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:

• 

  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.

• 

  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.

• 

  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.

• 

  2002 WRX - 2002 Subaru Impreza
  By aaron - August 25 - 10:46 am

  Pre-purchased WRX in April 01 site unseen, before they were first imported. Extremely happy with the car, fuel efficiency, power, and build quality. Over the last year, it has developed a couple of small rattles and the drivers window regulator needs replacing (has nearly 100k miles). Value is still over $10k 6 years later. Very satisfied with the car, the brand, and the type of vehicle.

• 

  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

• 

  Adaptor - 2010 Subaru Legacy
  By JIM - August 25 - 7:50 am

  I love my legacy the driving is fun and I hope it lasts me for years to come, the only problem I have is the adapters are blowing the fuses on my car - you cant plug in a gps or phone charger adapter. It blows the fuse they need an adapter that can take more power like the Honda, Toyota, Chevrolet. They are behind in that technology part. I was told it was very sensitive by the dealer after I bought the car.

• 

  WRX STi - 2004 Subaru Impreza
  By RallyProCar - August 24 - 10:00 am

  My WRX STi is very fun to drive and the all wheel drive sticks you to the road. I was a little disappointed with the interior design. 300hp is of course rated at flywheel and not at wheels. Dyno revealed 12% drop to 264hp, which is still impressive, but a 6 cylinder would have done better for reliability and would be much smoother. The old M3s put out 192hp from a non-turbo 4 cylinder and that engine was not worth the pretty penny, but they were more fuel efficient. Dont do this to a 4 cylinder. Start with a 6 cylinder! Weight distribution could use tweaking and why is this a 6-speed? Thats what you get for hiking up the hp. Engine cant handle the power!

• 

  RALLY CAR - 2004 Subaru Impreza
  By MJZ. - August 24 - 10:00 am

  I love driving my black WRX STI. It is very comfotable and you can see out of it 360 degrees. The air conditioning works great in Pennsylvania hot humid August weather.Its all wheel drive is excellent in the rain , even with factory summer tires,which will be replaced with winter tires when the snow and ice arrives. Its too bad with my driving that the car gets only 16 miles per gallon,but my Miata got 20 and it only had 133 horsepower.

• 

  I love it - 2004 Subaru Impreza
  By zavigm - August 24 - 10:00 am

  This car is not for everyone. But I personally love it. Its much cheaper to maintain if youre a DIY person. you should be aware of a few things though. "summer only" tires. Youll be buying some A/S tires soon. Brake pads are expensive from dealer. Can be had for much less online. Not a lot of wheels fit over the Big Brembo Brakes. Awesome car though. So happy I bought it.

• 

  Great Car - 2004 Subaru Impreza
  By atb0004 - August 24 - 10:00 am

  The only thing i would change is the acceleration "out of the hole." Other than that, its a great car!!