1980 Subaru L Series Reviews

Subaru has mildly tweaked its affordable sports car

The Subaru Forester is gearing up to launch in Japan next year with a ‘strong hybrid’ powertrain. The new Forester was revealed in November 2023 with sales of US-produced models in North America already in full swing. There, it is equipped with a revised 2.5-litre flat-four engine with no hybrid boost. According to Japanese publication Best Car which has strong industry sources, the Forester will launch in Q2 2025 with a Toyota-sourced hybrid powertrain. The latest update comes off the back of Toyota, Subaru and Mazda’s announcement that development of the combustion engine is far from over.A concept Crosstrek small SUV featuring a Subaru flat-four engine with a Toyota-sourced hybrid system was on display. This is what's expected to feature in Japan-built Foresters. A Crosstrek version is also coming but timing is unconfirmed.Final details are yet to be announced but Subaru Chief Technical Officer Tetsuro Fujinuki told Best Car the Forester’s system will be series-parallel – just like Toyota’s – as opposed to the old e-Boxer parallel-only set-up. The current Subaru Forester Hybrid features a mild-hybrid powertrain that drops fuel economy by 0.7L/100km in the ADR combined cycle. It is also 26kW less powerful than the 2.5-litre four-cylinder powertrain.To rival the Toyota RAV4 (4.8L/100km), Nissan X-Trail (6.1L/100km) and Kia Sportage (4.9L/100km) hybrids, the new Forester’s system will need to be stronger. The brand says the new hybrid system will maintain ‘Subaru character’, meaning the flat-four ‘boxer’ engine layout will continue. As for maintaining Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel drive, that could be a little more complex. The all-wheel drive RAV4 would not rival a Forester in technical and muddy conditions. It sends drive to the rear wheels via a 40kW rear electric motor, not a mechanical connection to the combustion engine like the Forester.Maintaining all-terrain capability in the new hybrid forester will be crucial for Subaru. It is understood a full-electric model of the Forester is also in development, though it will come later. The mid-size SUV market has shown its appreciation for hybrids here, with Toyota committing to 100 per cent hybrid RAV4s sales after the mix naturally climbed beyond 90 per cent. Subaru will also need the hybrid to navigate Australia's New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) coming soon. Announcement of the new Forester Hybrid from Subaru Japan is expected in Australian spring time, with sales starting in Japan by the second quarter of 2025. Then Subaru Australia Managing Director Blair Read – who has since moved to another role within Subaru's importer Inchcape and been replaced by Scott Lawrence – spoke to CarsGuide about the hybrid Forester at the Solterra's local media launch. "We're very excited about that - I've always said with next-gen Forester it's our number-one selling model in Australia, so we need to put our best foot forward - we believe that strong hybrid technology will be a big shot in the arm. Alongside some other things which we'll keep under wraps until the launch," Read said."Our plan at this stage is to launch with both petrol and hybrid - there will be a short period, a gap in deliveries, as we change over to the new model," added Read.

For some baffling reason Subaru manual models were missing out on the brand's 'EyeSight' active (crash-avoidance) safety suite but that's been rectified in the six-speed manual WRX RS. What better excuse for CarsGuide to reacquaint itself with this turbocharged four-door flyer.

The cost of electric cars is coming down at last and it’s happening fast, too, with big brands slashing prices.

It seems reports of the internal-combustion engine’s (ICE) death have been greatly exaggerated with confirmation overnight that Toyota, Mazda and Subaru have jointly committed to development of new-generation ICE technology “tailored to electrification and the pursuit of carbon neutrality”.

If you want to get your hands on a car that was never sold new in Australia by the manufacturer, there is only one way to get it: you have to import it.

Subaru has joined the electric vehicle market with its newest launch, the Solterra. Created in a joint partnership with Toyota, the Solterra still sees the adventuring heart of Subaru safeguarded with each Solterra model only being offered as an AWD. Is this long-awaited EV entry enough to whet the whistle for Subaru enthusiasts?

Toyota and Subaru’s technological partnerships continue to grow following the introduction of second-gen GR86/BRZ and first ever electric models the bZ4X and Solterra.Subaru’s sixth-generation Forester, already on sale in North America, will use a Toyota hybrid system from 2025 and there’s suggestion the Crosstrek small SUV will also use the so-called ‘strong hybrid’ as soon as 2024.A report from Japanese newspaper Nikkan Jidosha Shimbun suggests Subaru could implement a Toyota hybrid system in the current Crosstrek this year, as it targets a hybrid sales share of 70 per cent in Japan by 2030 – with the remainder to be EV. This does go against Subaru’s global commitment to roll out strong hybrids from 2025, however the report might be suggesting the technology will be unveiled later this year before '25 production.The new Forester is expected to be the first Subaru sold in Australia with a Toyota-sourced battery along with other high-voltage electric components allied with Subaru’s signature flat-four ‘boxer’ engine layout. Exact details are still to be determined. "We're very excited about that - I've always said with next-gen Forester it's our number-one selling model in Australia, so we need to put our best foot forward - we believe that strong hybrid technology will be a big shot in the arm", Subaru Australia Managing Director Blair Read told CarsGuide in March.The second-gen XV/Crosstrek was sold in Australia with Subaru’s 107kW e-Boxer mild-hybrid system, which is effectively unchanged for the current small SUV. The e-Boxer mild-hybrid technology isn’t able to compete with Toyota’s efficiency. The Crosstrek hybrid’s ADR combined consumption rating is 6.5L/100km compared to 4.4L/100km of an equivalent Toyota Corolla Cross hybrid. In road tests, CarsGuide has found Subaru’s system to be less efficient in the real world than Toyota’s, with greater gulfs between rated and returned consumption figures.The rumoured Crosstrek hybrid wouldn’t be the first of its kind with the rare North American market Crosstrek plug-in hybrid offered from 2019 with the PHEV system from Toyota’s Prius Prime. It was sold in certain states with strict emissions regulations, including California, as a compliance car. Other brands plan to, or are already using Toyota hybrid tech, including Mazda with its CX-50 and China’s GAC that will launch in Australia next year.Subaru Australia said there was currently no more information to share on future hybrid models yet. The Crosstrek – previously XV – launched locally in May 2023 with a mild-hybrid option.Other future changes for the small SUV include a ‘big block’ 136kW/239Nm 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder and tougher Wilderness variant, though a more efficient hybrid is most enticing with Australia’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) looming.

With production ending in 2025 after 36 influential years, the Subaru Liberty has had an impact, not just for the brand, its class, the market and, ultimately, even the wider world, but also in important and even culturally significant ways. Here, then, are the 10 major legacies left by the Subaru Australians know as Liberty.

Subaru is freshening up its Outback wagon and Forester SUV line-ups with two new special editions. The Outback Premium and Forester Luxury special editions are due to arrive in dealerships later this month.