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.”
Subaru unveiled its first car in the mid 1950’s followed by its first truck in the early 1960’s. Extremely popular in Japan, the company opted to form Subaru North America and by the end of the 1960’s, they were exporting to the American Market. Subaru started the ’70s with the introduction of the GL/DL sedan. The sedan, later 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. Desirable for use in snow, the vehicles gained immediate popularity from outdoor enthusiasts such as skiers and fishermen. It went on to become the world’s best selling 4WD vehicle. Subaru continued to offer versatile but slightly quirky vehicles through the ’80s such as the Legacy. In the 90’s, 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 drivers seeking vehicles that offer a shot of utility with performance thrills.
Automobile Magazine Subaru
Automobile’s comprehensive new and future cars section covers all the news, prices, specifications, photos, and more for every 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 make and model that will be in the showrooms soon including concept cars.
Let’s Get Dirty Thursday, 29 July 2010, 7:07 am
Three $40k, street-legal ways to play race driver in the dirt.
Scientists can’t classify it as an element, but soil is one of the few substances on this planet we simply cannot live without. Foliage and food sources spring from it, our modern world is built atop of it, and arguably, it provides the basis for one of the most entertaining forms of motorsport ever created: rallying.
Photo Gallery: Let’s Get Dirty – Automobile Magazine
First Drive: 2011 Subaru WRX STI Sedan Monday, 19 July 2010, 10:07 pm
The sedan is back.
During the economic nightmare that was 2009, carmakers watched their sales slide off a cliff — all carmakers but one that is: Subaru. Instead of plunging sales, 2009 marked the third consecutive year of Subaru sales growth; giving it a record market share in the process. So far in 2010, Subaru has done even better. For 2011, Subaru hopes to keep the momentum going, with updates to its performance side of the brand — the WRX and STI.
Photo Gallery: 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Sedan – First Drive Review – Automobile Magazine
2010 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited – Four Seasons Update – July 2010 Thursday, 15 July 2010, 3:07 pm
A viable workhorse.
Months in fleet: Nine
Miles to date: 25,916
Photo Gallery: 2010 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited – Four Seasons Long Term Review, July 2010 – Automobile Magazine
2010 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited – Four Seasons Update – June 2010 Wednesday, 16 June 2010, 6:06 pm
Automobile Magazine’s Four Seasons Outback 3.6R Limited has been quite popular as summer has started to warm up.
Months in fleet: Eight Miles to date: 22,755
Photo Gallery: 2010 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited – Four Seasons Long Term Review, June 2010 – Automobile Magazine
Photo Gallery: 2010 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited – Four Seasons Long Term Review, June 2010 – Automobile Magazine
2010 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited – Four Seasons update – May 2010 Tuesday, 18 May 2010, 5:05 pm
The all-season tires are back on our Four Seasons Subaru Outback.
Months in fleet: Seven
Miles to date: 18,105
Photo Gallery: 2010 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited – Outback Long Term Review – Automobile Magazine
2010 Subaru Impreza 2.5i Premium Monday, 10 May 2010, 1:05 pm
A very convincing Clark Kent to the WRX’s Superman.
It was 12:45 a.m. and I was bounding down a very dark two-lane country road. Traffic cleared and I hit the high beams. Whoa! These are really, really good: bright as day, very good reach, very strong, uniform beam. A few days later, I drove a Porsche on the same stretch of road, also at night. I didn’t find its headlights to be any better than the Impreza’s. Very impressive.
Photo Gallery: 2010 Subaru Impreza 2.5i Premium – Subaru Midsize Sedan Review – Automobile Magazine
2010 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited – Four Seasons update – April 2010 Thursday, 22 April 2010, 6:04 pm
Our Outback has been racking up miles at fairly quick clip.
Months in fleet: Six
Miles to date: 13,754
Photo Gallery: 2010 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited – Outback Long Term Review – Automobile Magazine
2009 Subaru Model Lineup
- 2009 Subaru Tribeca
- 2009 Subaru Outback
- 2009 Subaru Forester
- 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STi
- 2009 Subaru Impreza
- 2009 Subaru Legacy
