Subaru Leone, 1972

Subaru Leone, 1972

Subaru Leone

The Subaru Leone is a compact automobile produced by Subaru from June 1971 to February 1989 when it was replaced by the Subaru Loyale, which was essentially the same car, only with a different name. The Leone was known as the "GL/DL" in North America. The Leone was offered in sedan and hardtop coupe format from launch and station wagon format starting in September 1972.

The nameplate covered three generations of compact Subaru;

• 1972 model year - GF hardtop coupe offered alongside existing G-series sedans and wagon.
• 1973 model year; G series replaced by new (Loyale) two- and four door sedans and 5-door wagon.
• 1975 model year - All-wheel drive wagon offered.
• 1978 - AWD-only pickup added, marketed as Subaru Brat in North America and Subaru Brumby in Australia. Sedans and wagons offered in plainer DL and fancier GL trim.
• 1980 - SECOND GENERATION - restyled body for passenger cars. Two-door sedan dropped, replaced by 3-door hatchback on a shorter wheelbase than the others, available with AWD. Pickup continues on old body. 5-speed manual transmission supplied with 2WD GL sedans and wagon and GLF hardtop.
• 1982 - Pickup now restyled, catches up with passenger cars.
• 1983 - GL now midlevel trim, fancier GL-10 trim for all bodystyles replaces hardtop-only GLF. Turbocharged engine ("Turbo-Traction") available on AWD GL-10s. AWD now available on sedans and hardtops, and with 5-speed or automatic transmission for the first time. Minor trim changes for all models include "honeycomb" grille texture, Mercedes-style ribbed taillight lenses, and plastic-covered bumpers (except North American 2wd models). GL and GL-10 now have quad headlights.
• 1985 - THIRD GENERATION sedan and wagon with larger, angular body. Quad headlights now on base DL, composite headlights on GL and GL-10. Hardtop discontinued, second gen. hatchback and pickup continue without change.

The Leone  became a success in areas where people wanted four wheel drive (4WD), but didn't want a larger car. It soon became the world's top-selling 4WD.

A nice feature about the car is that you can enable/disable the 4WD as you drive with a button on the gear shifter. When the car is not in 4WD mode it is in FWD (Front Wheel Drive) mode. This is much more economical since the engine doesn't have to power both the front and rear axle. So if you are getting to a steep hill you just enable 4WD and you climb up the hill with ease.

Another smart feature is the hill-holder. With this you don't have to hold the break when standing in a hill. You only hold in the clutch and press the breake once, the car will then automatically hold the break, helping you get a better start. The car is powered by a water-cooled, horizontally-opposed, 4-cylinder OHV engine.

The first Subaru Legacy was originally intended to be a Leone replacement, but the car was moved upmarket. The Leone remained in production until 1993, when the slightly smaller Subaru Impreza replaced it.