Subaru R1
Encyclopedia
The Subaru R1 was introduced by the Japanese carmaker Subaru
on January 4, 2005. It was designed to fit within the Japanese kei car
tax bracket
.
The R1 is a two-door version of the Subaru R2
, 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 were the Suzuki Twin
and the European Smart Fortwo
.
The R1 was only available in one spec level up to the end of 2005, using a 658cc Subaru EN engine
. The engine is available in three versions: the I with the EN07U SOHC 34 kW (roughly 46 horsepower
) engine, the R with the EN07D DOHC engine rated at 40 kW (54 horsepower) and the STi
with an EN07X supercharged
and intercooled
engine rated at 47 kW (63 horsepower). 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
as well as four-wheel drive
.
In its promotional materials, the R1 is frequently compared to the Subaru 360
, the first production Subaru automobile.
The R1 is the base car for several vehicles:
Subaru
; is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries .Subaru is internationally known for their use of the boxer engine layout popularized in cars by the Volkswagen Beetle and Porsche 911, in most of their vehicles above 1500 cc as well as...
on January 4, 2005. It was designed to fit within the Japanese kei car
Kei car
Kei cars, K-cars, or , are a Japanese category of small vehicles, including passenger cars, vans, and pickup trucks. They are designed to comply with Japanese government tax and insurance regulations, and in most rural areas are exempted from the requirement to certify that adequate parking is...
tax bracket
Tax bracket
Tax brackets are the divisions at which tax rates change in a progressive tax system . Essentially, they are the cutoff values for taxable income — income past a certain point will be taxed at a higher rate.-Example:Imagine that there are three tax brackets: 10%, 20%, and 30%...
.
The R1 is a two-door version of the Subaru R2
Subaru R2
For the late 1960s Subaru R-2, please see Subaru R-2The Subaru R2 was announced in Japan on December 8, 2003, and the R2 name was inspired by the Subaru R-2, the kei car model that was produced between 1969 and 1972....
, 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 were the Suzuki Twin
Suzuki Twin
The Suzuki Twin was a kei car built by Suzuki and sold in Japan from January 22, 2003, until October 2005. It was available in both hybrid and non-hybrid versions, making it the first hybrid kei car available in Japan...
and the European Smart Fortwo
Smart Fortwo
The Smart Fortwo is a rear-engined two-seater city car manufactured by Smart GmbH, introduced at the 1998 Paris Motor Show as the Smart City Coupé, and currently in its second generation...
.
The R1 was only available in one spec level up to the end of 2005, using a 658cc Subaru EN engine
Subaru EN engine
The EN series engine is used for kei cars sold by Subaru in Japan. It is a four-cylinder, four-cycle engine introduced in 1988 as a replacement for the EK23 that was used in the Subaru Rex. While others manufacturers adopted a three-cylinder engine, the Subaru-EN is a four-cylinder. The EN05...
. The engine is available in three versions: the I with the EN07U SOHC 34 kW (roughly 46 horsepower
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
) engine, the R with the EN07D DOHC engine rated at 40 kW (54 horsepower) and the STi
Subaru Tecnica International
, or STi, is Fuji Heavy Industries' motorsports division. STi, along with Prodrive of the UK specializes in the preparation of a variety of vehicles for the Subaru World Rally Team which competed in the World Rally Championship...
with an EN07X supercharged
Supercharger
A supercharger is an air compressor used for forced induction of an internal combustion engine.The greater mass flow-rate provides more oxygen to support combustion than would be available in a naturally aspirated engine, which allows more fuel to be burned and more work to be done per cycle,...
and intercooled
Intercooler
An intercooler , or charge air cooler, is an air-to-air or air-to-liquid heat exchange device used on turbocharged and supercharged internal combustion engines to improve their volumetric efficiency by increasing intake air charge density through nearly isobaric cooling, which removes...
engine rated at 47 kW (63 horsepower). The R1 is being marketed as a personal car and as a middle-aged couple's second car; a combination of leather and alcantara
Alcantara (material)
Alcantara is a tradename given to a composite material used to cover surfaces and forms in a variety of applications. The material was developed in the early 1970s by Miyoshi Okamoto, a scientist working for the Japanese chemical company Toray Industries, as a variation of their other product...
seating is available. All R1s are equipped with a CVT
Continuously variable transmission
A continuously variable transmission is a transmission that can change steplessly through an infinite number of effective gear ratios between maximum and minimum values. This contrasts with other mechanical transmissions that offer a fixed number of gear ratios...
, and all trim levels are available with front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive is a form of engine/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 longitudinal engine arrangement generally found in rear-wheel drive and...
as well as four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
.
In its promotional materials, the R1 is frequently compared to the Subaru 360
Subaru 360
The Subaru 360 was the first automobile mass-produced by Fuji Heavy Industries' Subaru division. A number of innovative features were used to design a very small and inexpensive car to address government plans to produce a small "people's car" with an engine no larger than 360 cc when most in...
, the first production Subaru automobile.
The R1 is the base car for several vehicles:
- The Subaru R1eSubaru R1eThe Subaru R1e is a battery-electric microcar undergoing development and testing. The car was jointly developed with Tokyo Electric Power, the giant Japanese utility company. Currently 10 prototypes have been built and are undergoing testing by Tokyo Electric Power, which plans to eventually...
, an experimental battery electric vehicleBattery electric vehicleA battery electric vehicle, or BEV, is a type of electric vehicle that uses chemical energy stored in rechargeable battery packs. BEVs use electric motors and motor controllers instead of, or in addition to, internal combustion engines for propulsion.A battery-only electric vehicle or...
, currently undergoing limited production for selected industrial clients in Japan. There is intense interest in this vehicle within the US EV community as it employs Lithium Ion batteries which contribute to a significant improvement in range, and which can be 80% recharged in just 15 minutes. - The Prodrive P2Prodrive P2The 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 many Prodrive systems originally designed for their...
concept sports carSports carA sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
.
Collectibles
- TomicaTomicaTomica is the line of die-cast toy vehicles and related products produced by Takara Tomy Co. of Japan . This is not the same as Tomica World, which is a line of motorized trains and vehicles and accessories that Tomy Co. of Japan has produced since the late 1990s...
makes a diecast 1/64 R1, not available in US. - TakaraTakaraTakara Co., Ltd. was a Japanese toy company founded in 1955, that merged with another prominent Japanese toy company, Tomy Co., Ltd., on March 1, 2006 to form Takara Tomy, also known in English as TOMY Company Ltd....
makes a Choro Q plastic pull-back R1 not available in US.