The Subaru R1 is a kei car manufactured by the Japanese carmaker Subaru from 2005 to 2010.

Design

Entering production on January 4, 2005, the R1 is a two-door version of the

Subaru R2 The Subaru R2 is a kei car produced and sold in Japan by Fuji Heavy Industries from 2003 to 2010. Its name was inspired by the Subaru R-2, produced from 1969 to 1972. The R2 was discontinued in 2010. Design The R2 was the first production Sub ...

, but with a shorter body and wheelbase. The R1 is unusual in that it does not use up the maximum length allowed for by the kei car regulations—the only other kei cars to have done this since the 1989

Autozam Carol Carol may refer to: People with the name * Carol (given name) * Henri Carol (1910–1984), French composer and organist * Martine Carol (1920–1967), French film actress * Sue Carol (1906–1982), American actress and talent agent, wife of actor ...

were the Suzuki Twin,

Daihatsu Midget The Daihatsu Midget is a single-seater mini-truck, later a microvan/kei truck made by Japanese automaker Daihatsu. Several distinct vehicles have borne the Midget name over the years, but all have had in common a single or two-seat utilitarian ...

Toyota C+pod is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

, and the European Smart Fortwo. The R1 was only available in one spec level up to the end of 2005, using a 658 cc Subaru EN engine. The engine is available in three versions: the I with the EN07U SOHC engine, the R with the EN07D DOHC engine rated at 40 kW (54 horsepower) and the STi with an

EN07X The EN series engine is a four-cylinder, four-stroke engine used in kei cars sold by Subaru in Japan, succeeding the EK family of two-cylinder engines previously used in Subaru kei cars from 1958 to 1989. The EN family was introduced in 1989 (a ...

supercharged and

intercooled An intercooler is a heat exchanger used to cool a gas after compression. Often found in turbocharged engines, intercoolers are also used in air compressors, air conditioners, refrigeration and gas turbines. Internal combustion engines Most ...

engine rated at . The R1 is being marketed as a personal car and as a middle-aged couple's second car; a combination of leather and Alcantara seating is available. All R1s are equipped with a CVT, and all trim levels are available with

front-wheel drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitu ...

as well as

four-wheel drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer cas ...

. In its promotional materials, the R1 was frequently compared to the

Subaru 360 The Subaru 360 is a rear-engined, two-door city car manufactured and marketed from 1958 to 1971 by Subaru. As the company's first automobile, production reached 392,000 over its 12-year model run. Noted for its small overall size, 1,000 lb ...

, the first production Subaru automobile. Subaru R1 rear

Derivative vehicles

The R1 is the base car for the following vehicles: *The Subaru R1e, an experimental

battery electric vehicle A battery electric vehicle (BEV), pure electric vehicle, only-electric vehicle, fully electric vehicle or all-electric vehicle is a type of electric vehicle (EV) that exclusively uses chemical energy stored in rechargeable battery packs, ...

undergoing limited production for selected industrial clients in Japan. There was intense interest in this vehicle within the US EV community, as it uses lithium-ion batteries (which contribute to a significant improvement in range and can be 80% recharged in just 15 minutes). *The

Prodrive P2 The Prodrive P2 is a prototype two-seater sports car designed, engineered and built by Prodrive at its Banbury and Warwick sites. The car is based on the platform of the Subaru R1 kei car and has a modified Subaru Impreza WRX STi engine along with ...

concept

sports car A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...

.Top Gear Season 8 Episode 5 2006.06.04

Collectibles

Tomica is a line of die-cast toy vehicles (mainly model car, cars) produced since 1970 by Tomy, Takara Tomy Co. of Japan (formerly known as Tomiyama and Tomy Kogyo Incorporated). Ostensibly, Tomica diecast were an outgrowth of Tomica World, an autonom ...

manufactured a diecast 1/64 R1, and

Takara Takara Co., Ltd. (株式会社タカラ) was a Japanese toy company founded in 1955. In March 2006, the company merged with Tomy Co., Ltd. to form Takara Tomy. The Takara motto was 遊びは文化」("playing is culture"). Products Toys In 1 ...

made a

Choro-Q is a line of Japanese 3–4 cm pullback car toys produced by Takara. Known in North America as Penny Racers, they were introduced in late 1978 and have seen multiple revisions and successors since. Choro-Qs are stylized after real-world au ...

plastic pull-back R1.

References

{{Subaru R1 Kei cars Front-wheel-drive vehicles All-wheel-drive vehicles Vehicles with CVT transmission Cars introduced in 2005 2010s cars