| 1.1 L
EA61 OHV H4 (A21/61, van only) | 1.2 L
EA64 OHV H4 (A25/65) | 1.4 L
EA63 OHV H4 (A22/32/62) | 1.6 L
EA71 OHV H4 (A33/34/67) }} }} The first generation Leone was released on October 7, 1971, as a
front-wheel drive coupé, with trim levels DL, GL and GSR. April 1972 saw the introduction of the two- and four-door sedans with trim levels DL, GL, and in Japan, the Super Touring. At its introduction, the Leone was Subaru's largest car, and was the top level vehicle above the
kei car
Subaru Rex. In September 1972, the
four-wheel drive (4WD)
station wagon (A67) was released, however it did not appear in the United States until 1974 as a 1975 model. The Leone was introduced before the
1972 Winter Olympics in
Sapporo to emphasize its durability in adverse weather conditions. Up until this time four-wheel drive had been limited mainly to
off-road vehicles, although the very expensive
Jensen FF had been built in limited numbers. Subaru broke this pattern by introducing a mass-produced four-wheel drive passenger car, after having tested the waters by building a limited series of four-wheel drive
FF-1 1300G wagons in 1971. Four-wheel drive was Subaru's most notable feature during the 1970s and 1980s, leading to particularly strong sales in places like Switzerland and
Colorado. The Leone competed with the
Toyota Corolla,
Nissan Sunny,
Honda Civic,
Mazda Familia,
Isuzu Gemini, and the
Mitsubishi Lancer. The Leone introduced a Subaru tradition of frameless side windows for all models. In August 1968, Subaru entered into an alliance with
Nissan Motors. The appearance of the new Leone was influenced by the design efforts from Nissan, especially the long hood and short trunk appearance that
Nissan was using at that time for their own products. The 1400
RX coupé, based on the previously introduced GSR, was one of the first Japanese automobiles to be equipped with four-wheel disc brakes, a sport-tuned suspension and a 5-speed manual transmission. A two-door
hardtop coupé, with different bodywork than the two-door sedan or two-door coupé, was introduced in June 1973. The hardtop coupé received model names containing the letter F for "Formal" (FL, GF, GFT). A 4WD version with the sedan bodywork (model code A27) appeared in 1975. In the Japanese market, the sedan had to be equipped with the SEEC-T desmogged EA71 engine producing , whereas the station wagon was classified as a commercial vehicle and thus received a version of the same engine. The Leone was originally equipped with a 1.2- or a 1.4-litre
flat-four,
carbureted,
OHV engine. The 1,100 cc engine from the earlier
FF-1 G was carried over for the Leone 1100 van in the Japanese domestic market, but was only available in the first few years. In September 1975, as a response to tightening emissions regulations, the 1.2 was removed from the sedan lineup (although it continued to be available as a van-wagon version in the Japanese domestic market). To be able to offer as much power as the pre-smog 1.4 a bigger, 1.6-litre version was added for 1976. In Europe, the 1.6 arrived during 1977. Fitted with twin, Hitachi register
carburetors the European-spec engine produces a claimed at 5,600 rpm, with maximum torque of at 3,600 rpm. The Leone was available with a four-speed
manual transmission, a five-speed manual transmission, and also a three-speed
automatic transmission beginning in 1975. Some early models had duo-servo
drum brakes at the front, however, later models were equipped with
disc brakes. All models originally had rear drum brakes except the RX coupés. Unusually, the handbrake or emergency brake operated on the front wheels. In March 1977, an updated Leone range was released. All body panels were altered slightly and the overall look was 'smoother' and more contemporary in appearance. A completely new dashboard with altered interior were also part of the update. Despite these changes the overall effect was similar to the earlier version and it was mechanically identical, with the exception of the rear track which was widened by . The chassis codes were changed, with sedans now in the 30 series and estates in the 60 series. The little 1.2 continued to be available in the lowliest standard van model, with . In November 1977, a new top model arrived, the Leone Grand Am-T, which adopted the federalized safety bumpers and had an interior "inspired by American tastes." Many versions - sedan, wagon and Brumby (BRAT) coupe utility, were also assembled from CKD kits, from 1978, in New Zealand by then-importer Motor Holdings' Waitara plant near New Plymouth. Local assembly ceased when the Legacy range replaced the Leone in 1993. File:1978 Subaru DL 2dr sdn rear.jpg|1978 Subaru DL 2-door sedan File:SubaruDL firstGen.jpg|1978 Subaru DL wagon File:Leone coupe1400RX.jpg|1972 Subaru Leone 1400RX coupe File:Subaru Brat - 17016044839.jpg| 1978 Subaru BRAT
North America The Leone was first introduced to the United States in 1972. In 1976 the
EA63 engine was replaced with the 1.6 liter
EA71 engine. The EA71 engine was originally installed in cars equipped with automatic transmission but eventually supplanted the EA63 across the entire range of vehicles in the US and Australia. Using Subaru's new SEEC-T technology meant that a catalytic converter was not necessary, lowering cost and enabling the use of leaded fuel. Power in 49-state (US) trim was at 5200 rpm (two horsepower less in California), although drivability and gas mileage suffered distinctly from the emissions equipment. The Wagon was also available with four-wheel drive, beginning with the 1977 model year. A print ad for the 1973 Subaru GL coupé referred to the engine as "quadrozontal". The large bumpers required in the United States sat on hydraulic units; these were not a part of the original design and thus intruded considerably into the luggage compartment. Late 1977 saw the introduction of the
Subaru BRAT as a 1978 model. This was a two-seater body with a
pickup truck bed, with two seats welded into the bed to evade the so-called
chicken tax on light commercial vehicles. It brought the U.S. lineup to eight models in three trim levels. Most were in the volume DL trim except a base two-door, and the GF hardtop and 4WD models which shared a higher specification. For 1979, a decontented DL 4WD wagon and BRAT were added along with fancier GL four-door sedan and 2WD wagon models bringing the total to twelve, the original fully equipped 4WDs also getting the DL designation. The original BRAT was updated for 1981 with a dual-range 4WD transmission and the 1.8-litre EA81 engine. This was sold alongside the second-generation Leone (introduced in 1979) until the 1982 model year. == Second generation (AB/AM/AF/AJ) ==