Subaru BRAT Revival May Disappoint Fans Of The Original

Miami Herald

17 hours ago

The Subaru BRAT was a light-duty pickup sold in the United States between 1978 and 1987, and it's set to make a comeback for the modern era. The BRAT name stands for Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter, which tells you all you need to know about this compact but capable pickup. Also known as the Brumby in other markets, CarsGuide is reporting an all-electric return of the BRAT. That may not be what truck fans want to hear, but any Subaru pickup is better than none at all, right?
The new BRAT is expected to share components with a Toyota pickup, a Maverick-sized compact truck previewed by the Toyota EPU concept back in 2023. The brands already have a close relationship, with models like the Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ developed in tandem, so this is no great surprise.
Earlier this year, Toyota confirmed the arrival of its electric pickup, which gives us confidence that a Subaru twin will get the green light, too. The original Subaru BRAT was a simple two-seater pickup, and if the new one follows that route, it will be the only compact truck of its kind. The only other compact trucks in the USA, the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz, are both two-row, five-seater models.
Under the skin, it's safe to expect standard all-wheel drive for the new BRAT, while it could make 375 horsepower. There's no need for that much power in a compact pickup, though - even 100 hp less should make for quite a performer. Either way, it will be a world apart from the original BRAT model's 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine.
Ford broke the mold when it launched the Maverick with an available hybrid powertrain. Returning 38 mpg combined, it's the most efficient pickup truck in America, and the all-electric BRAT would be even cheaper to run over the same distance.
While electric pickups suffer in the towing and hauling categories alongside gas or hybrid models, a compact pickup wouldn't need to be as much of a hardcore hauler, so an electric option in this segment would potentially be less of a compromise.
An all-electric powertrain would also introduce a level of refinement not before seen in the compact pickup segment.
Even if the BRAT does make a successful return, there's no telling if it would be sold in the United States. However, the revival of the compact pickup segment could give Subaru added motivation to introduce such a model here.
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