The only new car I've bought was a 1988 XT. The interior is strange, but once you get used to it the layout is kinda intuitive. And having those control pods which moved with the steering column meant I could use a lot of the functions while keeping both hands on the wheel. This was one of the most fun cars I've owned.
I used to have a 91 300zx that had similar pods for HVAC and cruise control. Loved those things. Was so easy to use without looking away from the road.
Had the 85 XT Turbo. Very fun but kind of a basket case. Over time the constant annoyances wear out the fun factor. Mostly electrical issues. The suspension adjustment never worked and also was not connected to the 4wd button. It had it's own button but to fix was in the thousands so no...
@@rogerhinman5427 I was wondering about the interior. He doesn’t show the full back seat but it looks like they’re vinyl and the front seats are cloth with vinyl headrests. Am I seeing that right?
Had a good customer with one of these. She brought it in, and the gauge display was all wonky - looked like a battle scene from a StarWars movie. I was clueless. Checked power supplies, fuses, grounds and the like - all to no avail. I finally called the Subaru dealer. They said, "Oh, we'll send you a reman'd alternator." Fixed the problem & I was grateful. I guess it was a leaky diode that was allowing A/C voltage into the system.
I had a neighbor who owned one when they first came out. Every kid in the neighborhood was blown away by the arcade interior. Such a cool piece of history.
Ah yes. I bought a new International Scout II in 1974. The dealership had just started selling a new brand of car - Subaru. They had a BRAT (I think it stood for Bi-drive Recreational All-Terrain vehicle, or something like that) on the showroom floor. Having rear seats in the bed facing backwards was weird. A friend bought one and loved it. My wife is on her second Outback and she loves them.
I doubt that would have passed by all the Subaru execs who approved this ad. That is likely by design rather than a flaw in quality. The buttons in the pod likely share a base hence their movement in unison.
Videos like this really make me miss the cars of the 1980's. I always loved this dash, and those switch pods coming from the steering column look inspired from KITT, the Knight Rider car! I almost bought a used one of these cars, but when I got it checked out by a shop, they said it had significant mechanical issues. Back then -- and into the early 1990's -- you had an ample choice of sleek, low-to-the-ground, 2-door, affordable coupes. And many -- especially in the 1980's -- came with digital instrumentation at least as an option. I remember that the automotive press grew to hate digital dashes and continually ripped them apart in their automotive reviews -- and I wrote several letters to these magazines in support of the digital dashes (some of which got published) -- but I think this is one of the reasons that digital dashes almost disappeared in the 1990's. Even the later versions of the XT ceased (to the best of my knowledge) offering a digital option -- at least in the US. But around 2000, Honda surprisingly offered a digital cluster in their S2000 sports car, and as screen-based technology became more mainstream, digital and screen-based clusters became more common-place again. It's a shame that, while the automotive industry is now doing a good job on the interiors, they are offering us little more than a sea of Seriously Ugly Vehicles, where it's practically impossible to find a car that is less than 5 feet tall.
I had the 86 xt turbo automatic with all options except for the upgraded wheels. On the automatic transmission model it came with a separate button on the left pod that activated 'height control' raising the car up a few inches and raising the car on the instrument panel. After a few years I got an 89 XT6 which was nice but they had gotten rid of the fun gadgets that the XT Turbo had like the electropneumatic suspension with height control and the digital instrument cluster but it still retained the funky layout. I regret getting rid of the 1986 xt turbo more than any other car I've owned. I loved that car. I forgot to mention that the turbo couldn't lag anymore than it did but you could feel it ramping up and for a few seconds you felt like you were in a fast car.
We had one of these. It was an 87 or 88 with the standard gauge cluster, manual trans and non-turbo 4cyl engine. It wasn't fast, but it was reliable, and great in the snow. The controls were very intuitive and easy to use, and didn't feel strange at all when behind the wheel. Sadly, it was claimed by rust in the early 2000's.
Pods were all the rage for a few years in the 80s. I'm reminded of the Isuzu impulse with giant pods on both sides. You could adjust them by twisting big dials at the bottom of each pod. The upper turbo level had a digital display option as well.
I loved the look of this car. Subaru would later come out with the SVX in the 90s that would be more true to the sporty luxury goal of the XT. It also was weird with side windows that only half would roll down. That interior was also very original from what I remember. But the boy racer looks of the XT were definitely unique. By the way the Tom Hanks adult “girl friend” drove an XT6 in the movie Big. Fantastic
I liked the pods on either side of the steering column. They reminded me of KITT, from Knight Rider, and I think Subaru was trying to get this novelty to take off.
Living where I do in Texas, I never had a Subaru dealership near me. I've always respected their individuality and particularly those engines. Thanks for the video! I actually looked at this in Houston in the eighties but I was a poor college student...
The digital cluster made you think you were playing Out Run at the arcade, same reason the shifter came straight off the After Burner acade game from the same time.
The XT paved the way for Subaru's SVX, their only other 2-door model until the BRZ much much later. I vaguely recall a TV ad with an XT pulling into a wedge-shaped detached garage too.
I loved my 1986 XT GL-10 turbo 5 speed 4wd with the digital dash. It was the first new car I’d ever purchased. The control pods were intuitive and put the buttons within easy reach. I only needed to take my hands off the wheel for stereo and sunroof operations. With the turbo it only made 110 horsepower, so not a sports car in any real sense of motor sports. I liked it so much, though, that I bought an old DL 4wd wagon, because I didn’t want to leave my ‘new’ car in the demolition derby experience that was the parking lot at work. The wagon is gone now, but I still have the XT.
Hi Adam , here in Australia they were called the Subaru VORTEX , available in 1.8 litre, or bigger 2.7 litre engines and were reasonably popular with younger people with some cash as they were not cheap to buy. Most buyers seeming to opt for the bigger more powerful engine. However, they did not last and seemed beset with warranty issues with their engines, when just a couple of years old their resale values were terrible. There were some interesting & weird TV advertisements to attempt to sell them.
I remember a neighbor getting a new XT. He touted that he bought it for all the "gizmos" (which also extend beyond the interior). That always stuck with me, as it epitomized part of what Japanese cars were known for at the time.
My dad said that those interiors were sometimes called "Tokyo at night" displays. I now realize that when someone has photos of Tokyo being lit up, at least one features Shibuya Crossing.
5:26 The 1985 Citroën BX Digit had a similar digital cluster. I even find that the interior of the BX is still a little bit more quirkyest, the French eccentricity.
I was going to point that out too, also Citroen had a very similar idea on the first version of the BX concerning the "pods" behind the steering wheel (directly attached to the dashboard, however), called the "PRN Satellites"
I had one of these. Like others have mentioned, the controls and dashboard design was wacky but once you got used to it it was very intuitive, with everything you needed close at hand. It was a slow car that was very fun to drive fast. 😂 That ad was awesome! I vaguely remember it.
One of the best vehicles I’ve owned and the reason why I have since bought 2 more Subarus. The instrument panel and attached control pods were certainly unique… so much so that upon getting pulled over by the police for a random seatbelt check (I had it on), I spent 5 minutes explaining and showing the police officer all the controls and fun features. He was impressed! 👍🏻
Thanks for highlighting the Subaru XT. I own a 1992 Subaru SVX which isn't quite as strange at the XT. I also owned a 1984 Isuzu Impulse in the past that had pods for controls.
Back then the Impulse was one of my dream cars, never owned one but rode in a few, sure it wasn't a performance car but those looks, I still think it's one of the best looking and maybe the best looking hatchback ever made, heck it's just plain one of the best looking cars ever made period, and the interior was also great--and who who lived back then can forget those Joe Isuzu ads???!!! A few seconds of one of the Isuzu ads was even used in The Talking Heads' Love for Sale music video--funny thing, I watch that video which is supposed to be slamming those ads of the time but it only makes me nostalgic for a time when cars among other things were actually something to get excited about as opposed to safe functional but boring as refrigerator boxes on wheels (which I'm sadly guilty as charged of driving LOL!) Here ya go, enjoy a bit of a blast from your past here! :) th-cam.com/video/I4IiGBwSBUE/w-d-xo.html
I went to college at Embry-Riddle between 1985 and 1989, and after my first year, I drove an '85 Volkswagen Scirocco 5 speed. Another kid at the school had one of these Subarus, and we raced cars once and it was a dead heat. 0-60 in 9.7 seconds....Real fireballs!
Thank you for your videos. Congratulations on your car collection. Better than any super-car collection that does not usually run without thousands of dollars of repairs. I have been into cars since a child in the 60’s. My Grandmother called me one day and said her friend just got a Mercury Brog Ham and wondered what it was. As a 13-year-old I had to say, although I know cars, I had never heard of a Mercury Brog Ham. Too young to know.
Subaru was incredibly interesting during this time. Reliability was high, base models were jam-packed with features you'd never ever find standard on comparable domestics, and they were always doing something a little different from the other Japanese marques. Really fascinating cars and pretty loveable. I've had several Subarus over the years with engines spanning from the EA71 to the EJ22 and it's nice to see cars that try to be a little different from the rest of the pack. The XT is the most different of them all. Would love to own one someday.
I had a friend from college who bought one of these after graduating. This car was too strange. Much of the 80s was tech inspired overload from clothes to music to cars and more. This car epitomizes that.
I had a 2000 Forester as a first car, it had some kind of optional gauge package with gauge pods on the center of the dash and there was one that was orange on black, showing a car moving on the horizon that showed compass direction, tilt angle, and a few other things and I feel whoever designed that was definitely making a reference to the 1980s XT's digital gauges.
When I first saw one of these as a kid, I loved the “hidden” door handles. And that digital instrument cluster, oh my. Guarantee that was completely illegible with even the slightest amount of glare. Gotta love 80s technology!
I used to own a Subaru “Justy”… was either an ‘87 or an ‘88; can’t remember. It had the 4x4 option w/funky button in top of shifter knob, like you mentioned. I’m wondering if this Subaru model you’re discussing, would’ve implemented that same 4x4 system that the Justy used? It only had 3 cylinders. I really regret having sold it oh, @ 2007. It got INCREDIBLE gas mileage, for its age ‘unless’, you turned on its A/C!!! 🤣 I vividly remember that A/C putting a major, highly noticeable load on that itty-bitty 3 banger! It was very YUGO-ish, in overall design… some loved it, others hated it.
As I posted above, that was one of my dream cars, wish I'd bought one instead of my '86 Corolla SR-5 which was well built and reliable but so slow it couldn't get out of its own way LOL--then again, if I owned one of those now I could name my price because the drifting guys love them! It didn't exactly have pods but a similar arrangement for some controls on either side of the steering wheel. Sign of the times I guess! I had to go look up Talking Heads Love for Sale video which among other stuff used bits of an Isuzu Impulse ad from the time--enjoy! :) th-cam.com/video/I4IiGBwSBUE/w-d-xo.html
I had an '86 XT Turbo back in the day. The interior was (for the time) really fun. The non-intercooled turbo knocked like a bastard under boost. Only 93 would prevent it. The clutch was cable actuated rather than hydro, and that damn cable broke several times. Blew the coolant seal in the turbo on the Interstate, and dumped the coolant out the exhaust. I spent more time fixing that car than any other car I've had. But I still loved it.
Anybody around to rebuild the digital gauge cluster??? I like the part of the ad when the Farm Boy says "But dad, I did" and then the cows MOOOO right on que. Thanks Adam for posting.....
In '87 I was torn between this or a new VW Scirroco. Having an '85 Subie Wagon for trade-in, I was very tempted but drove home with the sexy German hatchback in the end.
Had a loaded ‘86 turbo 5sp, 4x4. A very fun car to own and Lots of quiet tech. The air suspension was self Leveling. The push button 4wd was at any speed. The gauge pod also moved with the wheel In ‘86 the suspension hi-lo setting was a separate switch. With the turbo the spare wouldn’t fit under the hood so it took up over half the trunk.
Great vid.. these were awesome. From the dash to the shifter, to the flush door handles, pop up headlights, joystick shifter, console mounted controls, pod controls, turbo power, 4wd, plus more. They were gimmicky for sure but oh so cool. They only thing that would have come close is a camaro z28 with the berlinetta interior, which of course they didn't make. Onnthe camaro you had to get the non-performance berlinetta version to get the cool interior. These XT subarus made almost everything seem 30 years older by conparison.
When I was a kid we had a 94 s10 blazer that had a very rare digital gauge cluster that to this day was the coolest one I'd seen. Like I said till today...that cluster is BAD A$$! The gas gauge and temp are boxes in perspective to the center animation,and that center animation!!! To use the rpm and boost gauge like that all the way back them is crazy
had one of these... Great targa top and transmission...Hate the instrument clusters hanging off the sides of the column. Love the TRON style 5 speed shifter. Car had some beans once the turbo lag stopped
The Probe was interesting also due to the entire column, speedometer and all, moving with the steering wheel. They also featured a digital dash and turbo. Seems like these were a popular thing in the mid to late 80s
That was my first car, I loved it, the seats were really comfortable, the design was amazing, door openings, dash, gear shift, stability, the engine was not very powerful but as a first car was really nice, the material of the steering wheel, I felt like I was in a jet, a few years after I wanted to buy back another one and never saw one again where i live. Really cool car.
Back in the early 90s, my boyfriend bought a used '88 XT that I ended up driving a lot. It was black and looked pretty cool. I loved shifting gears with the joystick. The dash board was indeed funky but once you got used to it, it was great. A couple of the odd points, even though the HVAC controls were on the right pod, the temperature and fan controls were down on the center console. Also, the door handles were way down near the floor on each door. Overall, I really liked the car.
I definitely remember that commercial. It may have actually influenced my decision to buy a '85 XT. One "feature" that I found very useful with my young family was the vinyl rear seat. I could buckle my infant son's car seat back there and he could have his drink and snacks, if he spilled (which he did), no staining. Overall a fun car to own and drive, but we didn't have it long. Kids got bigger and we had to move on.
I owned several XT/XT6s, and I still think they're one of the most beautiful car designs of all time. My dad was friends with the owner of a Subaru dealer in the early '80s and Subaru had been promising a next-gen sports car for many years before the XT (for eXperimenTal, but called the Alcyone elsewhere in the world) came to market, but finally released a car which was based on the same platform as the GL/Loyale so it never really lived up to the hype performance-wise. I'd love to see a modern take on this car.
I had one of these cars, the 3spd automatic, turbo fwd version. It was great to drive. Since it was low slung to the ground it handled very very well. Hondas at the time needed to be lowered and have rock hard suspension to feel stable. This car felt stable from the factory. One thing that wasn't addressed was the annoying speed alarm. There's a key you can turn on the left of the steering. If you turn it on the car would buzz loudly if driven above 50 mph. You can remove the key if you want to annoy the driver. Then there was the spare tire. It was mounted at a 45 degree angle in the cargo area right next to the rear of the back seats. You'd have to remove it if you want to fold the back seats and load something big. I had 3 Subarus from the 80s. They were good cars unless of course you experience problems like I had. First with the XT. Just like other Subarus they used garbage plastic radiators that clogged like there's no tomorrow. If your car is running very hot or overheating, chances are your radiator is clogged. You can replace it with the same garbage plastic radiator that will clog in no time. But the XT turbo uses a radiator with different mounting holes. It looks nearly the same as other Subaru radiators but mounting holes are different. I had to order a used radiator for my XT from Japan. It took 4 weeks and that was the time before the internet. Another problem Subarus of that ear had was soft aluminum heads. The bolts that hold the exhaust manifold to the head would often break thread. That's how I found out about Helicoils. If you hear an old Subaru with a fluttering sounding exhaust, that's usually the problem. The next problem I also encountered were compression loss on cylinder 1. Other cars had this too. It was likely a faulty head gasket. I didn't want to rebuild the engine so I sold it and bought a Toyota. I never touched a Subaru again.
The Isuzu Impulse had a similar podded & unique interior. Beautiful car as well. But the XT remains my king of 1980s quirky greatness. Fortunate to have the SVX successor, but the XT... Wow.
Working as a tech with GM at start and then moving to Toyota and dealing with all makes with the used car lots it amazed me how the domestics tried to emulate those funky Godzilla movie looking designs early Japanese vehicles had. The dimmer switch was a funny one to me. Japanese started by having a click back to brighten the stalk stayed like a toggle switch where as the domestics had a snap back and return to center stalk. The Japanese later changed but about the same time the domestics changed as if they were playing musical chairs. Seems like a lot of crazy times before they all kind of settled on some generic controls on the column and even the HVAC center. Some gross stuff, even then we knew it was gross.
The only new car I've bought was a 1988 XT. The interior is strange, but once you get used to it the layout is kinda intuitive. And having those control pods which moved with the steering column meant I could use a lot of the functions while keeping both hands on the wheel. This was one of the most fun cars I've owned.
I used to have a 91 300zx that had similar pods for HVAC and cruise control. Loved those things. Was so easy to use without looking away from the road.
I would love to find one in decent shape now.
@@paulhansen7667 I've looked and they're a rare bird now.
Had the 85 XT Turbo. Very fun but kind of a basket case. Over time the constant annoyances wear out the fun factor. Mostly electrical issues. The suspension adjustment never worked and also was not connected to the 4wd button. It had it's own button but to fix was in the thousands so no...
@@rogerhinman5427 I was wondering about the interior. He doesn’t show the full back seat but it looks like they’re vinyl and the front seats are cloth with vinyl headrests. Am I seeing that right?
Had a good customer with one of these. She brought it in, and the gauge display was all wonky - looked like a battle scene from a StarWars movie. I was clueless. Checked power supplies, fuses, grounds and the like - all to no avail. I finally called the Subaru dealer. They said, "Oh, we'll send you a reman'd alternator." Fixed the problem & I was grateful. I guess it was a leaky diode that was allowing A/C voltage into the system.
I had a neighbor who owned one when they first came out. Every kid in the neighborhood was blown away by the arcade interior. Such a cool piece of history.
I miss the quirky, funky and fun Subarus from this era. Thanks for the blast from the past, Adam! Would love to see more funky cars from the 1980s.
Ah yes. I bought a new International Scout II in 1974. The dealership had just started selling a new brand of car - Subaru. They had a BRAT (I think it stood for Bi-drive Recreational All-Terrain vehicle, or something like that) on the showroom floor. Having rear seats in the bed facing backwards was weird. A friend bought one and loved it. My wife is on her second Outback and she loves them.
I like how the plastic panel noticeably flexes when he pushes the button at 8:58 . Ah yes, 80s interior quality ..
If you look closely you'll see it was the other buttons that moved, not the panel. But your point still stands
I doubt that would have passed by all the Subaru execs who approved this ad. That is likely by design rather than a flaw in quality. The buttons in the pod likely share a base hence their movement in unison.
@@HAL-dm1eh yes I did notice that. I was more taking a jab at 80s plastic interiors haha
@@andrewdavid7474 It's still low quality for the other buttons to move when you press only one.
@@HAL-dm1eh On top of the line models, extra 'sport' screws are optioned for various areas of the cockpit.
Videos like this really make me miss the cars of the 1980's. I always loved this dash, and those switch pods coming from the steering column look inspired from KITT, the Knight Rider car! I almost bought a used one of these cars, but when I got it checked out by a shop, they said it had significant mechanical issues.
Back then -- and into the early 1990's -- you had an ample choice of sleek, low-to-the-ground, 2-door, affordable coupes. And many -- especially in the 1980's -- came with digital instrumentation at least as an option. I remember that the automotive press grew to hate digital dashes and continually ripped them apart in their automotive reviews -- and I wrote several letters to these magazines in support of the digital dashes (some of which got published) -- but I think this is one of the reasons that digital dashes almost disappeared in the 1990's. Even the later versions of the XT ceased (to the best of my knowledge) offering a digital option -- at least in the US. But around 2000, Honda surprisingly offered a digital cluster in their S2000 sports car, and as screen-based technology became more mainstream, digital and screen-based clusters became more common-place again.
It's a shame that, while the automotive industry is now doing a good job on the interiors, they are offering us little more than a sea of Seriously Ugly Vehicles, where it's practically impossible to find a car that is less than 5 feet tall.
I had the 86 xt turbo automatic with all options except for the upgraded wheels. On the automatic transmission model it came with a separate button on the left pod that activated 'height control' raising the car up a few inches and raising the car on the instrument panel. After a few years I got an 89 XT6 which was nice but they had gotten rid of the fun gadgets that the XT Turbo had like the electropneumatic suspension with height control and the digital instrument cluster but it still retained the funky layout. I regret getting rid of the 1986 xt turbo more than any other car I've owned. I loved that car. I forgot to mention that the turbo couldn't lag anymore than it did but you could feel it ramping up and for a few seconds you felt like you were in a fast car.
We had one of these. It was an 87 or 88 with the standard gauge cluster, manual trans and non-turbo 4cyl engine. It wasn't fast, but it was reliable, and great in the snow. The controls were very intuitive and easy to use, and didn't feel strange at all when behind the wheel. Sadly, it was claimed by rust in the early 2000's.
Pods were all the rage for a few years in the 80s. I'm reminded of the Isuzu impulse with giant pods on both sides. You could adjust them by twisting big dials at the bottom of each pod. The upper turbo level had a digital display option as well.
This model Subaru is indeed strange looking!! They were solid & dependable though!!! Thanks Adam for showcasing this unique car!!! 👍🙂🙂
My clutch cable wasn't. I don't remember how many times it was replaced, but for sure it was more than 6.
This car and that ad are so aggressively 80's! I love it!
I love 80s commercials, absolutely hilarious😂
I loved the look of this car. Subaru would later come out with the SVX in the 90s that would be more true to the sporty luxury goal of the XT. It also was weird with side windows that only half would roll down. That interior was also very original from what I remember. But the boy racer looks of the XT were definitely unique. By the way the Tom Hanks adult “girl friend” drove an XT6 in the movie Big. Fantastic
That SVX was an expensive car back in the day. Very cool though.
1987.5 Subaru XT turbo not an XT6
I liked the pods on either side of the steering column. They reminded me of KITT, from Knight Rider, and I think Subaru was trying to get this novelty to take off.
Living where I do in Texas, I never had a Subaru dealership near me. I've always respected their individuality and particularly those engines. Thanks for the video! I actually looked at this in Houston in the eighties but I was a poor college student...
The digital cluster made you think you were playing Out Run at the arcade, same reason the shifter came straight off the After Burner acade game from the same time.
The XT paved the way for Subaru's SVX, their only other 2-door model until the BRZ much much later.
I vaguely recall a TV ad with an XT pulling into a wedge-shaped detached garage too.
I had a '85 XT! My mom purchased it new in 1985 and gave it to me in 1991! EVERYBODY loved that car!!!! I'd love to have another one!
My dad sold Subarus around this time. The XT Coupe, for a 9 year old kid, raised on Star Wars and Knight Rider, was an absolute dream come true.
I loved my 1986 XT GL-10 turbo 5 speed 4wd with the digital dash. It was the first new car I’d ever purchased. The control pods were intuitive and put the buttons within easy reach. I only needed to take my hands off the wheel for stereo and sunroof operations. With the turbo it only made 110 horsepower, so not a sports car in any real sense of motor sports. I liked it so much, though, that I bought an old DL 4wd wagon, because I didn’t want to leave my ‘new’ car in the demolition derby experience that was the parking lot at work. The wagon is gone now, but I still have the XT.
Hi Adam , here in Australia they were called the Subaru VORTEX , available in 1.8 litre, or bigger 2.7 litre engines and were reasonably popular with younger people with some cash as they were not cheap to buy. Most buyers seeming to opt for the bigger more powerful engine. However, they did not last and seemed beset with warranty issues with their engines, when just a couple of years old their resale values were terrible. There were some interesting & weird TV advertisements to attempt to sell them.
I remember a neighbor getting a new XT. He touted that he bought it for all the "gizmos" (which also extend beyond the interior). That always stuck with me, as it epitomized part of what Japanese cars were known for at the time.
My dad said that those interiors were sometimes called "Tokyo at night" displays.
I now realize that when someone has photos of Tokyo being lit up, at least one features Shibuya Crossing.
Loved this car! One of the best looking cars of the 80's. 👍
Best looking? Definitely not.
5:26 The 1985 Citroën BX Digit had a similar digital cluster. I even find that the interior of the BX is still a little bit more quirkyest, the French eccentricity.
I was going to point that out too, also Citroen had a very similar idea on the first version of the BX concerning the "pods" behind the steering wheel (directly attached to the dashboard, however), called the "PRN Satellites"
@@fastandsavage The GSA and Visa also had satellite pods
A car I had pretty much forgotten about. Never knew they had such wild interiors and dashboards. Pretty sweet!
Cool. Those were very strange.
I loved the mid 80's through mid 90's era of Japanese cars. They took chances and really designed some neat cars then.
I'm very happy you got the chance to cover this hidden gem. Great video
I had one of these. Like others have mentioned, the controls and dashboard design was wacky but once you got used to it it was very intuitive, with everything you needed close at hand. It was a slow car that was very fun to drive fast.
😂 That ad was awesome! I vaguely remember it.
Slow cars are always fun to drive at 9/10ths than fast cars are at 1/10th.
One of the best vehicles I’ve owned and the reason why I have since bought 2 more Subarus. The instrument panel and attached control pods were certainly unique… so much so that upon getting pulled over by the police for a random seatbelt check (I had it on), I spent 5 minutes explaining and showing the police officer all the controls and fun features. He was impressed! 👍🏻
It reminds me of a 1980 Citroën Pallas I used to have! I love funky interiors!
Thanks for highlighting the Subaru XT. I own a 1992 Subaru SVX which isn't quite as strange at the XT. I also owned a 1984 Isuzu Impulse in the past that had pods for controls.
I love the greenhouse on the SVX… Had to be super expensive to manufacture.
Back then the Impulse was one of my dream cars, never owned one but rode in a few, sure it wasn't a performance car but those looks, I still think it's one of the best looking and maybe the best looking hatchback ever made, heck it's just plain one of the best looking cars ever made period, and the interior was also great--and who who lived back then can forget those Joe Isuzu ads???!!! A few seconds of one of the Isuzu ads was even used in The Talking Heads' Love for Sale music video--funny thing, I watch that video which is supposed to be slamming those ads of the time but it only makes me nostalgic for a time when cars among other things were actually something to get excited about as opposed to safe functional but boring as refrigerator boxes on wheels (which I'm sadly guilty as charged of driving LOL!) Here ya go, enjoy a bit of a blast from your past here! :) th-cam.com/video/I4IiGBwSBUE/w-d-xo.html
I went to college at Embry-Riddle between 1985 and 1989, and after my first year, I drove an '85 Volkswagen Scirocco 5 speed. Another kid at the school had one of these Subarus, and we raced cars once and it was a dead heat. 0-60 in 9.7 seconds....Real fireballs!
Thanks for taking us down memory lane . Great job.
Thank you for your videos. Congratulations on your car collection. Better than any super-car collection that does not usually run without thousands of dollars of repairs. I have been into cars since a child in the 60’s. My Grandmother called me one day and said her friend just got a Mercury Brog Ham and wondered what it was. As a 13-year-old I had to say, although I know cars, I had never heard of a Mercury Brog Ham. Too young to know.
Great vid, really enjoyed!
Subaru was incredibly interesting during this time. Reliability was high, base models were jam-packed with features you'd never ever find standard on comparable domestics, and they were always doing something a little different from the other Japanese marques. Really fascinating cars and pretty loveable. I've had several Subarus over the years with engines spanning from the EA71 to the EJ22 and it's nice to see cars that try to be a little different from the rest of the pack. The XT is the most different of them all. Would love to own one someday.
I had a friend from college who bought one of these after graduating. This car was too strange. Much of the 80s was tech inspired overload from clothes to music to cars and more. This car epitomizes that.
Such a unique and mysterious car, thanks for showing us inside.
Had an white xt6, back in the 90s. Everyone called it the spaceship. I loved how it drove and felt.
80’s styling with a ruler. Still, it looks cool these days, especially the dash. I like the rear styling too.
The German magazine "OLDTIMER-MARKT" once wrote that Subaru shot itself into the stratosphere of technical oddities with the XT!
Adam, really enjoy your videos and you do have a cool car collection. Really enjoy the content and info given in your videos. 👍
I never thought I'd want to go back to 1985 but this car would make it fun, at least for a little while.
I had forgotten all about these cars, and now I need one _immediately._
This happens distressingly often when watching your channel. :)
Great narration again!
I had a 2000 Forester as a first car, it had some kind of optional gauge package with gauge pods on the center of the dash and there was one that was orange on black, showing a car moving on the horizon that showed compass direction, tilt angle, and a few other things and I feel whoever designed that was definitely making a reference to the 1980s XT's digital gauges.
When I first saw one of these as a kid, I loved the “hidden” door handles.
And that digital instrument cluster, oh my. Guarantee that was completely illegible with even the slightest amount of glare. Gotta love 80s technology!
Can confirm. But with so little power available, I never really needed to see the gauges. 😄
How right you are, Adam! This car was just weird, in a uniquely '80s way.
Nostalgic. I owned a 87 GL10. Loved it.
The retro ad is epic- a cross between top gun and footloose
The fact that the ad song literally says "gimme all your money!" is too awesome
It's my baby, 1986 turbo. Love mine, been a great 8 years so far. I'm the second owner.
I used to own a Subaru “Justy”… was either an ‘87 or an ‘88; can’t remember. It had the 4x4 option w/funky button in top of shifter knob, like you mentioned. I’m wondering if this Subaru model you’re discussing, would’ve implemented that same 4x4 system that the Justy used? It only had 3 cylinders. I really regret having sold it oh, @ 2007. It got INCREDIBLE gas mileage, for its age ‘unless’, you turned on its A/C!!! 🤣 I vividly remember that A/C putting a major, highly noticeable load on that itty-bitty 3 banger! It was very YUGO-ish, in overall design… some loved it, others hated it.
Yes enjoyed the video bro and I remember that commercial 👍🏿
That was very interesting, Adam. It's nice to see something a bit different.
Cool video. I remember seeing these on the road, but never this close-up.
The original Isuzu Impulse also had pods flanking the steering wheel. I had one and I really liked that car.
As I posted above, that was one of my dream cars, wish I'd bought one instead of my '86 Corolla SR-5 which was well built and reliable but so slow it couldn't get out of its own way LOL--then again, if I owned one of those now I could name my price because the drifting guys love them! It didn't exactly have pods but a similar arrangement for some controls on either side of the steering wheel. Sign of the times I guess! I had to go look up Talking Heads Love for Sale video which among other stuff used bits of an Isuzu Impulse ad from the time--enjoy! :) th-cam.com/video/I4IiGBwSBUE/w-d-xo.html
Subaru is the Japanese name for the Pleiades cluster of hot blue stars. Its logo design has a simple representation of the cluster.
I like the sound of tires squealing while he's driving on a dirt road.
Thought the same. That always gets me in movies.😂
I had an '86 XT Turbo back in the day. The interior was (for the time) really fun. The non-intercooled turbo knocked like a bastard under boost. Only 93 would prevent it. The clutch was cable actuated rather than hydro, and that damn cable broke several times. Blew the coolant seal in the turbo on the Interstate, and dumped the coolant out the exhaust. I spent more time fixing that car than any other car I've had. But I still loved it.
Great video! The 1981 Citroën GSA Paula's also had a very funky dashboard with pods and rotating drum speedo and tachometer.
Anybody around to rebuild the digital gauge cluster??? I like the part of the ad when the Farm Boy says "But dad, I did" and then the cows MOOOO right on que. Thanks Adam for posting.....
In '87 I was torn between this or a new VW Scirroco. Having an '85 Subie Wagon for trade-in, I was very tempted but drove home with the sexy German hatchback in the end.
That commercial is pure gold!
That advert must have cost a fortune to make...awesome!
Had a loaded ‘86 turbo 5sp, 4x4. A very fun car to own and Lots of quiet tech.
The air suspension was self Leveling.
The push button 4wd was at any speed.
The gauge pod also moved with the wheel
In ‘86 the suspension hi-lo setting was a separate switch.
With the turbo the spare wouldn’t fit under the hood so it took up over half the trunk.
Neat, I remember that ad. It was very good.
I simply adore boxiness of 80's cars
I owned an 88 Isuzu Impulse with a unique dash. The dash pods moved with steering wheel tilt
Great vid.. these were awesome. From the dash to the shifter, to the flush door handles, pop up headlights, joystick shifter, console mounted controls, pod controls, turbo power, 4wd, plus more. They were gimmicky for sure but oh so cool. They only thing that would have come close is a camaro z28 with the berlinetta interior, which of course they didn't make. Onnthe camaro you had to get the non-performance berlinetta version to get the cool interior.
These XT subarus made almost everything seem 30 years older by conparison.
I agree, this car had one of the most original interiors i have ever seen.
those buttons blocking the AC vents are something to think about hahaha, but that's a cool looking car
Love it. 4 decades ago and it's more fun then most of stuff these days.
👍😊👍 Thanks Adam!
Saw the image and immediately knew it was a Subaru.
I loved and miss my 89 xt, such a fun car for mountan canyons.
Love it … got that Star Trek shuttle craft look 😮
When I was a kid we had a 94 s10 blazer that had a very rare digital gauge cluster that to this day was the coolest one I'd seen. Like I said till today...that cluster is BAD A$$! The gas gauge and temp are boxes in perspective to the center animation,and that center animation!!! To use the rpm and boost gauge like that all the way back them is crazy
Great issue. Please give us a street driving test!! Maybe with the 6 cylinder modell. Can't wait to see! 😊
I had an '86 XT Turbo! It was great.
One of the most badass 80’s car ever.
The early 1980s Isuzu Impulse had the "Star Wars" style dash! Adam, the Subaru SVX next!
The 1980 Renault R5 Turbo had a similar steering wheel, weird looking but so funky IMHO.
had one of these... Great targa top and transmission...Hate the instrument clusters hanging off the sides of the column. Love the TRON style 5 speed shifter. Car had some beans once the turbo lag stopped
The Probe was interesting also due to the entire column, speedometer and all, moving with the steering wheel. They also featured a digital dash and turbo. Seems like these were a popular thing in the mid to late 80s
I like the way the fuel stacks up !
Thanks, i never knew this existed
👁👄👁🍿
That was my first car, I loved it, the seats were really comfortable, the design was amazing, door openings, dash, gear shift, stability, the engine was not very powerful but as a first car was really nice, the material of the steering wheel, I felt like I was in a jet, a few years after I wanted to buy back another one and never saw one again where i live. Really cool car.
Great Ad!!
Back in the early 90s, my boyfriend bought a used '88 XT that I ended up driving a lot. It was black and looked pretty cool. I loved shifting gears with the joystick. The dash board was indeed funky but once you got used to it, it was great. A couple of the odd points, even though the HVAC controls were on the right pod, the temperature and fan controls were down on the center console. Also, the door handles were way down near the floor on each door. Overall, I really liked the car.
I definitely remember that commercial. It may have actually influenced my decision to buy a '85 XT. One "feature" that I found very useful with my young family was the vinyl rear seat. I could buckle my infant son's car seat back there and he could have his drink and snacks, if he spilled (which he did), no staining. Overall a fun car to own and drive, but we didn't have it long. Kids got bigger and we had to move on.
I owned several XT/XT6s, and I still think they're one of the most beautiful car designs of all time. My dad was friends with the owner of a Subaru dealer in the early '80s and Subaru had been promising a next-gen sports car for many years before the XT (for eXperimenTal, but called the Alcyone elsewhere in the world) came to market, but finally released a car which was based on the same platform as the GL/Loyale so it never really lived up to the hype performance-wise. I'd love to see a modern take on this car.
I had one of these cars, the 3spd automatic, turbo fwd version. It was great to drive. Since it was low slung to the ground it handled very very well. Hondas at the time needed to be lowered and have rock hard suspension to feel stable. This car felt stable from the factory.
One thing that wasn't addressed was the annoying speed alarm. There's a key you can turn on the left of the steering. If you turn it on the car would buzz loudly if driven above 50 mph. You can remove the key if you want to annoy the driver. Then there was the spare tire. It was mounted at a 45 degree angle in the cargo area right next to the rear of the back seats. You'd have to remove it if you want to fold the back seats and load something big.
I had 3 Subarus from the 80s. They were good cars unless of course you experience problems like I had. First with the XT. Just like other Subarus they used garbage plastic radiators that clogged like there's no tomorrow. If your car is running very hot or overheating, chances are your radiator is clogged. You can replace it with the same garbage plastic radiator that will clog in no time. But the XT turbo uses a radiator with different mounting holes. It looks nearly the same as other Subaru radiators but mounting holes are different. I had to order a used radiator for my XT from Japan. It took 4 weeks and that was the time before the internet.
Another problem Subarus of that ear had was soft aluminum heads. The bolts that hold the exhaust manifold to the head would often break thread. That's how I found out about Helicoils. If you hear an old Subaru with a fluttering sounding exhaust, that's usually the problem. The next problem I also encountered were compression loss on cylinder 1. Other cars had this too. It was likely a faulty head gasket. I didn't want to rebuild the engine so I sold it and bought a Toyota. I never touched a Subaru again.
The Isuzu Impulse had a similar podded & unique interior. Beautiful car as well. But the XT remains my king of 1980s quirky greatness. Fortunate to have the SVX successor, but the XT... Wow.
The orange lighting was used cuz high tech then was a monochrome DEC terminal.
You mentioned vanishing point and I recall that movie, especially the girl on the motorbike 😊
That looks hella cool
That ad made me want one.
Citroën BX: "Hold my beer"...
Working as a tech with GM at start and then moving to Toyota and dealing with all makes with the used car lots it amazed me how the domestics tried to emulate those funky Godzilla movie looking designs early Japanese vehicles had. The dimmer switch was a funny one to me. Japanese started by having a click back to brighten the stalk stayed like a toggle switch where as the domestics had a snap back and return to center stalk. The Japanese later changed but about the same time the domestics changed as if they were playing musical chairs. Seems like a lot of crazy times before they all kind of settled on some generic controls on the column and even the HVAC center. Some gross stuff, even then we knew it was gross.