The Subaru Leone made its debut in June 1971, and the Subaru Leone 4WD Station Wagon followed in September 1972.

Both sedan and 4WD wagon shared the same suspension and engine, at the front was strut type independent suspension, while at the rear was a semi-trailing arm type independent suspension.

In September 1972, the four-wheel drive (4WD) station wagon was released, however it did not appear in the United States until 1974. Until then, four-wheel drive had been limited to mainly off-road vehicles for special use. Subaru broke that pattern by introducing a mass-produced four-wheel drive passenger car. Throughout the years, the Leone would see the introduction of a two-door hardtop, a four-door sedan, and a four-wheel drive station wagon. When the vehicle was first put on the market, demand came mainly as a result of the special applications the car could be used for, such as commercial use in snowy and mountainous areas. However, the car was highly praised in both the domestic (Japanese) and overseas markets for its originality. The first-generation Leones were equipped with either a 1400cc or 1600cc, flat-4, carbureted, OHV, pushrod engine. They were available with a 4-speed manual transmission, 5-speed manual transmission or a 3-speed automatic transmission beginning in 1975. Some early models had drum brakes in the front, however later they were all equipped with disc brakes in the front. All models had rear drum brakes. Unusually the handbrake or emergency brake operated on the front wheels. In June 1979 the Leone saw a major revamp. This generation was released with offerings in a two-door coupe, four-door sedan, station wagon, as well as a three-door hatchback. This generation of the Leone was not released to the United States until 1980. New to this generation included a four-speed 4WD transmission with both high- and low-range gearing. 4WD automatic transmissions were also now offered, allowing the driver to engage 4WD with a simple push of a button. The new 1800cc EA81 engine was added in 1980. In 1983 and 1984, a turbocharger with multi-port fuel injection option was also added on Subaru BRAT and Turbo Wagon models. It was only available with an automatic transmission and 3.70:1 gearing. In July 1984, the Leone saw another major revamp. This generation was released with offerings in a three-door coupe hatchback, four-door sedan, as well as a station wagon. This generation of the Leone made its way to the United States in 1985.