MSN Autos Feb. 14, 2012
Technology helped the Japanese automaker gain market traction. If you live in a cold climate and your all-wheel-drive car provides you with good traction during the winter-- or you live in some other type of place and it gives you great grip all year round -- you should tip your hat to Subaru, which introduced its first AWD vehicle 40 years ago. While the Japanese automaker wasn't the first to include it on cars, the brand has become synonymous with AWD since it's been included on more than half of the 12 million vehicles Subaru has sold worldwide since the debut of the Subaru Leone Estate Van 4WD (pictured below) in Japan in 1972. AWD has helped drivers keep their cars rubber-side down over the years by distributing and balancing engine power to all four wheels. Subaru's combination of Symmetrical AWD and a horizontally opposed "boxer" engine optimizes weight balance to provide stable traction on various road surfaces and in a wide range of driving conditions.
Subaru Leone Estate Van 4WD
Photo Courtesy: Fuji Heavy Industries
The technology and the brand have also become favorites of "boy racers"and WRC fans worldwide due to stability at high speeds and crisps cornering and responsiveness (that, and because Subaru vehicles typically offer good value).
Subaru's parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries, has refined AWD over 40 years, taking it from a technology that was designed to help smooth rough-road driving to now being the poster vehicle for regions such as New England and the Pacific Northwest, where stickiness in rain, snow and other mucky conditions is essential.
The latest evolution in Subaru AWD technology is a 4-wheel traction-management system that the automaker uses in the develop-ment of front-wheel drive and rear-
wheel-drive vehicles. The latter has been put to good use in Subaru's first rear-wheel-drive sports
coupe, the BRZ.
So happy birthday, Subaru Leone Estate Van 4WD, and thanks for all you've done!
Have a great day and Happy Reading!
