MotorWeek | Retro Review: '82 Subaru 4WD Wagon

those graphics and plaid seats are the stuff awesome is made of.

[@corvusala]

I had a friend that had one of these with over 300,000 miles on the original drivetrain. Totally badass.

[@20alphabet]

In 1989 we sold ours with 330,000 running as good as when we got it, with only oil changes, brake shoes, and cv boot replacement. Still got 33 mpg too.

[@ekop1778]

NICE

[@firstmusic00]

Japanese vehicles throughout the 80's were simply the coolest vehicles available....be it Toyota, Datsun/Nissan, Mitsubishi, Honda, Subaru, etc.

[@fernandorocha8459]

I love japaneses cars 80s, 1985-1988 is trucks, wagons is my favorites

[@HomerJ1964]

I had one when I was in college. Awesome little car. I had so much fun with it.

[@omegalamda3145]

I own 3 Subie wagons. My 2 kids inherited them as first cars w 170k+ miles on them, 4 & 5 speed manuals in the 70’s 80’s. What the kids liked best was the center headlight and the fact that SUBARU spelled backwards read as U R A Bus!

[@bongodave13]

I always loved that center light. None of my Subarus had one, though. :(

[@aquateen77723]

This was one badass little wagon! It looked great in black. I dig the cyclops running light in the grill! 👍

[@luvr381]

Back in the late 80's I had a neighbor who mounted a 5' snowplow to the front of one of these, used it through heavy winters for years.

[@ekop1778]

HAA HAA IVE SEEN THAT BEFORE NICE

[@markkrul3429]

I had an 84 GL coupe. It had a hill holder,5spd manual sun roof, factory mags, trip computer,digital dash, auto reverse cassette deck with 6 speakers, power windows,air with express on the driver's window,tilt,cruise,power locks and a beautiful grey velour interior. The backseat even had it's own centre armrest. It was a beautiful,quirky little car that I put 250,000 kilometers on (150,000 miles). I drove it to the dump with everything still functioning and the power train still very good, but rust was eating it and I had already done the body once.. The dump attendant bought it off me and sent it somewhere else, which made me glad that I wouldn't have to see it there with it's windows smashed by punks. It was a great little car!

[@x1warrior1x85]

mark krul I believe a coupe would be referred to as a Justy

[@blue_lancer_es]

@@x1warrior1x85 justy is the little 3 door hatchback..the coupe was the same as the sedan and wagon..

[@x1warrior1x85]

@@blue_lancer_es yeah that was 4 years ago i cant believe i was that dumb. what a beautiful story from this guy though im glad you commented so i could read that again

[@bryede]

I really liked the '80-'82 look before the switch to 4 headlights. Fun little cars.

[@richardunicorn7879]

They should have done a comparison review between the AMC Eagle and this Subaru.

[@rustybearden1800]

my mother in law had an AMC Eagle wagon - it was a beast off road

[@thetreblerebel]

If you drove one of these to a car show today, you would get plenty of looks and questions... Badass old school Subarus

[@rustybearden1800]

I had this model, Buckskin Tan with the loud tartan plaid interior and the cyclops headlight, bought slightly used (8K on the clock) when I had ruined my driver's license in a 1980 Triumph TR8 (also came with a loud plaid interior) which I had to sideline due to excessive points lost from speeding tickets. I went from the "catch me if you can rowdiness" of the TR8 to the "follow me if you can" attitude of the Subie in one fell swoop. I bought this beautiful little car after having spent countless miles in a friend's '78 GL Coupe (a very strange car of it's own unique weirdness) so I was a fan right off the bat and the wonderful Swiss Army knife quality and go anywhere ruggedness was instantly appealing. I drove the whee out of this little wagon, both on road and off, from the tops of the Blue Ridge Mountains to many, many roundtrips between South Carolina and my new home in Dallas, TX. Yes the seats were not the most comfortable, it was rather loud and coarse and it would peg out on the freeway at about 4000 RPM at 80ish MPH in fourth gear but who cared? What it lacked in on road responsive sportiness it more than made up for in it's bulletproof tank-like dependability and mountain goat tenacity off road. LOVED THAT CAR! It ended it's carefree life when I got hit head on by a large GM sedan coming over a blind hill at night on the wrong side of the road at about 45MPH which knocked me back about 50 feet and rolled me into a ditch but I walked away with a busted lip and a mild concussion. I then transitioned to a 1985 First Gen Honda Civic Wagon AWD with the push button shift on the fly and six speed gearbox, another wonderful and unusual little vehicle. The '80's were a wonderful era of very unusual and quirky cars.

[@anihtgenga4096]

I loved the simplicity of the push-rod engine, mechanical valve train, and carburetor.

[@fernandorocha-dx1wv]

Very beautiful and solid this Subaru wagon

[@rjhammond4171]

My friends Grandpa gave him 1 like this ( Gold ) when we were teenagers...would go ANYWHERE ...tough, dependable 'lil car👍✌

[@gadgetsgalore]

I never knew these cars had that center light. That's awesome!

[@coachrobwille4176]

Me either pretty cool

[@kristianhermann5971]

My Dad had a 4-spd when I was a kid. It always felt like you were going faster than you were. I always got a kick riding in the passenger seat, watching him row the gears and listening to that flat-4.

[@hansecker876]

Simple and cool and very reliable car. Thouse Subi cars run forever! Greetings from Austria.

[@johnhiram1207]

They were tough little tanks. But here in New England they rusted away quickly.

[@bigaltro]

Cam to Pushrod valve operation without timing belts made these things bulletproof...slow but low maintenance.

[@samiam5557]

I miss the good old days, us oldtimers know better!

[@paulanger2048]

A gear drive?

[@rods6405]

@@paulanger2048 OHV Pushrod Chain Drive.

[@gastromacho2]

Had this car 1986 until 1991...Loved it. Seeing it now brings back a lot of memories

[@PantomimeHorseMusic]

I had one of these, but mine was beige and didn't have all the fancy graphics. I loved it, it was a tank. You can't compare them to other cars, because they can't compete on ride, handling, or fuel economy, but when you compare them to other small SUVs, they compare favorably. To me, it wasn't a car as much as it was a small SUV.

[@wildbill23c]

Station wagon LOL.

[@Dankcatvacs]

im having a subarugasm right now i love the old ones!

[@williswhatchutalkinbout4367]

Literally the gayest thing I’ve ever read....

[@williswhatchutalkinbout4367]

THIS is moug me duro who said I liked my own comment?

[@HamsterWheelGaming]

I don't know who makes the video descriptions, but you are a legend

[@supercattelephone]

"tends to be loud and rough idling" still holds true today when I hear 2022 crosstreks buzz like my late 90s and early 2000s subies haha.

[@trailgnomeadventures5691]

love the old videos! same job for 32 years, well done

[@jkholley1118]

Great cars. Owned a few and very tough cars. Great in snow and off road. Bonus was cheap used.

[@cassiocm]

I love to watch these old videos and then jump back to a similar car, but modern. it is shocking the advances in the past 30 years. Watch this and then watch the new outback SW video. You will be amazed.

[@Porsche996driver]

Great marketing with Team USA back in the day. That was a turning point.

[@kz1000ps]

Yup, considering I grew up in a family of skiers (my brother and I are named Phil and Steve after the Mahre brothers) and they got their first or two Subarus in 1983 (and later an '87) for all I know it was precisely this marketing that brought them into the Subaru fold.

[@oneoleqt]

I was driving a 1978 Subaru GL 2 door hardtop coupe when this came out , i want to buy one but couldn't afford a new car then . fun cars always liked Subaru's

[@prisoneralex2752]

Subaru has come a long way over the last 20 years

[@suomenpresidentti]

Prisoner Alex 20 years..?

[@Nancoman]

Now they are very expensive, and complicated.

[@robnation2475]

I had an 83 4WD Wagon. Best thing they ever made in my opinion. Much roomier than the Outback for tall people.

[@ponch2100]

That dashboard looks wayyy more useful than the 2008 forester I had.

[@siamiam]

still see plenty of these rolling around up here :) great little winter run abouts

[@ericwhitehead6451]

These little cars where absolute tanks in the snow.

[@jtafoya88]

Didn't know it had that light either, love Subarus and their boxer engines :)

[@radsk8rbigollies594]

My dad had a 79 wagon and our family of 6 would pile in and go on vacation. I will always think fondly of Subaru. Not so much of my big sister's feet in my face on those long drives in that tiny car.

[@se7encureton]

Oh the light coming out of the grill gotta just love that

[@jameswalsh6131]

Oh that 3rd eye headlight! Never knew that was a feature! I still see these on the road here and there..they are almost indestructible

[@BrendanMacWade]

Wooooooooooo!!!!! What a classic from the pre-XT era!

[@black98rt]

I'd love to have that thing with a modern WRX drivetrain in it.

[@ironicchannelname6457]

black98rt why that takes away what's cool about it

[@matthewjackson64]

Caleb Harris because sleeper. 🛏

[@bongodave13]

I had several Subarus; a GL wagon, a turbo sedan, a Justy, and a Brat. Great cars for bad weather, but they rusted out.

[@nlpnt]

A real-world 30 MPG is actually pretty respectable for a small AWD crossover today (especially if it includes performance test runs). Granted, this '82 is probably a lot lighter than a new Impreza or XV Crosstrek... I'm not sure how available-to-the-public the U.S. Ski Team decals were, but they look like they cover exactly the same area the official Subaru fake-woodgrain decals which were probably all dealer-installed did.

[@snowrocket]

I remember when these were new! 1980 was the first year for this bodyshell. This part-time 4WD wagon was the heaviest Subaru they offered at around 2500 pounds. The 1.8 liter engine made around 68 HP, giving most 4WD Subarus a 0-60 time of 18 seconds. Top speed was around 85 MPH. Subaru's first REALLY competitive car in every way was the 1990 Legacy. The Legacy was WAAAY better than everything that Subaru made before.

[@waynes.2983]

snowrocket no...ever heard of the 86 loyale RX turbo? Those cars were basically the WRX STI of the time but with lots of ground clearance. It even had the dual range transfered case. Mine lasted to over 300k miles although I admit the last 50k miles were spent doing weekly repairs.

[@snowrocket]

Wayne, I DO remember the Loyale RX 4WD turbo! It was Subaru's first true AWD, with an Audi-like lockable center differential. Optional(?) air suspension, too. It was Subaru's fastest car at the time at around 0-60 in 9-10 seconds. While the RX and XT WERE the sportiest cars Subaru offered, they weren't considered sporty or fast for the times, merely average. The handling, cornering power, and overall feel weren't what most enthusiasts were looking for. These were hardly the WRX, let alone the STi of their day.

[@waynes.2983]

snowrocket I wished mine had the air suspension. I also owned a 300ZX at the same time...the RX was actually equally fast and could handle all the extreme winter conditions that would render my ZX useless. When running in front wheel drive mode it would ven chirp the tires shifting into fourth gear. It surely was the WRX of its time since it was Subaru's best at the time.

[@dougsmith9571]

Who else is addicted to these old MW reviews!? I think this Subaru is still cool btw

[@TheBandit7613]

I had one when I lived in the Colorado Rockies. Yeah, it was slow. But always started, even well below zero and would drag itself thru deep snow early mornings before the plows were out.

[@andrewhowden5826]

I had the 3door glf,loved it but so did Mr rust!!

[@ScottaHemi440]

I want one! My mom had an old Subaru when I was young, an aqua green mid 70's GL? Coupe, not a bad car, just very hard to find parts/fix and you could literally watch it rust. but Subaru's where very cool because of their weirdness!

[@cotzker]

i had the dl-83 very good vagon never stop

[@joem1767]

A hill holder in 1982, thats pretty cool!

[@Sanpedranoazul]

I always loved this car, seems to me very modern by that time

[@faznout]

This generation and body style pathed the way for the now Subaru Legacy / Outback.

[@jasoncarpp7742]

I've always liked this generation Subaru AWD. Its acceleration may have been lackluster, at best, but for off-road use, I would think it'd be perfect. And its fuel economy is better than most truck based SUVs. And just as important, its braking is better than most SUVs of the time and today. I'd buy one if I could find a decent example. :)

[@rods6405]

I had a 1800 OHV 4speed it would accelerate better than any other 4WD and most other 4 pot engine cars. We loved em down here in Australia. They were great on country dirt roads with the independent rear end and if it rained you could select 4WD with out getting mud on your shoes haha. This review is very poor. I went so many places in mine but i mainly purchased so i could drive thru sand!

[@jasoncarpp7742]

@@rods6405 Awesome! How are things in Straya? Sadly, I'm not from Australia, so I don't know what it's like there. One thing I've always liked about Australian designed cars vs. our American cars is how they're designed, tested, and built.

[@rods6405]

​@@jasoncarpp7742 Were doing alright downunder! Australia is like north america without snow (at sea level). I have been watching many youtube Enduro motor bike videos riding thru the bush(woods) and some places look so much like Australia (just colder). Australian designed and built cars are no more since 2017 toyota still tests landcrusiers down here! guess why? On average our roads are shit! We have great freeways connecting capital cities. But turn left off one of em (we drive on the left) and mostly you will hit a dirt road with corrugations that will tear a euro pommy or yank car apart. I still have 2 Aussie made Fords, they are good for a 1mil Km

[@jasoncarpp7742]

@@rods6405 I imagine that during our summer, it's your winter, and vice versa. I've always wanted to visit Australia. Have you ever visited the USA?

[@rods6405]

@@jasoncarpp7742 Yep inverse seasons. Yep Vegas 4 times fun place + NY once never again. all business trips

[@j_mars_cars]

Man I love this video

[@thetreblerebel]

US SKI TEAM trim is so damn cool! Cars n coffee winner no doubt

[@chuckfool4390]

I just got one and there still legit

[@petek6522]

I would get these in the mid 90's for an average of $500 and race them in our fields with friends hitting each other and jumping them 4-5 feet in the air bending many lower control arms ... never could blow up a motor though, now you can't find them , my son dose still have an 84 brat he uses on the snow days

[@djkenny1202]

We bought an 04 5 spd Forester new, purchased based on all the great reviews.. boy has the Subie come a long long way. Do you have any reviews of the 2nd Generation Mazda 626? My parents had a 1987 5 spd LX Touring Sedan in blue. I always thought they were good looking cars. the wheels were very original in style as well. The adjustable suspension was cool. Later fuel injected and especially turbo versions always had my interest. Love watching these old vids! I have collected car magazines and read them cover to cover since I was a little boy.

[@skylinefever]

I knew some older mechanics that called early Subarus "Front engine Beetles"

[@captainchaos0666]

Subaru needs to bring back the center driving lamp. Except this time have an LED lighting source for maximum lumen power!

[@EC-ol8nz]

A few years later, Rally Champs!😂

[@Indigo8086]

Did Motor Week ever do an early 90's Subaru Loyale? It's the facelift of this wagon. I'd like to see that one!

[@spacetrucker2952]

That center mounted driving light!!!

[@jacobreed47]

If Subaru returned this vehicle in the original specs, this would sell like crazy. Just like Toyota is returning the late 70s era land cruiser next year. everything original down to the ugly shaggy carpet. Awesome if you ask me.

[@Trance88]

My parents bought one of these brand new in '82, I believe it was the DL 2WD version though. They said they enjoyed it for the brief time they owned it before it got repoed.

[@ericfresh]

I so want one!

[@Romulan112]

I owned this vehicle. Also an 82 GL sedan. I loved the 4wd for the snow/ice to get up the hill to my home. My complaints were: expensive Cath. Convertor, only 4 speeds in the 4wd, and body would rust out quickly. Good qualities were: 4wd, dependable, easy to adjust rear brakes, exhaust system was in removable segments along with exhaust manifold resembling an donut. Also, if you stripped out the exhaust manifold bolts , you just turned the donut around and used the 2 spare holes.

[@emeyer6963]

There motto was "Inexpensive.And Built to stay that way"

[@omegalamda3145]

E Meyer - There 1rst motto was “SUBARU said backwards is U R A BUS !

[@derekaggs11]

My mom had a brown '81 4x4 with a stick and plaid seats!

[@jonathansojo2065]

Un carraso 😍, nosotros tuvimos una igual año 1981 color rojo aquí en Costa Rica, traída de California en febrero de 1990; una lastima que ya los repuestos no los hace la SUBARU 😢

[@ExtremelyOCD]

Stretcher wouldn't fit?? That's what the roof rack is for.

[@vpanday1977]

Ido agree offcause itits always good to push a person whois inable to walk onto a stretcher on the roof great news!

[@coreydl2008]

At 5:58, crooked badge, or crooked decal? Either way, something's very off.

[@mattsivert2594]

The center light was meant for passing . Had a 81 gl wagon so many memories 2 cv joints , motor , clutch. tore it up !

[@rustybearden1800]

If I remember correctly, the center light only work on high beams while AWD was engaged

[@Y10Q]

There is one on Ebay right now, a white one. In excellent condition, relatively speaking...

[@greym6436]

I love my subarus... Hell my crosstrek is a beast!

[@jimmycline4778]

My step dad bought one of these brand new, we never knew it had that middle headlight! LOL! It’s to late now!

[@briteidea08]

Where did you all do your off road shots? Did you all use Gwynnbrook? Or just the area around the power lines?

[@paulstandaert5709]

I'll take one. Selectable 4wd with a low range! I wonder if the more modern day turbocharged boxer engine will bolt in relatively easily?

[@landyachtfan79]

I sure would LOVE it if you would post the '86 Colt Vista 4WD soon so I can show my FB friends exactly why my ''85 2WD model meant so much to me.

[@Motorweek]

I'll put a priority on that. Feel free to email a request at [e-mail], that way it'll stay fresh in my mind.

[@luvr381]

+landyachtfan79 My 2nd car was an 86 1/2 Vista 4wd! that thins was a tank, slow and steady.

[@hamerplayer1229]

Colt Vista ahhhh the back seat folded into a bed. Loved that car!!!!

[@IVR02]

I can never get over the ski team trying to fit a body in the trunk.

[@crankybear1236]

I want this car now!!!!!!

[@mariacristinapereirarivero3366]

Es un automóvil inigualable

[@bwxmoto]

These old shows are awesome. Did you ever do one on a '85 Honda Prelude 2.0Si?

[@Motorweek]

There is an early Prelude, I haven't seen it yet. I'll get it up on Friday... I hope it's a 2.0

[@bwxmoto]

***** Sweet! I saw the other vid with the '88 Prelude.. I had an '85 2.0Si which was a cool little car.

[@Motorweek]

BWX not a 2.0, but I'll slap it up here anyway.

[@bwxmoto]

Oh it must be the 1.8l? The non- Si version? Yeah a buddy had one of them.. not nearly as cool as the 2.0Si.. Or maybe you're talking about the gen 1?

[@mackchannel6348]

Buddy of mine had one of these. Legendary wagon from a time before Subarus routinely committed suicide at 100K miles.

[@mitchkelleher7972]

I had two of these. The manual steering was great and doubled as a low-tech tire pressure sensor. What a wuss.

[@rods6405]

Exactly They did not have heavy steering!

[@waynemangan9925]

I know it was the eighties, but 8 seconds from 40 to 55mph seems unimaginable. A slow car now days can gain more than 15mph in 8 sec when its already at 90mph. Way later other cars were claiming to be the first to have on the fly 4wd, didnt know this car did it first.

[@atranas6018]

I WANT ONE!

[@ozzstars_cars]

great! Any 1984 Mazda 626? 1986.5 Nissan hardbody pickup truck?

[@FlynnMilligan]

Did you ever do a review of the Justy?

[@nickwilczynski3684]

Early on, John Davis used his Sexy Voice a lot more. You can observe his vocal evolution through the years thanks to these vids!!!

[@MrTyphoonracer]

Motorweek can you post the retro video off the 2006_10 jeep grand cherokee wk1 srt8? :)

[@jhomrich89]

I actually kinda want one now, definitely a very different car, bet I could find a good running example for fairly reasonable

[@paulanger2048]

The price for well preserved ones is going up!. I never thought about them until I bought my 97 L wagon. I'd love to have like 10 of them, wagons and brats, leading up to the last 2.2. Some would be souped up lowered hotrods., Some raised up four wheel drive trail beasts. Some pristine restored and survivor cars.

[@killersushi99]

That center headlight tho..

[@ArmyOne519]

I want one 😁

[@Madcracka]

Nice 4wd system. Lose your half shafts up front? Push that little four wheel drive button on the shifter and now you'll have rear wheel drive.

[@robnation2475]

5:49 why did the lower pin stripe stop at the fender?

[@johndriscoll213]

About that remark on the redline... These things not only have no indicated redline, but no rev limiter. You could, bone stock, no money shift required, destroy your engine very easily.

[@edwu8253]

Does anyone remember the Justy🤔

[@mauart.7893]

Yeah! Tuff little 4wd car

[@Leo363615]

throw the stretcher on the top

[@edrice2621]

LOL

[@4HBirtcher]

With a dead person on it, are you that cruel!!

[@williamgeorgelopezjunior8533]

Henry Birtcher well... it wouldn’t hurt them, that’s for sure!

[@philipsgarage3286]

It will keep the body cool!

[@Porsche996driver]

Remove the passenger seat.

[@fitfogey]

If the stretcher doesn’t fit you must acquit.

[@Tardisius]

The MPG on my 2014 Crosstrek is exactly the same, what a disappointment =)

[@Tardisius]

Vulgora I'm on my 3rd S. I like the car but MPG should be in the 45+ range after 32 yrs of technical advancements =)

[@AWDfreak]

Vulgora The XV Crosstrek is actually 8.7 inches off the ground, higher than some trucks.

[@Y10Q]

crosstrek probably has 3x as much power and weight.

[@Y10Q]

***** they are. Subarus actually average about 35-40mpg if you get a 2015 model with CVT on flat terrain. I drove a cvt Outback rental from Atlanta to Tampa and used 14 gallons of fuel exactly hand measured. 487 miles on those 14 gallons exactly.

[@AWDfreak]

Y10Q Indeed, even Subaru's mid-size Legacy and Outback with the Lineartronic CVT are rated very high in their MPG numbers. Also, I have a 5-speed manual Subaru XV Crosstrek with the FB20 engine and I've managed low 30's to a maximum of exactly 40.1 MPG of one instance of my many hypermiling drives.

[@davepiotrowski1992]

I had an 81, duel range. Was quite a good car. Would have been good to drop in WRX motor with turbo, 5 speed and a 2 inch lift & a bigger wheel/tyre combo. 13 isjust s bit small, 14 or preferably a 15 would have been a good. Why couldn't u get a modern Forester with duel range? Oh well, was a great piece of history..

[@waynegriffith2402]

The Crosstek is the modern version of this wagon

[@jeffmullinix7916]

In the owners manual it tells us to cut legs off .