but it took two days to do because of stubborn bolts. But my pleasure ended moments after driving the car a few miles. I realised I had a blown exhaust system, the sound of which was hidden by the noisy wheel bearing. After fixing the blown exhaust I noticed yet another sound, a thumping at speeds above 25mph. This turned out to be bad front axles. I went ahead and changed the axles and the front wheel bearings. After replacing the axles I noticed a strange vibration at idle. Research told me that this was typical of Subarus if aftermarket axles were used instead of original Subaru parts. I was warned that they would be toast in a few weeks and I would have to replace them yet again. Here I am, about a month later and Im again starting to hear the thumping I heard before. Im also hearing a whine as I accelerate and I simply have no clue where that is coming from. Ive since learnt that ALL the problems I have been seeing are inherent. I have totally had it with this vehicle and Subaru will never, ever get me as another customer. I hate to even see the name Subaru now and I feel so sorry for the hundreds of thousands of poor saps that are being duped into buying these garbage cars. It is absolutely the worst car I have ever owned. The online Subaru community is inept and ignorant. The owners and workshop manuals are incomplete and recondite. The latter has gross errors in it, such as wiring diagrams that do not have the same colour wires as exist in the car. The online parts portal at Subarus website is also lacking, often not showing some very basic parts. Sickening, is how I would describe this experience. Ive spent more on repairs in three months than what I paid for the car. Ill be working tirelessly to get rid of this thing once and for all, and when I do I will never return to this brand.