While it wasn’t indeed a Subaru, the 2008 Justy marked the Japanese carmaker introduction to the European market’s small segment.
Subaru was well-known for its all-wheel-drive vehicles and its boxer engines. That’s why, when it introduced the Justy at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show, the audience raised their eyebrows, wondering if they are watching there was a re-badged vehicle or an unusual Subie. The answer was both. Unfortunately for the carmaker, it was the wrong moment to introduce a completely different car than its philosophy. It was a rebadged Daihatsu Charade and shared its platform with the second generation of the Yaris, so farewell to all-wheel-drive Subaru Justy.

Its front side featured a curved area over the engine bay and a raked, wide windshield. Its headlights covered the front corners, in front of the flared wheel arches. The bumper itself was the one that told the world it was a Subaru. It was extended toward the hood and incorporated the upper and the lower grille. The designers abruptly ended the straight window line with an upward kick to the roof. Its thick C-pillars blocked the view toward the minimalist trunk and, from inside, the driver’s view to the rear side.

Inside, the Justy featured a dashboard carried over from Daihatsu Charade with its elliptic instrument cluster that grouped a wide tachometer and an even bigger speedometer. Despite its exterior look, the interior was roomy for four adults, but the narrow width hardly made room for three rear passengers.

Under the hood, there was no boxer engine. The bay was filled by Daihatsu’s inline-three gasoline unit and sent the front wheels’ power via a 5-speed manual.