Details of Cars

Subaru R1: the short two-door kei car

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Subaru R1 S with supercharger
Subaru R1 S with the supercharged engine. Photo: Sotetsuyama, CC0. Photo by Sotetsuyama, CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Subaru R1 was a two-door kei car produced from 2005 to 2010. It was a shorter version of the Subaru R2, and unusually it did not use the full length allowed by the kei car rules.

Subaru R1 at a glance

Subaru R1 key facts
Maker Subaru, Japan
Production 2005–2010
Class kei car, two-door
Based on Subaru R2, with a shorter body and wheelbase
Engine 658 cc four-cylinder EN07
R version DOHC, 40 kW (54 hp)
I version SOHC, 34 kW (46 hp)
STi version supercharged and intercooled, 47 kW (63 hp)
Gearbox CVT on all versions
Drive front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive
Interior option leather and Alcantara seats
Related R1e electric prototype and the Prodrive P2 concept

Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the Subaru R1.

History of the Subaru R1

The R1 entered production on 4 January 2005 as a two-door version of the R2, with a shorter body and wheelbase. It is unusual among kei cars in not using the maximum length the rules allow; since the 1989 Autozam Carol only the Suzuki Twin, Daihatsu Midget, Toyota C+pod and European Smart Fortwo had done the same.

Rear of a Subaru R1 R
Rear of a Subaru R1 R. Photo: Tokumeigakarinoaoshima, CC0. Photo by Tokumeigakarinoaoshima, CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Range

Until the end of 2005 there was only one specification level, with a choice of three versions of the 658 cc Subaru EN engine: the I with a single-overhead-camshaft unit of 34 kW (46 hp), the R with a twin-cam engine of 40 kW (54 hp) and the STi with a supercharged and intercooled engine of 47 kW (63 hp). Every R1 had a continuously variable transmission, and every version could be ordered with front- or four-wheel drive.

Subaru marketed the R1 as a personal car and as a second car for middle-aged couples, and offered a combination of leather and Alcantara upholstery. In its promotional material the company often compared the R1 with the Subaru 360, the first production Subaru.

Derivatives

The R1 was the base for the Subaru R1e, an experimental battery-electric vehicle built in limited numbers for selected industrial customers in Japan. It used lithium-ion batteries that could be recharged to 80 per cent in fifteen minutes, and it attracted interest among electric-car enthusiasts in the United States. The same platform also underpinned the Prodrive P2 concept sports car. The R1 was also reproduced as a model: Tomica made a 1:56 diecast in 2005, Takara a Choro-Q pull-back and Norev a 1:43 scale car.

Design and features

  • Short body: deliberately smaller than the kei rules allow.
  • Two doors: a personal car rather than a family model.
  • Three engines: 46, 54 and 63 hp versions of the 658 cc EN unit.
  • CVT only: no manual gearbox was offered.
  • R1e: an electric prototype with lithium-ion batteries.

Subaru R1 versions

  • R1 I: single-overhead-camshaft engine with 46 hp.
  • R1 R: twin-cam engine with 54 hp.
  • R1 STi: supercharged and intercooled engine with 63 hp.
  • R1e: experimental electric version for industrial clients.
  • Prodrive P2: sports concept car built on the same base.

The R1 was a shorter two-door version of the R2, and Subaru compared it with its first car, the Subaru 360. More Subarus are in the Subaru collection.

Video: Trying the Subaru R1

Video by 物欲名古屋人 on YouTube.

Sources

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