Why did Subaru discontinue the BRAT?
The BRAT was discontinued after the 1983 model year, largely due to safety concerns and weak sales as Subaru shifted toward more conventional, marketable wagons and all‑wheel-drive sedans. This pivot reflected broader regulatory pressure and evolving consumer preferences in the United States.
To understand the decision, it helps to review the BRAT’s niche, the safety and market dynamics of the era, and how Subaru retooled its lineup in the mid‑1980s and beyond. The BRAT remains a cult classic among enthusiasts for its unusual blend of a small pickup bed and rear seating, but it did not fit the path Subaru chose for long-term growth.
A concise history of the BRAT
The BRAT, short for Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter, debuted in 1978 in the United States as a Leone-based wagon with a small pickup bed and rear jump seats. It was designed to pair practical all‑wheel drive with a versatile, seat-for-four layout, appealing to outdoor and rural buyers.
Defining features of the BRAT
What set the BRAT apart in its era can be summarized by a few defining points.
- Rear cargo bed with fold-down seating behind the front seats, commonly known as the jump seats.
- Four-wheel drive capability across most model years, offering off-road practicality in a compact footprint.
- Engine options that evolved from 1.6-liter to 1.8-liter configurations, paired with a conventional manual or automatic transmission.
- Distinctive, utilitarian styling aimed at outdoor enthusiasts seeking versatility.
While the BRAT carved out a memorable niche, its unusual seating in the cargo area and limited market demand contributed to its eventual exit from the U.S. lineup.
Reasons Subaru discontinued the BRAT
Several interrelated factors converged to end the BRAT’s run in North America.
- Safety and regulatory pressures: The BRAT’s rear jump seats and cargo-bed arrangement raised questions about occupant protection under evolving safety standards and crash-test expectations.
- Market dynamics: The BRAT occupied a narrow niche in a market increasingly drawn to conventional wagons and, later, compact SUVs, limiting its appeal and profitability.
- Product portfolio refocus: Subaru began steering investments toward more mainstream, safer, and higher‑volume models such as the Loyale family of wagons and, eventually, the Legacy platform.
- Cost and profitability considerations: Maintaining a niche model with relatively small sales volumes became harder to justify as regulatory and manufacturing costs rose.
Taken together, these factors made the BRAT difficult to sustain as a core product, prompting Subaru to retire the model from the U.S. lineup and channel development resources toward broader, safer, and more popular offerings.
What came after and regional differences
In the United States, Subaru shifted toward all‑wheel-drive wagons and sedans with improved safety features, such as the Loyale and, later, the Legacy, which offered practical all‑weather capability without the BRAT’s controversial rear seating. Outside North America, variations of the BRAT design continued under different names or with updated styling for a time, depending on market regulations and consumer demand.
- In Australia and New Zealand, similar Leones-based 4WD wagons lived on longer under local branding (often referred to in markets as the Brumby), reflecting regional appetite for rugged family wagons rather than niche pickups.
- In Europe and parts of Asia, Subaru offered Leone-based 4WD wagons that filled a similar utilitarian role but without the BRAT badge in many cases.
These regional continuities illustrate how Subaru leveraged its core all‑wheel‑drive platform while phasing out the BRAT’s signature combination of a pickup bed and rear seating in favor of safer, more conventional layouts.
Summary
The BRAT’s discontinuation was the result of a strategic recalibration by Subaru in response to safety concerns, shifting consumer tastes, and the push toward higher-volume, safer models. While the model itself faded from the U.S. market, its legacy helped shape Subaru’s later success with versatile, all-wheel-drive wagons and sedans—a lineage that remains central to the brand’s identity today. In some markets, the BRAT’s spirit persisted under different names, but the core decision in the early 1980s was to retire a niche vehicle in favor of broader appeal and stronger safety credentials.
