Subaru Justy set to make a comeback?
First, the good news: AutoExpress is reporting that Subaru is in the process of planning a revival of their AWD wonder runt, the Justy. The bad news: it'll be front-wheel drive and a rebadged Daihatsu Sirion (pictured).
For those of you unaware of the joys of the little two-door Subie: it was unceremoniously axed in 1996 after sales took a sharp, yet predictable, turn southward. Although, it was an ill-handling, underpowered hatch, the Justy was the attainable alternative for those of us yearning for a Mazda 323 GTX, but unable to find/afford one.
The soon-to-be badge-swapped Sirion has been available in Japan and Europe since 1998, and is powered by either a 1-liter three-cylinder or 1.3-liter four, with the latter making the sprint to 60 in a few clicks over 11 seconds. At least the underpowered tradition will live on.
[Source: AutoExpress]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Kowell 11:09AM (1/22/2007)
What the point of buying a non-AWD subaru?
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Rence 11:25AM (1/22/2007)
That thing is so light, trust me, you don't want more power... unless they put some serious aero kits on there.
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emulous1974 12:08PM (1/22/2007)
Ah, so I'm not the only one that dreamed of getting a 323GTX as one of my first vehicles?
In all honesty, I believe that the Daihatsu pic above would make a good Subaru Justy in the U.S., not that we would see it on these shores. The only thing that would make me believe it wasn't a Subbie are the framed windows, but add a turbo and awd and price it below the Suzuki SX4 and I think Subaru would have a winner in the U.S. for all the youth that would love a WRX but couldn't afford to buy one or insure one. Horespower doesn't have to be crazy, it just needs to handle well and be really fun to drive.
Subaru of America would never allow this car to be sold here and I doubt they will ever understand how to properly market their cars.
This coming from a Subaru owner who loves his car, just doesn't care for what SOA is doing for Subaru in the U.S.
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Mark 11:46AM (1/22/2007)
The Justy is still around in Europe. It is a rebadged Suzuki Ignis.
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icetraxx 11:46AM (1/22/2007)
I think this is a terrible idea. Subaru is the only company in the US market that only makes AWD cars. The least equipped car you can buy from Subaru right now still has ABS brakes, AWD, alloy wheels, projector headlamps, etc. I don't think a small car like this is the answer to Subaru's market share issues, something like this will only hurt the Subaru brand name. If this car is actually a good subcompact car then the margins on the car will be razor thin, otherwise it will have to be really cheap to remain profitable for Subaru. Since this car will lack AWD or at best lack a proper AWD system (symmetrical) I don't think the Subaru's loyal customer base will even consider this car. If Subaru wants to gain market share from the general public they need to add a 5/6 speed automatic to the new 2008 Legacy and increase the 4-cylinder boxer engine (on the low end) horsepower to make up for the AWD power loss. The addition of the H6 to the Legacy looks like a good move for positioning the legacy against the camcord.
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Accordsforall 11:54AM (1/22/2007)
Hmmm
No, NO, N O, NOOO!!!
The Justy was trusty, but it was also underpowered. Dont taint the SUBBIE lineup with a vehicle that gives the name a bad recognition.
Not to mention.. SUBBIE is AWD, like Apple pie is America! Dont go screwing up a good thing.
Im.. stunned, and horrorified.
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Accordsforall 11:55AM (1/22/2007)
And.. ya dont put anything Subbie has against 'Cam / ' Cord. They are in their own catagory. Subbies cars have always been low volume. Last time I checked.. I dont think they produced 100,000 of any single vehicle. Where as Cam / Cord make 3-400,000 of the Cam / Cord.
Even tho.. to rocket around a corner.. in a Subbie Legacy GT WAGON.. is the hottest thing to do since.. cutting off an SUV.
But.. as far as "stretching" the name Subbie goes.. their B9 tribeca answers the question NO ONE ASKED. So.. who knows how this will sell. And ask yaself exactly what Subbie is.. (company that sells AWD sedans and wagons.. with a horiz boxster motor) NOT suvs AND OR sub-sub-subcompacts.
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solomonrex 11:54AM (1/22/2007)
I think it's a terrible idea. An 8 year old rebadged car? Obviously, the Fit and Corolla make them think they can sell old cars and charge a premium in America. But eventually people will wise up, right? Right?
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AZMike 12:13PM (1/22/2007)
so the old Justy was underpowered...compared to what?? this car was competition for the Chevrolet Sprint!!
it was certainly not designed for speed, and not a word is mentioned about fuel economy. it had a three-cylinder engine, and a "bad day" for fuel economy was 40 MPG. there were many times it would get 52 miles per gallon on the highway.
the secret was not just the engine, but the weight; less than 2,000 pounds. today, we are entranced by six (or more) airbags, wait breathlessly for the next results from the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety, or the "small timer's bible", Consumer reports. today's vehicles have all the qualities of a tank. all this does is increase the weight, and lower the miles-per-gallon.
for those not old enough to remember, truly the golden age for excellent fuel economy was in the mid to late 80's. cars with computer-controlled carburetors or throttle body fuel injection were far more efficient than the dual-overhead cam, multi-port injected cars of today.
don't believe it? I save ALL the window stickers of the cars I've owned, and here are some of the MPG numbers: 1980 Plymouth Champ, 31/49; 1983 Renault LeCar; 37/47, 1986 Isuzu I-Mark; 37/41;, 1988 Pontiac Lemans; 30/39.
actually, looking thru some of the newer (fuel injected) ones, there are some outstanding ones, too. 1990 Geo Storm; 31/36, 1995 Dodge Neon; (ACR competition package, DOHC engine) 28/38, and a 1998 Ddoge Neon, 29/41.
none of these were "make believe" MPG numbers, like the hybrids of today; all of these vehicles actually achieved them.
as we sit and discuss the (dubious) merits of such silly things as hybrids, perhaps we should think back to high school science class. until we learn to overcome the time, space and gravity, there is one simple fact: weight is the enemy.
Mike
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John Binns 12:30PM (1/22/2007)
1. Subaru should not sell a vehicle in the U.S. which is not AWD. The whole point of Subaru is AWD.
2. The Justy had 2 doors. Why can't anyone but Toyota and Mini make a nice 2-door hatchback anymore?
3. Underpowered??? True, I haven't driven many fast cars, but to this day, the late-80s Justy I used to drive for work was one of the speediest little things I've ever driven. I'll never forget it. I loved that thing.
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RDL 8:58AM (1/23/2007)
"...until we learn to overcome the time, space and gravity, there is one simple fact: weight is the enemy...
Posted at 12:13PM on Jan 22nd 2007 by AZMike"
AMEN!!!
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karlInSanDiego 12:53PM (1/22/2007)
Mike's got it right. Justy's likely there as a crutch for Subaru's creeping CAFE numbers which must be getting worse as their average car is over powered, oversized engine, and has the burden of fulltime awd with no option of frontwd. I don't think there was any magic in computer controlled carbs, though I do remember Click and Clack claiming that the Justy was the last car sold in the US to still have a carb. Direct injection should prove to be the most efficient fueling technology. The biggest problems facing manufacturers today with Corporate Average Fleet Efficiency are the bloat of unnecessary equipment and the horsepower wars that they bought into. Most modern cars are tuned for performance and not for efficiency, though the pendulum's starting to swing the other way. And frankly, ECU's that adapt dynamically to the way you're demanding your power should be able to overcome the need to choose power vs. efficiency.
Interestingly, Click and Clack also made of habit of slamming the Justy as a deathtrap given it's relative size. Hopefully with the newest coming of sub-compacts, it'll be a little more palettable.
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Richard 1:41PM (1/22/2007)
I think that something like this would be a great alternative to a Scion and AWD would provide a unique sales proposition.
But I have no more faith in Subaru US marketing:
The country is in the beginnings of an explosion in active-lifestyle sports (cycling, camping, volleyball). Dog ownership is at an all-time high. Subaru makes the most popular wagon and they are finally bringing some power and a 5-speed auto with paddle shift...so they drop what would have been a real price/content competitor to the A4/ A6/ 5-Series wagon the Legacy GT wagon.
Gentlemen in Cherry Hill, you can't move forward by looking backwards.
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AZMike 2:04PM (1/22/2007)
ditch the AWD as a standard item, just like it used to be with Subaru. for those too young to remember, Subaru started out as a FWD company, not AWD. their first 4WD (please note; this was a real 4WD, with a two-speed transfer case) arrived in the US in 1976. not all of us live where it snows, and the AWD adds needless weight, complexity, and cost.
I don't think our uses for a car have changed much in the past 50 years or so; this "active lifestyle (what is a 'lifestyle', anyway?) sports" is a bunch of crap. the only difference now is that we have special clothes (oops, excuse me; "gear") for each individual "sport". and what is the average going price for a Subaru now, about thirty grand or more?
karlinSanDiego hit the nail on the head; Subarus have gotten bigger and bigger, and what used to be really good CAFE numbers really aren't that good anymore. and for those who don't believe it, do you suppose that the arrival of the butt-ugly Yaris, Versa, and Fit are just a coincidence? nope. Nissan, Honda and Toyota vehicles have gotten fatter, too; they need the teeny cars to raise their CAFE. when you start to average in all the Tundras, Sequoias, Titans, Ridgelines, and Armadas that get sold, they need all the teeny cars they can get.
of course, the Japanese are ALWAYS smarter then their stupid American counterparts, right?
Mike
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Dan 5:22PM (1/22/2007)
(Previous comment lost in cyberspace... Apologies if this is a duplicate.)
Just wanted to point out that the version of the X4 in the photo above *is* a turbocharged AWD vehicle.
http://paultan.org/archives/2006/04/15/daihatsu-boon-x4/
"The Daihatsu Boon X4 is powered by a turbocharged intercooled 936cc engine instead of the 1.3 liter intercooler turbo K3-VET Daihatsu YRV engine. This engine is called the KJ-VET, which is a 1.0 liter DOHC 4-cylinder engine making 133hp at 7200rpm and 133Nm of torque at 3600rpm. Very nice and not too over the top power figures for a car that size and weight, and it's linked to a 5-speed manual transmission. It also comes with full-time 4WD. Daihatsu gave the Daihatsu Boon X4 a bonnet air scoop to feed cool air to its top-mounted intercooler."
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Phil 6:27PM (1/22/2007)
Was waiting for someone to mention that. Also, the model above is actually only 2 years old; the nameplate Sirion was born 8 years ago, but it's been redesigned.
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Damon Lavrinc 6:31PM (1/22/2007)
Dan - Glad someone caught that. I'd certainly be interested in finding out if Subaru/Daihatsu intends to rebadge this hi-po version and throw it into their line up. Time will tell.
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justythrasher 2:24PM (2/02/2007)
if its not a subaru its not worthy of being called a justy.the justy line finished when they stopped developing subaru and started rebadging rubbish.i own a 89 5 door 1200cc 4wd rs justy and it is the greatest small car ever built.if subaru decide to lower thier standards further and bring more shame to the justy title,it will be a great loss to all who hold this iconic machine in the high regard it has earned.why not,in this,the age of the small car,create a new ''subaru'' justy and make the world realise that any bad name the justy has came from using other manufacturers low end junk.i honestly cant get my head around why they would take something noone else has done and let it fall from grace in to disgrace.
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