The rear seats were added to avoid the Chicken Tariff.

the idea of the brat was cool! such a thing should make a comeback! especially with the "small" trucks being about the size of the 90's fullsize trucks...

can we have something like this today? small, fun, practical, affordable? no. no, we can't.

When I was a kid in San Diego in the early 80's, these things were everywhere. I swore this would be my first car. I wanted one so bad.

That is some top notch audio quality right there

this is one of those cars you remember having as a matchbox toy as a kid and being like wtf is this thing? lol

My buddy had one of these in high school. I used to ride in the seats in the bed. They actually had seat belts too..... awe the good old days

I absolutely love these Retro Reviews! I like seeing what passed for luxury and what was unacceptable

I miss the BRAT, the Toyota Hilux, the Nissans, the Mazdas. Back in the 70s and 80s, when I was growing up, we could get small trucks that were like small tanks. Today's small trucks are things like the Ford Ranger and the Chevy/GMC twins, which are almost the size of an old full size from years ago. The Hilux X-Tra cab I drove was a delight and could take a bunch of heavy stuff too.

Motorweek had a much better sense of humour way back when.

I love these old Subaru Brat models lol. My favorite toy back in the early '80s was "stompers" and I had the Brat stomper.... and it was awesome lol. I bet most people don't know what an old stomper was.

I learned to drive in one of those on our private road when I was 12. My dad had a silver one. It was easy to shift and fun to drive. Also had the seats in the back. Good times😎

This trucklet was so cool! Loving the 2 jump seats in the bed. The sound quality of the video is pretty bad, unfortunately.

Studio car is an '83 model (four headlights, fully rubber-covered bumpers), test car's an '82. Same color and decal package.

The parents of a friend of mine had a Subaru Brat. It was one of the coolest little cars ever.

I had a Brat back in the day. I got it Christmas morning in my stocking in the form of a Stomper 4x4 with a pk of Duracell AA batteries.

"took he-Man pedal pressure" oh my this is definitely the 80s lol

Ah, the good ole Scooby-doos that would turn into a piece of swiss cheese after 4 winters in New England.....

Honestly I prefer Motorweek over Top Gear. Substance > Style. The Brat is like the Baja's daddy.

Another vehicle that was ahead of its time. Wish Subaru would back the Brat and the Baja.

The motor would run forever & the body would rust overnight 👎

My dad had one of these back in the day. It was a lot of fun to drive. I would not mind having one now just to knock around in. They are pretty rare now though....

They were tough little cars. Great run about here in Rural Maine. Amazing where you could drive it.

I had an '84 Brat. The brakes were scary when you needed a an immediate halt, but if you drove her slow and kept your distance it was a fun little car. The rust promotion concern is funny because almost all the Asian imports rusted pretty early back then.

Please keep these coming!!! LOVE it!

Early 1980s Subarus were a lot of fun! I had a few of them, but never found a BRAT that wasn't beat to hell.

Jesus those brakes are so bad you might as well rear end the car.

thanks for uploading i love vintage subarus!

MOTORWEEK NEWS FLASH: It's Friday in Sydney, Australia.

I had one, and i loved it. It is agricultural slow, but I was able to achieve EPA mileage figures. I never trusted the factory roll bar, AC was great and roof never leaks. Always wished more aggressive tire treads were available as 185/70 - 13 was the standard tire, but never got stuck. Also, never try making that tight turn with 4 wheel drive engaged on dry pavement, the whole drivetrain locks up.

That was a funky little car back in the day, but I liked it and still do.

I love these cars! Those back seats and carpeting were put in to get around the chicken tax, because they were considered passenger cars, not pickups.

Motorweek is one of the best things in life.

I see these RETRO clips go back to around 1982....I wish I could see a few just a bit older so I can see a review of the first gen Ford Fiesta. I had one and it was bulletproof.

Always tripped out on these back in the day. The video didn’t really show but those rear seats have like bicycle handles! Did John spend sleepless nights coming up with snappy closings like “one you can hope to rope and ride?” 😬😂

God bless you, Subaru. I love you! Lol!

My step dad also bought a new bratt. It was red with white logo and stripes, he traded his 77 Chevy Bonanza 3 quarter ton 4x4! I remember how upset I was! I couldn’t believe he traded his awesome pickup for this POS!

In 'Napoleon Dynamite' this vehicle pulls in the driveway when the "Rex Kwon Do" guy comes home haha

Thank you so much! Keep them rolling!

This Brat is national treasure, it’s a off roader truck.

I love those graphics and colour.

thank you for the fantastic video

Had a 86' GL 4x4 that would go anywhere. It's size made it unbeatable in the woods, similar to the Samurai. The biggest concern was burying the front end in ditches and such because the flat 4 engine location in front of the driving wheels.

I just searched craigslist and there are about a dozen of these for sale right now in the entire country, and they are all about $5k

good stuff.....keep em coming!

Memo to Subaru: Please make the Brat (or its spiritual descender the Baja) again. A small, fun to drive, all-wheel drive pickup - possibly with rear-facing bucket seats in the bed - is just what we need in this day & age.

Very nice and cool this Subaru Brat

I always liked these Subaru's. I had the GL 4wd wagon. I loved it. I could take it anywhere and I would load that thing up with cargo and hit the road. MY only complaint was the 3speed transmission lacked overdrive. The thing would scream at 70mph.

I always thought this was a cool little run-about type of vehicle. Even though most of it's stats were sub-par compared to today, I think the cargo capacity was quite good, and the mileage they quoted was really impressive, certainly for the day. I think they should make a modern-day version of this. If done right, I'm sure it would do quite well.

5:27 short in the headlight causes smoke? WTF?

I’d still love one of these

Never had this car but looks awesome!

Those seats in back remind me, I want to have chicken for dinner tomorrow.

Super !!! I have Suzuki Samurai 1988 , i like this auto!

My father had this vehicle. It had its pluses and minuses. pro: great traction, good gas mileage, and easy to drive. Con: 4 speed standard transmission sucked. Too much 'space' in between 3rd and 4th. Also, would rust out on inside bed, near wheels.

if i could find one of these in good shape i'd be psyched.

Love is what makes a Subaru, my dad had a 1980s Subaru it was fun

Good then , fantastic now ! I have 3 ( MK1 , early "Hookback" MK2 and chrome trim bed MK2) here in England. Prices are climbing... So get one now ! ;-)

I've never owned or driven a Brat, but I've seen plenty of them when I was a boy. :)

71 horsepower! Sold!

it's for the Japanese a-team lol

I'd buy another one tomorrow if they made them. I've owned 3.

I actually saw one of these on the road today, in mint condition it seems.

Do you have reviews for other Subarus of the time? I'd love to see a review of an 85 or newer GL, especially an RX coupe.

this car is awesome

Cool Car!!!

I was wondering when you were going to upload this! :D

anything on the suzuki lj80 in the video vault?

Nice lid Ben!

Plaid seats are so adorable! Pity we don't have them anymore in new cars.

3:20 Instant death head on collision into oncoming traffic!

what does that engine heat do to the poor spare tire

Do you guys have a review for the Subaru Alcyone?

Those cowboys in the back, instant roadkill in a crash!

How collectable is the Brat today in 2021? Subaru is actually going up in sales versus the other auto makers that are going the regular route... But if you see a Brat, you definitely notice that thing!

It would really really cool to have one today.

Please do you have the Geo Metro video? Please i wanna see one

Chicken Tax!!

40 years later, they should bring a more modern iteration of this back, but _CHEAP,_ it would not be!

Should have done the road test with the hay and cowboys in back.

He sounds like max headroom

I have only seen exactly on of these in real life, It was about 1985 in Swissvale,Pennsylvania. I've seen none before...or since.

Can we (US market) have another one of these with a modern engine (read:turbo), 6 speed MANUAL, but without the stupid back seats? Also, put the spare tire someplace else, like, IDK, on the roof. Or strap it onto the tailgate, just don't change the dimensions, pureez?

Gotta love that the audio is only coming out my left speaker.

I love my brat! ^_^

Nissan/datsun 720 pickup?

Ok. I take it back. THIS was the worst brake test I've ever seen.

I wish they still made stuff like this. I don't want an SUV or truck, I don't need the extra seats, but I'd love to have a big back open area like that while still being able to have fun when I'm driving, which you can only get from a car and its slow seating position. I will say some of the newer 'sport' SUVs aren't bad, they don't feel like they're going to tip over if you take a corner at 12mph, but you're still sitting too high and too upright. This would be perfect for me in a new modern car, of course with all the luxury I'm used to as a BMW and Cadillac buyer, so none of that methhead garbage like cloth seats, thank you.

That was my winter car in Montana . . . great in the snow (compared to my Z28) and that thing would climb into places offroad that would surprise many. - I looked for one about five years back, hoping to find a cheap gem or a easy fixer-upper . . . they are either rusted out or overpriced. Sad.

Are there any of these left?

0:43 I wonder if that's his "good" hat......

Two important game changers were introduced soon after in 1984, the Jeep Cherokee and the Dodge Caravan. Any reviews left in the vault of those?

I wonder how many owners shit their pants panic braking one of these death traps.

Have also mine sits real low in the front nice brat brumby go forever gnight

i so want a BRAT !

If I could find a decent one, I'd buy it.

The Brumby as it was called in Australia.

Ihi turbo I put one on a civic hatchback made manifold and it ran good pvc pipe shout out to my old crew have to get documented first section title for verification thanks

The most important point I gleaned from this video is that the driver doing the brake test had the "Power of Grayskull" behind him! My generation will understand that! Keep them coming! LOVE IT!

reminds me of the dodge rampage of and why is the sound so quiet