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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  Oh but for the seats - 2007 Subaru Legacy
  By Paul - July 5 - 5:23 pm

  The legacy is a good proposition if youre expecting a kid and want basic transportation. It has one fatal flaw that is resulting in me getting rid of it: The seats. The seats are so uncomfortable that I would be prepared to take a loss on the car just to get out of it. My wifes rabbit is a much better vehicle in terms of comfort, despite its smaller size.

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  Engine concerns - 2009 Subaru Forester
  By Disappointed - June 27 - 1:26 am

  Have the same minor complaints as others re: poor interior materials, poor stereo, no tinting on windows (base model) and oddly, low-positioned passenger seat. Major concern is with performance of the PZEV engine. When accelerating in order to pass on the freeway, will sometimes get stuck and rev wildly for a few seconds. As though its in idle and Im revving the engine. Corrects itself when I back off of the accelerator. Am not in control of the speed of the vehicle when this happens. Very disconcerting and dangerous. Will be taking in to dealer, but am not hopeful due to regulations of PZEV and the ECM. May cut my losses soon and sell. Very disappointed with engine performance.

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  Not Lovin It - 2017 Outback 2.5i Limited - 2017 Subaru Outback
  By Lee H. - June 24 - 2:40 pm

  Ive owned this car now for four months and have about 2300 miles on it. Ive read the reviews on here and this is my take on the 2017 2.5i Limited with EyeSight: 2.5i engine is severely lacking . This engine only has 175hp, and for such a heavy car acceleration is terrible. Forget any kind of "fun" driving experience because you go from zero to sixty in over ten seconds - painfully slow if you are trying to do any kind of quick maneuver (which you must not do in this car lest you cause an accident). Honestly Subaru should not sell this configuration and should only do the 3.6R (which really isnt all that much better). The CVT transmission for the most part is sufficient, but again paired with this 2.5i engine, it is not a great transmission choice for a car lacking in horsepower. The "sport" shift paddles in the limited are a joke. Except for down shifting, there is no reason for them because they do not enhance performance in any manner. In fact if you use them, you cant really go faster than 65 - it is limited to about that speed, but if you go back into auto mode you can go faster. Makes no sense! I also am not getting the mileage promised on the sticker. It says 25 city but I am getting about 19 - not a great fuel savings for having to put up with a lackluster engine. For a Japanese car, the feature set is perplexing. The Starlink system is confusing with similar features offered in multiple apps, and some of the subjects offered like sports and stock info is redundant because if you have a smartphone you already have this. There is menu upon menu and honestly it is very convoluted. I have an iPhone and youd think in 2017 they would use Car Play and the voice activation assist Subaru provides is useless as well. You can do it faster manually than asking the car to do it. Also Perplexing is that there is no auto start available even as an option. In 2017 a $16k Chevy has auto start. You can however buy a dealer installed device, but thats another $600 or more and it is a bit confusing as there are two types offered. One that uses the existing remote (with extremely limited range) and one that is a separate remote (with a long distance range). If you opt for it the car promptly shuts off when you open the door which is very odd considering other manufacturers do not do this. Also some of these message boards indicate that you get the auto start with 2017 Limiteds. This is not true. The dealer has to "turn it on" and it costs you whatever they decide. One of the features that is supposedly superior is the symmetrical all wheel drive system. Ive owned Volvos, Fords and GM vehicles with AWD systems and have used them in heavy snow. I see no difference in Subarus system compared to other manufacturers and honestly before other manufacturers started offering it, that was Subarus niche, but now just about all car companies have AWD models and they all perform just as well as the Subaru. Also as reported the door locks are not programmable. All you can do program them to unlock all doors or just the driver when you grab the door handle. Otherwise the doors do not lock or unlock when placed in gear or when driving away. Also when the car is in reverse, the rear windows will not go down and you cant adjust radio volume. Again really stupid features! The radar cruise control feature is okay and works just as well as other cars Ive had - nothing special but the lane assist feature is annoying. The car over compensates and is very clunky. I never turn it on because of this. The lane departure warnings are extremely annoying and if you drive curvy roads it just adds to the annoyance factor. Same with the auto bright lights. If you use it, it constantly turns the brights on automatically and usually blinds oncoming cars because it cannot compensate for curves. Again I have to keep this off. Overall there is nothing special for this vehicle. If I had known all of this before I bought I would not have gotten this brand - there are a lot more negatives than positives and having had other vehicles with the same feature set as this Outback I can honestly say there is no compelling reason to pay the large sum of money I paid, and I feel a bit betrayed as this car has not turned out to be what it was promised. I will more than likely turn it in for something else once I have equity. Oh also the other real big detraction for me is that this car is extremely pedestrian and common. I chose the white and in my city there are THOUSANDS of Outbacks in white and other colors. I am not kidding when I say Ive gone up to the wrong car in a parking lot on more than one occasion!

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  Wish I had bought something else - 2013 Subaru XV Crosstrek
  By gypsygal - June 4 - 11:13 am

  I dont buy cars often and keep them 10+ years, until I get tired of them. Past cars were 2 Nissan trucks, and a CRV, all which served me very well. So I was excited last year to try a new Subaru CrossTrek. The excitement wore off within several months of driving it. Bought it specifically for the gas mileage. It is a city commuter car for me, and it was barely getting 18 mpg. Called the service dept twice and explained the problem, they said its probably my driving habits, and the car needs to be broken in. Oh really? Never had that problem with the other cars. Here we are a year later, and the city MPG is down to 15. Also, the car takes forever to warm up on these Colorado winter days.

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  Head Gasgets blown twice - 2000 Subaru Outback
  By Steve - May 31 - 1:23 pm

  We have had several Subarus but this one started having problems...head gasget went at 60k then again at 110k, radiator went at 110k, CV Boot replaced 2x, plus other problems..one major plus is Subaru stood behind their vehicle and covered the head gasget even when out of warranty.

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  Not my dream car - 2011 Subaru Forester
  By wndylu - April 28 - 8:26 pm

  Granted I have the basic plain jane model, but I am not impressed with the design and would not purchase another Subaru based off this car. The main complaint I have is the heater, there does not seem to be much warm air when put in the feet/defrost setting and when you put in feet only you get more heat coming out of the vents facing the side windows then anything. As far as I can tell there are not heat vents in the back seat and I can not seem to get the car warm. Dont even want to get started on the sterero...or the middle console. Very dissapointed with this purchase and am upset with myself that I did not take more time when making this purchase. Should have gotten more for $23200

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  Engineering Problem Update - 2011 Subaru Legacy
  By Phillip - April 21 - 10:00 am

  Put 500 miles on the Subaru Legacy since my 10/9/10 posting. The upgraded Continental tires didnt help. I like the interior a lot, great seating position and the engine is very nice. Sadly for me, the steering wheel vibration is still there and EVERY road imperfection on ALL surfaces travels through the car. In summary, the worst handling, riding and cornering car I have ever owned by a wide margin. For the record, I have owned a lot of cars in my life. The dealer has been nice and claims they can fix it, but I dont believe it. Subaru knows they have a problem with the Legacy, but they are still making them with the problem and shipping parts to their dealers to fix them

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  I wish it didnt break down so often - 1998 Subaru Forester
  By vande32 - April 9 - 4:26 am

  I bought this car used while in graduate school because I couldnt afford to have a car payment. I should have bought a new car instead. I have spent nearly $4000 fixing it in the last two years because at 80,000 and 100,000 miles, every sensor had to be replaced. I have also had to put in a new clutch and a master cylinder. The engine light will go on and when I take it to the dealer or a mechanic, they tell me that the engine has missed but that they cant find a reason. While the car gets 28 mpg for me, drives great in the snow, and is nice for hauling my dogs and groceries, I will never buy a Subaru again after this experience.

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  Do not buy a Turbo! - 2009 Subaru Forester
  By Shelly - March 27 - 5:30 am

  Bought an 09 Forester XT limited. With only 900 miles, the car died going down interstate. Had it towed to the dealership to find out the engine was blown and the service people had seen 5 of these, all with less than 1000 miles!! Since they are new, it will be a minimum of 2 weeks to maybe get an engine delivered, probably a month. I owned 3 outbacks and loved them, but this is unacceptable. Save yourself the headache, time and energy and buy a different brand!

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  Turbo blown - 2004 Subaru Forester
  By Disappointed - March 23 - 12:26 pm

  Bought this car used as the dealership reved about the longevity of the Subaru engine. At 135000 KMs the Turbo blew up. Car was always well maintained. Of course with the high miles the warranty had expired (for ileage not age) so no dealership would help. First and last Subaru Ill ever own.