Subaru Rex budget crossover presented, and we already know it

The SUV with the revived name is not an original development of Subaru – it is almost a 100% clone of the Daihatsu model. And the new Rex has brothers from Toyota and a Malaysian company.

Under the name Rex, the Subaru brand produced in 1972-1992. key car: in the first generation there was a hatchback and a curvy sedan, in the second – only a hatch. Now the Rex is a subcompact crossover made as part of an OEM collaboration with Daihatsu, the latter company will manufacture it. That is, the new Rex is not an independent model – it is a Daihatsu Rocky with Subaru emblems.

Recall that the current Rocky debuted at the end of 2019, it is based on the DNGA platform (Daihatsu New Global Architecture; a variation of Toyt’s TNGA). Almost simultaneously with the SUV, Daihatsu introduced its twin from Toyota – Raize . And last year, the “Japanese” got another brother – the Malaysian cross Perodua Ativa (owned by Toyota, Daihatsu owns Perodua shares).

Between themselves, Rocky, Raize and Ativa are slightly different in appearance, but they did not bother with the design of the Subaru Rex: this compact was completely repeated by Rocky, only the logos were replaced. The length of the Rex is 3995 mm, width – 1695 mm, height – 1620 mm, wheelbase – 2525 mm. Passport ground clearance – 185 mm. Models are fitted with 17- or 18-inch wheels.

The interior is the same for everyone, there is a simple “climate” control unit and a digital “tidy”, and for an extra charge you can order a multimedia system with a 9-inch screen towering above the front panel. The new Rex is available in Japan in two trim levels, the model still has six airbags and a Smart Assist security system, including adaptive cruise control, auto-braking, blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.

Daihatsu and Toyota SUVs come in the form of hybrids , they also have all-wheel drive. But the Subaru Rex is offered exclusively in a front-wheel drive version with a base atmospheric “troika” 1.2 (87 hp), which is paired with a CVT.

In Japan, they are already accepting orders for the Subaru cross, the price is from $12,900. In comparison, the Daihatsu Rocky starts at $11,900 and the Toyota Raize starts at $12,200. Subaru expects to sell only 150 Rex monthly, the SUV is unlikely to appear outside the Japanese market.