Subaru Sambar for Sale

The Sambar is the odd one out, and that is the reason people seek it by name. Subaru mounted the engine at the very back, behind the rear axle, and for most of the line’s life used four cylinders where every rival used three. Subaru held to that arrangement for decades after the rest of the class had settled on an under-seat triple.

The layout has consequences a buyer can feel. There is no drivetrain running beneath the load floor, so the bed sits flat and low; the weight over the driven axle helps traction when the deck is loaded; and the four-cylinder EN07 is smoother at sustained revs than the three-cylinders it competed with. Subaru built the Sambar in-house until 2012, after which the badge moved onto a rebodied Daihatsu Hijet — the genuine rear-engine cars are the earlier ones.