Very good bang for the buck
At ~21K miles the cam tensioner idler pulley went bad (cold start-up rattle). Fixed under warranty.
Superior handling enhanced after changing out the OEM tires.
Nice low end grunt.
Good car if you like to do modifications. Nice starting point to build on.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 13th June, 2002
Samurai DNA in a car
The cars has been absolutely reliable, and a pleasure to drive in the rain. Superb handling. My only gripe was the headlights, which I replaced with Xenon units. God bless the Japanese people for creating such a driver's machine. 88000+ miles and no unscheduled dealer visits. UK Subaru dealers are superb, but pricey.
Very quick and sure footed.
Interior is okay once you get used to it.
Expensive 'Scoobysnacks' at petrol pump.
Performance bargain.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 13th May, 2002
Supercar performance for Mondeo money
The car suffered clutch judder when cold from about 18,000 miles which was replaced quibble free under warranty.
Had a rear brake shoe (for the handbrake) shear off at 23,000 miles. Dealer had never seen before and was replaced under warranty.
Simply the best car I have driven. It is possible to do things that you thought were not previously possible!
The interior is somewhat basic, however the seats (when you finally get the position right) are very comfortable and the driving position was spot on. I was able to drive 900 miles and get out of the car as fresh as a daisy.
The only minor glitch was that the headlights really weren't up to the job.
It was a little thirsty on the petrol, average of around 23 mpg, but this was not helped by the fact that there seemed to be a magnet under the accelerator which pulled your foot to the floor at every opportunity. In addition it sounds glorious!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 10th April, 2002
Simply the BEST!
Coil broke at 25,000km.
Headlight motor stopped responding.
The Scooby (Scooby Doo Subaru) will give you the best true & pure sports car bargain, no other car will provide you with such excitement for the same price!
Israeli service is poor though... their knowledge of the car is limited, took them 2 months to find out why my car started crawling after being a jet :-) And it was only a coil problem.
The Scooby is not too comfortable, but who cares actually.. it's a rally car!
One last thing, in Israel the Scooby is expensive to keep:
Fuel - the Scooby is hungry.
Tires - the Scooby burns tires very fast cause of its AWD system.
Parts - dealer's prices just go up :-( You really have to take that into consideration!
Personally I wouldn't change the Scooby for any other car! If you live in Europe grab it! I know for a fact that the prices are cheaper and service is fine.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 3rd July, 2001
Performance car bargain of the century
The car developed a juddering clutch on take off, and was replaced under warranty.
This really is a car you can fall in love with. It has looks, pace, people and luggage carrying capacity and is cheap to run to boot.
Everything you read about it is true, it will turn an average driver into a good driver, and a good driver into a God. The feeling of invincibility is worrying sometimes, but we are yet to have even the mildest scrape together.
Where else can you get a 5 door estate for this money, with this performance? As far as I can see nowhere.
The one major downside is the road noise. It all seems to be tyre related, but fortunately the whistle of the turbo can still be heard!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 2nd July, 2001
The best AWD value, reliable in winter conditions and fun on dry pavement
No repairs required yet, predicted reliability is very high for Subaru.
Car purchased for its AWD feature and driving snowy New England country back roads. Performs well. Sensitive anti-lock feature kicks in often on winter roads.
Excellent, quick handling on dry roads. Fun to drive!
Seats are very uncomfortable. I use a padded seat cover. Non adjustable lumbar, low seating position, not enough leg room for 5'11" male.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 5th June, 2001