Subaru XT
After skipping yesterday, I was going to try to reward Car Lust's few but long-suffering readers for this week's weirdness (AMC Eagle? Honda Ridgeline?) by presenting a lovingly crafted piece on the Lotus Esprit S1. However, after a few minutes of writer's block, I realized I didn't have the superlatives in me today to laud its inspired design. So, instead, here's the Subaru XT. It's as wedgy as a Lotus Esprit S1, only without the superlatives.
Actually, if you cross your eyes a little, the XT's spec sheet made it look a lot like something like its famous grandchild, the Subaru WRX. It started off with a light, compact, extremely aerodynamic body, all-wheel-drive, and a turbocharged four-cylinder engine. The Subaru XT6 replaced the turbo four with a horizontally opposed (or flat) six--a configuration that, as Subaru breathlessly reminded us in XT6 ads, is the same as that used in the Porsche 911.
Combined with its wildly edgy lines, reminiscent of the exotics of the 1970s, those advanced specifications make the XT a budget supercar, right? Well, no. The XT was sporty only in relation to Subaru's other, more agricultural, contemporary offerings, and is a crude, slow implement compared its more competent sporting Subaru successors, the SVX and WRX.
I really like the XT, though, precisely because it's such an oddball. It's as if somebody mixed together an original Esprit with a dollop of 1980s Japanese techno-geekery and mixed in Citroen's design ethic. Its look is absurdly otherworldy both inside and out. I love the flying-wedge look; its chunky Japanese detailing is oddly reminiscent of the original Battlestar Galactica. On the inside, its uber-digital dashboard and bizarrely asymetrical steering wheel give it the feel of The Last Starfighter. The video below walks you through the dashboard, which was a knockout at the time.
Performance-wise, the XT was underpowered and an average handler. The XT turbo could muster only 110 horsepower; the XT6 upped the ante to 145 horsepower, but even that was only good for a 0-60 time in the 9-second range--barely average in its class. Still, while it wasn't fast, the XT combined all the sturdy goodness of 1980s Subarus with some weirdly compelling details.
At the time, Subaru was one of the automotive world's eccentric genius, smart enough to be ahead of the curve on all-wheel drive, but yet still free-spirited enough to come up with a strange flight of fancy like the XT. Today's fast turbo Subaru Legacys and Foresters wear the XT designation. That's probably coincidence, but I'd like to think it's a tip of the cap to Subaru's first sports car.
If you've ever wanted to put together a Subaru paper model--and who hasn't?--your wish has now been answered.
--Chris H.
P.S. By the way, Our Cars Week starts Monday. We've had so many good responses that I may end my posts about my own cars at the end of next week but continue the reader posts for another week or so. As long as you keep sending me good posts, I'll keep posting them!
mochi mochi on March 14, 2008 at 05:24 PM
pneumatic suspension, wedge shape, artificial horizon, star-wars instrument panel... I believe that subaru offered warp drive as an option in some later models.
bigrig on March 14, 2008 at 05:32 PM
If I remember correctly, these cars could raise and lower their suspensions, right? I actualy saw one yesterday.a little rusted, but still working.
Cookie the Dog's Owner on March 14, 2008 at 06:59 PM
At least some 1980s-90s Subarus had a pneumatic leveling system built into the suspension. There was a button on the dash that you could push to get another inch or two of ground clearance.
For months after we got our '90 Legacy, we used to like to watch it sink down as the leveling system depressureized after you shut the engine off. (We were young and easily amused.)
mochi mochi on March 14, 2008 at 07:04 PM
They can also levitate with an antigravity feature, unlock wormholes for inter-dimensional travel, and invert space-time at will. I did hear that the high-energy-laser-powered-cappuccino-maker was not especially reliable sometimes requiring more than 10 nano-seconds to brew.
Richthofen on March 15, 2008 at 09:44 AM
It's looks are what always got to me. The little Japanese guy that styled it did an acceptable job on the nose, then the peyote he dropped at lunch kicked in when he designed the rear section.
Frank Black on March 15, 2008 at 10:17 AM
A friend of mine had a later model of one of these. I always thought it suited her perfectly: a little odd but fun. It certainly was distinctive. Then she got a Saab which was totally not her.
Major Bill on March 15, 2008 at 01:12 PM
I had a subaru XT when I was stationed in (West) Germany in the late 80's. I ran it on the autoban for 2 years. It wasn't the fastest car on the road, but it was far from the slowest. And it was lots of fun to drive.
Major Bill
PersonFromPorlock on March 15, 2008 at 01:13 PM
The problem with '80s Subarus was that, technologically clever though they were, they could rust on the Moon.
Major Bill on March 15, 2008 at 01:14 PM
I had a subaru XT when I was stationed in (West) Germany in the late 80's. I ran it on the autoban for 2 years. It wasn't the fastest car on the road, but it was far from the slowest. And it was lots of fun to drive.
Major Bill
Aero Pioneer on March 17, 2008 at 06:47 AM
With oil at $111 a barrel, maybe it's time to re-visit some of the innovative aerodynamic ideas from this car, like the completely flush door handles.
Paisan on March 17, 2008 at 03:08 PM
The XT actually only had part-time 4wd.
The XT6 had the AWD system and the H6 and the air suspension. It also had the same 5x100 lug pattern as the later Subarus had.
Although the XT and XT6 looked similar, almost no parts were interchangeable.
The MT version had an electronic locker for the center diffy to lock it 50/50 which we wouldn't see again til the 2004 STi.
-mike
lisa on May 13, 2008 at 09:41 AM
i had an 85 xt turbo and now have an 86 xt turbo as well as an svx. the xt turbo gets great mileage at 28-30 around town (5 spd), i love the car, wish it wasn't so hard to get parts for.