Are subarus unibody or frame?
Subarus are unibody vehicles, not built on a traditional ladder-frame. All current passenger cars and SUVs from Subaru use unibody construction with subframes for mounting the engine and suspension, and even their electric model Solterra relies on a unibody architecture—albeit on Toyota’s e-TNGA platform.
What unibody means for Subaru
Unibody construction combines the body and chassis into a single shell, with structural integrity built into the sheet metal itself. For Subaru, this approach supports their hallmark all-wheel-drive lineup and safety performance by providing a rigid, crash-absorbent structure while keeping weight down. It also relies on subframes to mount components rather than a separate frame.
Key characteristics of unibody construction as it applies to Subaru's vehicles:
- Integrated load paths and crumple zones that enhance crash safety
- Weight efficiency that supports fuel economy and performance
- Rigid bodyshells that improve handling and ride quality
- Drivetrain and suspension mounting via subframes rather than a full frame
In practice, unibody design underpins Subaru's safety-focused all-wheel-drive lineup and allows engineers to optimize handling, interior space, and efficiency across diverse models.
Subaru platforms and current production
Subaru structures its vehicles on unibody platforms, with the main platform family known as the Subaru Global Platform (SGP) for most recent models. An important exception is the electric Solterra, which uses Toyota’s e-TNGA platform. Across the board, current Subaru models are unibody, employing subframes rather than a traditional body-on-frame chassis.
Subaru Global Platform (SGP)
The Subaru Global Platform is the company’s modern unibody architecture designed to improve crash safety, rigidity, and compatibility across models. It underpins the bulk of Subaru’s lineup launched from the mid-2010s onward.
- Impreza (sedan/hatch) and Crosstrek/XV
- Forester
- Outback
- Legacy
- Ascent (the larger SUV)
SGP enables shared safety structures and performance improvements across these models, contributing to a cohesive engineering approach and streamlined production.
Electric models and partnerships
Subaru’s electrified offering, the Solterra, is built on Toyota’s e-TNGA platform. While it is a separate collaboration from Subaru’s gasoline lineup, it remains a unibody design, consistent with Subaru’s engineering direction for safety and efficiency in a modern electric vehicle.
- Solterra (electric SUV) on the e-TNGA platform
- e-TNGA is Toyota’s modular electric platform shared with Subaru
Even with the Solterra’s collaboration with Toyota, the vehicle maintains unibody construction rather than a body-on-frame design.
No current frame-based Subarus
Subaru does not produce modern, frame-based (body-on-frame) passenger vehicles. The company’s entire current lineup uses unibody construction, with subframes used to mount major components rather than a separate ladder frame.
Summary
Across its current lineup, Subaru relies on unibody construction, supported by subframes for engines and suspensions. The core platform is the Subaru Global Platform (SGP), which standardizes safety and rigidity across most gasoline models, while the Solterra electric SUV uses Toyota’s e-TNGA platform within a unibody framework. No contemporary Subaru model uses a traditional body-on-frame design, reflecting a broader industry shift toward unibody architecture for safety, efficiency, and handling.
