Subaru has gained a tremendous following in the car community. This is primarily because of cars with superior horsepower, exceptional handling, and a comparatively low cost. After-sale services and the reliability of their cars have also made Subaru a brand to reckon with.
All Subarus (except the BRZ) come with standard all-wheel drive and a boxer engine which makes their cars unique on the road. Ask any Subaru owner about the car, and they will only have good things to say. Which is why the expectations from the 2022 Subaru Forester is so high! Read some of the lesser known facts about Subaru and their cars here:
10 Boxer Engine At Its Core!
Porsche and Subaru have perfected the boxer engine. This particular engine layout allows for a low center of gravity that makes their cars responsive and agile. In case of accidents, especially front-collision situations, the engine moves under the passenger compartment, instead of into the cabin.
Furthermore, the horizontally placed thrusting pistons allow the engine power output to move directly into the transmission, shortening the distance between the power to wheels. This helps Subarus to achieve better 0-60 timings compared to its rivals.
9 Not Your Regular All-Wheel Drive!
The All-Wheel-Drive that is offered in the Subaru powers the central differential first which helps the system send almost 70% of the power to the rear-wheel-drive if possible. Most manufacturers use a front-mounted gearbox, which powers the front differential first. This makes them more front-wheel biased.
This is why Audi seeks the help of heavy electronics to make sure that the driver stays in control. Subarus are much more balanced in this matter, where the power is transferred mechanically.
8 The Rally-Monster
Subaru’s perfection comes from years of expertise in rallying. And in this case, it’s the Impreza S3 WRC 97 that Colin McRae drove to win in the 1997 Safari-winning WRC. This car set the benchmark the same year WRC bought in new regulations and that brought forth new types of car. The Subaru won three consecutive championships in the WRC — 1997,98 and 99, and a total of 47 manufacturer wins since 1973.
Mechanically, S3 WRC 97 will forever be at the pinnacle of any automotive era. It has an eight-speed manual transmission, with lots of electronic differentials. The spec sheet says that it produced 310-hp at 5000 RPM and 367 lb-ft of torque at 4000 RPM. Weight was limited to just 1030 kilos and that made it really easy to flick the S3 around corners.
7 The First Company To Give Customers Racing Cars - WRX
WRX or World Rally experimental has been giving customers a taste of rally cars with specifications and technology taken directly from their rally cars. The WRX was not available in the USA for the longest time, but that didn’t stop enthusiasts from tuning their Subarus to hit the local strip.
Also, Subaru is quite a modern brand, the first Impreza came out in 1992. In those early days, one could get hold of one with a front-wheel-drive for a very cheap rate. This helped Subaru expand its customer base, who enjoyed their long-lasting Subarus.
6 Subarus And Reliability
Subaru is the only manufacturer that has a reputation for producing long lasting cars. Part of the credit goes to the boxer engine. The horizontal position of the engine helps reduce vibrations, which makes their cars run more smoothly and efficiently.
There’s a theory that 96% of Subarus that were built in the last 12 years can still be found driving on the road. With such a long lifespan, Subarus are the most reliable cars too. The investment from Toyota shows in the Subarus reliability as well.
5 Toyota’s Stake In Subaru
As the connection goes, Subaru’s parent company Fuji Heavy Industries is in a limited partnership with Toyota. As per that deal, Toyota has 16.5% stakes in FHI’s shares.
This gives Toyota the advantage to enjoy Subaru’s subcompact platform - a specialty of Subaru. Toyota also enjoys similar cooperation such as their Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe Crossover with the Aygo, Peugeot 107, and the Citroën C1.
4 Subaru And Their Wide Array of Performance Badges
Subarus have a wide range of performance machines, and they all have been derived from their rallying experience. Its first performance badge was soon joined by the Type RA. Impreza’s with the Type RA badge were heavily specced and were focused on one purpose — to race.
The Type RA was built in 1992, and they were basically WRX’s. These Subarus used their iconic intercooler water spray technology that would help boost power in those necessary situations. It also a shorter third gear ratio, which was a deliberate move on the Subarus part to keep the racing feeling alive.
3 The STI And The Legendary WRX STI 22B
The STI badge was formed by Subaru rally engineers who wanted to produce the fastest WRX Subaru ever. The WRX STI 22B has been every enthusiast’s wet dream car. It packed a hand-built 2.2L boxer engine that produced 280 hp and 250 lb-ft of torque. Only 400 limited editions were made, and they were sold out in 30 minutes. Unfortunately, the STI 22B was not sold in the USA.
This was a celebration model for Subaru's 49th anniversary. The 22B was a stunning-looking vehicle, it had two doors, wide fenders, a huge wing, and it was all draped in that iconic blue paint. Ask any enthusiast or Subaru fan, they’ll point out how special the 22B was.
2 The WRX Badge Was Not Available In The US Until 2002
The iconic Subaru WRX model finally came to the US states in 2002 and giving enthusiasts a proper taste of a JDM sports car. The debut WRX packed in a 227 hp engine, full-time all-wheel drive, and race-specced suspension system.
Very soon, Subarus caught up with rallycross and autocross events and expanded into other sporting events. As a sporting brand, Subaru has taken part in quite a lot of sporting events and is pretty well known in that area.
1 Cosworth And Subaru's Limited Edition STI!
Lastly, the Subaru STI hatchback that Cosworth teamed up with the Japanese to build the best STI ever. The Impreza CS400 also known as the Impreza Cosworth was a heftily priced pure performance machine. Only 75 built and each came with a 2.5-liter flat-four engine that produced 395 bhp and 400 lb-ft of torque.
It could reach 0-60 mph in just 3.7 seconds with a top speed of 155 mph. The suspension was on the stiffer side and the CS400 and Subarus iconic 4WD gave a brilliantly controlled drive. Cosworth also gave the engine new pistons, conrods, head gasket, and turbo, which added to the horsepower.