The Forgotten Subaru That Paved the Way for the WRX

When most people picture Subaru, they imagine a blue-and-gold Impreza flying through a dirt road with a rally champion at the wheel. The boxer engines, all-wheel drive, and turbochargers that defined the brand’s golden era didn’t appear overnight. Subaru’s path to building the legendary WRX actually started a decade earlier with a strange, wedge-shaped coupe that most enthusiasts have never heard of: the Subaru XT.

This quirky machine, launched in 1985, was the company’s first real attempt at a sporty flagship, and it quietly introduced the mechanical DNA that would later make the Impreza a household name.

The XT looked like something from a sci-fi movie, with pop-up headlights, a digital dashboard, and a wild interior that included touch-sensitive switches and an electronic ride-height control. 8-liter flat-four making 111 horsepower, modest by today’s standards, but it was the same basic formula Subaru would use for the first WRX.

7-liter flat-six engine, another piece of hardware that would stick around in Subaru’s lineup for decades. The car also featured early computer-assisted steering and air suspension, showing a commitment to innovation that the company never fully abandoned.

The XT didn’t sell in huge numbers, fewer than 100,000 units over its seven-year run, and it was often too weird for mainstream buyers and not fast enough for enthusiasts. But it served as a crucial testing ground. Subaru learned what worked and what didn’t, then applied those lessons to the Legacy and Impreza.

Today, a well-maintained XT6 can be had for around $5,400, according to Hagerty, making it an affordable piece of automotive history. Just be ready for rust, scarce parts, and finicky suspension systems. For those willing to put in the work, the XT is a fascinating glimpse into the car that shaped Subaru’s future.