Rally Japan
In 2005, Petter Solberg again led the team in the #5 car, while Hirvonen was replaced by Chris Atkinson in the #6 car. The young Australian debuted with the Uddeholm Swedish Rally, and finished third at Rally Japan. Petter Solberg achieved back-to-back victories in Mexico and Sweden, early in the season. He finished the season behind Sébastien Loeb, tied for second place with Marcus Grönholm. In the Manufacturer's championship, Subaru only managed to finish fourth overall, ahead of Mitsubishi and Skoda.