Midsize wagon · 1995–present
Outback
The lifted wagon that defines Subaru.
167 for salefrom $7,995
Japan · since 1953
Subaru
Standard all-wheel drive and boxer engines.
Subaru grew out of an aircraft maker and built its identity on two things: horizontally opposed “boxer” engines and all-wheel drive. Almost every Subaru sold in the U.S. has AWD, which makes them favorites in snowy and mountain states.
- Founded
- 1953
- Country
- Japan
- Headquarters
- Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
- Current models
- 7
Subaru models
Every model we track, sorted by how many are for sale near you.
Compact SUV · 1998–present
Forester
Big windows, standard AWD, and a cult following in the mountains.
151 for salefrom $7,495Subcompact SUV · 2013–present
Crosstrek
A lifted Impreza with standard AWD.
128 for salefrom $11,995Midsize 3-row SUV · 2019–present
Ascent
Subaru’s three-row family SUV.
54 for salefrom $21,995Compact car · 1993–present
Impreza
An affordable AWD compact.
46 for salefrom $6,995Sport compact · 2002–present
WRX
Rally-bred turbocharged sport sedan.
41 for salefrom $12,995Sports car · 2013–present
BRZ
A lightweight rear-drive coupe co-developed with Toyota.
18 for salefrom $14,995
Subaru history
Aircraft roots
Subaru’s parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries, was formed in 1953 from successors to the Nakajima Aircraft Company. Its first car, the tiny rear-engined Subaru 360 of 1958, helped put postwar Japan on wheels.
The name Subaru is the Japanese word for the Pleiades star cluster, which is why the badge shows six stars.
All-wheel drive for everyone
The 1972 Leone wagon offered four-wheel drive in an ordinary passenger car, and Subaru kept leaning into it. By the late 1990s Subaru made all-wheel drive standard on nearly every model sold in America, and the Outback and Forester became the brand’s best sellers.
Rally legend
Subaru’s World Rally Championship program in the 1990s and 2000s, with the blue-and-gold Impreza, made the WRX and STI performance icons.
Milestones
- 1953Fuji Heavy Industries is formed.
- 1958The Subaru 360 goes on sale.
- 1968Subaru of America is founded.
- 1972Leone 4WD wagon brings four-wheel drive to an everyday car.
- 1989The Legacy debuts.
- 1995The Outback debuts as a rugged Legacy wagon.
- 1997The Forester goes on sale (U.S. model year 1998).
- 2017Fuji Heavy Industries renames itself Subaru Corporation.
Classic Subaru models
Discontinued icons that collectors still search for.
Subaru 3601958–1971
Japan’s “people’s car.”
Impreza 22B STi1998
Widebody rally homologation special; around 400 built.
SVX1992–1997
Giugiaro-styled grand tourer with window-within-a-window glass.
Watch
Further reading
- WikipediaSubaruEncyclopedic overview with production history and sources.
- WikipediaSubaru World Rally TeamEncyclopedic overview with production history and sources.
- NHTSARecalls lookupCheck any VIN for open safety recalls before you buy.
- IIHSCrash test ratingsCrashworthiness and crash-avoidance ratings by model year.
Subaru FAQ
Do all Subarus have all-wheel drive?
Nearly all of them. The exception in the U.S. is the rear-wheel-drive BRZ sports car.
What do the stars on the Subaru logo mean?
They represent the Pleiades star cluster, “Subaru” in Japanese, and the companies that merged to form Fuji Heavy Industries.