@@AlcyoneModschannel When I took my '07 Impreza SE to the stealership for the airbag recall, the service writer asked me if I wanted to sell it. I told her I'd trade across the board for a showroom condition '85 XT coupe. She gave me a blank stare, and walked away. This was back in '16 when the car had around 30k actual miles.
@@07imprezadude nobody seems to know about these fantastic cars and when you show them a picture they assume it’s something pedestrian as a Honda Accord
@@AlcyoneModschannel So true! Subaru pulled out all the stops to make the XT as aerodynamic as possible. Subaru of America displayed a showroom condition, fully restored XT Turbo at SEMA several years ago. I'd take that car over anything on the road today .... well aside from a mint SVX or BRAT.
@@Aforementioned Yep, and the people saying "koopay" aren't pronouncing it correctly either unless they're code switching into a native-level French accent when they say it, which makes their pedantry especially irritating and unwarranted. Betcha they don't use the accent mark over the "e" when they write it either, which is also incorrect. Oh no, we're ALL WRONG, the HORROR! Pfft...
Then even more we should appreciate that Nissan makes 370Z and GTR, and Toyota makes GT86, and now also Supra. Although the last one is just a BMW, and the range is very small in comparision to the 80ies.
@@ponysoftonline4533 A very bold statement from someone who has a confederate flag in profile image. Most American cars always looked terrible and stupid if not disgusting. At best they were terribly grotesque an ill-proportioned. IIIrd gen Firebird, Fiero and first Mustang were just a few exceptions.
@@SparrowNoblePoland American cars were great until like the 90s. Dude I drive a 1986 Hyudai Excel so I know what a terrible looking car is. American vehicles Pre-90s ain't that chief.
“Fighter jet style wrap around windshield” I’d say that digital gauge face has the appearance of an advanced third generation American jet fighter. In other words, I’d buy one as the coupe and in that colour 👀
The interior features of the XT remind me of what Jeremy Clarkson said, while driving a 2008 STI, that car had so many performance gadgets that you’d think you control it with a PlayStation game controller.
This brings back so many memories. I had a little red sedan just like this one many years ago. Mine had the 4x4 option. That car was unstoppable in our Maine winters. It's too bad I had to scrap her. The thin metal Subaru used combinded with the salt we used on the roads rusted that little car to pieces.
I saw an XT coupe for the first time last year, I thought it was a prelude from the side then seen it said subaru on the back and was like WHAT IS THAT
The XT had a a single 22in windscreen wiper that receded below the bonnet line when not in use. There were also little rubber spoilers ahead of each wheelarch that channelled air smoothly past the wheels and tyres.
I was iffy about watching this....because I didn't want to be disappointed...but jesus was I wrong. Probably one of the most interesting and appealing episodes of motorweek I've seen.
The XT coupe looks like it came straight off the set of Tron lol Also 36mpg is really good, Subaru hasn't made a car that efficient since the turn of the century at least. Even their new 2019 models aren't that good on gas.
Subaru has been making the most efficient vehicles they have ever made considering their current power output and weight. 36 mpg highway is about the norm for their smaller all wheel drive vehicles these days.
Whoever is writing the description for these retro videos is awesome they are always funny and enjoyable to read. It’s good to know some people have a good sense of humor still and not afraid to be informal. Thanks
My sister first car was the Subaru sedan but blue paint with gray interior unfortunately she didn't have it long before a drunk driver crashed it thankfully nobody was in it and the car was parked cuz she was at work when it happened
Roads are not impressive now but were non-existent back then. Dirt roads were still common. Today, I'd appreciate that extra clearance for steep driveways and deep potholes. 😮
I enjoyed Motorweek when the show was about normal cars, like these. Now it's all about super cars for the staff to drive. I don't think many viewers can afford a Porsche GT3.
4:00 LOL! Man those 1980's teenagers lovin' that cool 80's angular style. I was a teen and saw this car brand spankin' new and thought it was very wacky even for my teen ager 80's taste. I actually loved the Pontiac Fiero but a bit later I found out what a POS it was. Again, going back to the ugly 1980's alloy wheels add the Isuzu Impulse's and the Honda Civic's wheels to the list. 1980's Japanese wheel gaudiness to the max! And that was some serious tailgating at the end.
That "teenagers" reference caught my attention as well. :) I was 16 that year and remember thinking it seemed like an attainable sporty car. Re the Fiero a little later I bought one of the original generation versions and yes Jesus they were horrid!
The Subaru DL/GL Sedan & Wagon were the Americanized version of the Subaru Leone sold in Japan, to give the model an official name Subaru marketed the vehicle as the Loyale halfway through this generation. Even though the XT was built in Japan it was first released in the United States before it was released in the Japanese market.
Great little cars that last forever. Slower than molasses in January. A friend had a 1990 with the 4-speed automatic (I believe by then they were 4-speed) and it was just ridiculous. However, it lasted her 200k+ miles. I'd rather know it's going to be there every single day than try to impress people with my 0-60 times.
I had a 1987 xt turbo 4wd, traded my 1987 5.7 iroc z for it, what was i thinking lol. But i came to love this little unusual car got alot of attention at the time.
Subaru is a car that has earned my respect. With no disrespect to anyone, I would buy a Subaru before a Toyota, and I have family that work for Toyota. The Camry is a car that does nothing for me. Subaru has the highest owner loyalty of any import brand, and that’s a fact, for you can’t find a low mileage Subaru for sale. If you do, you’ll pay dearly for it. I love the XT and sedan in this video.
I think back in the 80s, Subaru was pushing their engineering skills. 80s was a great time for the Japanese. Now days, cars are boring. Yes we have tech features, but its became mainstream and everyone has it.
They tried selling these in the UK in shopping malls because they did not have a dealer network back then. In the UK. I have never seen one on the road because they didn't sell any!
I love the XT! Had a friends whose dad had one and we would cruise it ourselves. Felt like we were in the future. Absolutely nothing else on the road looked like it.
Back then digital gauge cluster was a bad thing. Today if the car does not have digital gauges it is considered lame. This Subaru was way ahead of its time.
No intercooler and relatively low boost, and the engines then had a lower compression ratio to avoid knock. Add to that the lack of variable valve timing and thicker oils in the day (10w40 was probably standard) and you won't make a ton of power.
In January I bought almost this exact car. Mine has different alloys and is an '86. I paid $500 and there are almost no major problems. It only makes about 115hp but it also only weights 2500ish pounds, its pretty fun to drive! I thought the steering wheel would drive me crazy but it's actually pretty comfortable lol. Let me know if you have questions I know a fair bit! ;)
@@AlcyoneModschannel Yeah they are! My EA82T imploded on me a few months ago though haha. I have an EG33 hanging out in my garage right now that I'm gonna throw in there :)
@@Whitestorm2 do I know you on Instagram? I know a fellow in New York who had a turbo XT and was eagerly awaiting the inevitable end for that engine to start the swap of the eg3.3
I think you are right as I looked through their videos and none go back that far. That might be a good thing, since i loved mine and I might disappointed by a review if they didn't like it. LOL
In 1986 I bought a 1980 Ford fiesta best car ever on in my whole life they even had an article about it and automobile magazine back in the '80s best car I ever owned I miss her.!
I use to drive mine 52 miles per day round trip to and from work. It was great in the snow. A few people laughed at my car due to it's size, but driving that far I needed something reliable and thrifty. The tire store use to run great sales on tires starting at $22 till you read the fine print, then the next size up was something like $35, but that was okay because mine took the 12" dia. sale tires. Got a complete set mounted balaenced and taxes for just a couple dollars over $100. I loved the way it drove too, almost bought an 80 Stang, but liked the Fiesta much better when driving it. Use to say the Fiesta felt more like a sporst car than the Stang.
I had a turbo XT coupe very similar to the test car. Although I liked it, I hated the air suspension, not because of how it worked, but how expensive it was to fix when it broke. One new air shock cost well over $500, and I had to replace three of them (twice on one wheel). I ended up getting rid of it once another one was starting to go. I'd have preferred the non-turbo coupe with the normal gauges and normal suspension. The trade-off of power vs. reliability would have been worth it.
XT6 would be your car then they called it full time four wheel drive but it’s their early AWD they made them as a higher model to the XT from 1988-1991
It was exceedingly cheesy how MW put every AWD car back then on an offroad trail or open field, like if they were 4x4's lol. I guess the notion of AWD being used for everyday on-road traction, esp in rain or snow, was still a foreign concept
I had an 86 XT Turbo in bright red. At 6 years old parts were crazy expensive. I even rebuilt my power steering pump to keep it going. The air shocks were leaking overnight too.
I owned an 85 GL sedan 4WD turbo stick shift with that weird air suspension, LCD screen, power sunroof windows doors. The seats where black leather on the sides with black & white checker plush in the center of the seats. The seatbelts were also black & white checker raceway design. It was awesome but I really loved the LCD amber and red screen console showing all the available information. 35 years ahead of its time.
My grandma had a light blue "sedan" which by that point was called the Loyale. Some of my earliest memories are in that car with it's angular dashboard
OMG!!! i had this car! the sedan i mean. it was the SLOWEST car i ever drove and the throttle got stuck on me a few times. but it was reliable and good on gas. i only had it for a year. it was my 1st fully loaded car. LOL.
I had totally forgotten about these things, I was looking at buying one of these coupes a while back as a rallycross car. I think it was only 300 bucks lol. Kinda wish I had, but life goes on
