Rumormill: Subaru planning to revive SVX with coupe version of Sports Tourer
Subaru Hybrid Tourer Concept - click above for high-res image gallery
Might Subaru's Hybrid Tourer concept point the way forward to a revival of the iconoclastic SVX from the Nineties? According to AutoExpress, that's a definite maybe. The British motoring mag suggests that the conceptual Hybrid Tourer that's just about to get its debut at the Tokyo Motor Show is a harbinger for a range-topping luxury performance coupe from the Japanese automaker.
If true (and we're not exactly holding our breath), the new coupe would slot well above the expected rear-wheel drive coupe that will share its underpinnings with the upcoming Toyota FT-86, possibly selling for twice the price of its lesser sibling. A turbocharged 2.5-liter boxer four-cylinder engine would provide motivation, though a hybrid model may also be possible.
Gallery: Subaru Hybrid Tourer concept
[Source: AutoExpress]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mike 3:34PM (10/13/2009)
I'll believe it when I see it. Subaru's lineup is small and I doubt they figure they have room for two coupes
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BoxerFanatic 4:17PM (10/13/2009)
Honda Civic/Accord,
Ford Focus/Mustang,
Toyota Scion tC and Solara,
Chevy Cobalt/Camaro,
Nissan/Infiniti, Altima/G37
Kia/Hyundai Koup/Genesis Coupe,
BMW 1/3/6 series.
... all have at least two coupes.
As much as I want the Toyota/Subaru joint project to work... it is never going to be a grand touring coupe, and probably won't even be AWD.
A larger, grand touring coupe is a good alternative. Something AWD unlike Genesis, and less expensive than G37x, or 3-series-xi or A5.
Modern slick styling, AWD, and some performance chops, aimed right between Genesis 3.8 Touring, and G37x's price points.
Mike 4:31PM (10/13/2009)
Honda Civic/Accord- based off of same carline
Ford Focus/Mustang, - 1 based off of same carline, 1 dedicated
*Scion tC - fixed only 1 in this brand
*Toyota Solara - fixed only 1 in this brand
Chevy Cobalt/Camaro, - 1 based of of same carline 1 dedicated
*Nissan Altima/ 370z - fixed
*Infiniti G37 -only one in this brand
*Kia Koup - only one in this brand
*Hyundai Genesis Coupe - only one in this brand
BMW 1/3/6 series.- completely different brand demographics
... all have at least two coupes.
As much as I want the Toyota/Subaru joint project to work... it is never going to be a grand touring coupe, and probably won't even be AWD.
A larger, grand touring coupe is a good alternative. Something AWD unlike Genesis, and less expensive than G37x, or 3-series-xi or A5.
Modern slick styling, AWD, and some performance chops, aimed right between Genesis 3.8 Touring, and G37x's price points.
Fixed your points. Having coupes based off of 4 door sedans is one thing. Having 2 dedicated performance coupes is another... especially for a brand as small as Subaru. I'll believe it when I see it. Auto Express is the National Enquirer of car magazines. Their last report on the Toyobaru coupe said it would be AWD and 300 hp. Believe what you want.
BoxerFanatic 5:03PM (10/13/2009)
Mike...
You didn't fix my points, you MISSED my point. There are two different segments, and most parent company conglomerates offer both.
The FT-86 is developed by shortening the BL Legacy and GR Impreza chassis... it is developed from a sedan platform.
The SVX resurrection would also likely be built from an enlarged GR Impreza, or possibly a larger '10 BM Legacy platform. AGAIN, also developed from a sedan.
And only marketing separates the scion products from Toyota, and Infiniti products are sold as Nissan in Japan. Hyundai and Kia are the same parent company as well.
A brand name difference is marketing.
The companies still build two different sized coupes, for two different segments. Just as FT86 would be different than a replacement SVX... and why FT86 would never be considered an SVX replacement... maybe a 2.5RS Impreza coupe replacement.
There is no reason Subaru can't do it. They have two different sized chassis. GR Impreza, and BM Legacy/Outback, and the chassis are modular enough to grow and shrink within a certain margin.
RowFive 6:06PM (10/13/2009)
I wouldn't exactly describe this as a potential coupe. Look at the door opening (not the number of doors) and the seat configuration. Remove those unrealistic gullwings and you'd need to fill each side opening with two doors, not just one.
With apologies to BoxerFanatic (as I know he's reaaaally been itching for a new SVX), I wouldn't revive that name. The SVX has a modest cult following, but overall it wasn't a huge success (coupes are impractical fashion statements-- they should be pretty). Subaru reviving the SVX wouldn't be paramount to Ford bringing back the Edsel, but it wouldn't be far from, say, a Maverick.
If Subaru were to invest in something new, I'd prefer they dump the Tribeca and make a three-row station wagon. That would be practical and fitting now that they SUV-ized the once-cool Legacy/Outback.
chairman 4:01PM (10/13/2009)
I was hoping for the return of the cheese-wedge XT6, but an SVX successor would be interesting.
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Wulf 3:36PM (10/13/2009)
As the owner of a couple SVX's and someone who has been begging for an update for 12 years... This is very welcome news; hinging on whether or not it's accurate...
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John H. 6:02PM (10/13/2009)
Seconded.
My '92 Pearlie LS-L was the best car I've ever owned. If put back into production today, it would still be competitive.
I think a shortened & chopped Legacy-based SVX would be a fine thing, and would gladly buy one.
Besides, the FT-86 is really more of an Impreza coupe / XT (remember those?).
zamafir 9:58PM (10/13/2009)
a friend of mine had a couple, fun cars! though i'm not sure why the SVX shouldn't be based on the toyota/subaru coupe vs some cuv monstrosity.
travisty 3:40PM (10/13/2009)
That's it, I'm officially "over" hybrids. Please go away and take the Useless Crossover category with you.
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Motor_Yakuza 3:47PM (10/13/2009)
I would be really excited if the news wasn't coming from AutoExpress.
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Sean Flanagan 3:49PM (10/13/2009)
No two-piece windows, no sale.
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BoxerFanatic 3:59PM (10/13/2009)
DID I NOT CALL THIS?????????
The first day this concept broke cover, did I not call it?
As an SVX and general enthusiast, and SVX and Legacy GT owner... this is my message to Subaru...
GET THIS ONE RIGHT. Home Run, Strike, Field Goal... right down the middle, Right, correct, and good. Don't botch this, it won't do either you, nor me any good.
And no, not a hybrid.
I have designed this car in my head multiple times... if you want to know how to build this right... call me.
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BoxerFanatic 4:29PM (10/13/2009)
This is such an easy car for Subaru to build, with their current tech, engines, and chassis... all they have to do is put the pieces together.
H4, H4 Turbo, or H6 engine choices.
WRX STI or Legacy Spec B 6-speed gearbox for a manual gearbox option.
5-speed or 6-speed automatic gearbox with sport shift, (unless they can get a dual-clutch gearbox like a PDK Carrera 4S gearbox turned the other direction... but that might be too much $$$$)
A body that is lower, longer, and wider, and much more aerodynamic than the '08+ Impreza, but much more lithe and sleek than the needlessly huge '10 Legacy sedan. Therefore, based on a stretched Impeza/05-09 Legacy chassis, not on the larger '10 Legacy's chassis.
Smooth styling. More Tribeca's subtle curve, Less Outback brutish stuck on fender-flares, plus better looking even yet, in a low, sleek coupe body. mix of 05-09 Legacy, original SVX, and the tourer concept's styling, inside and out.
WINDOW IN A WINDOW. A MUST. Flush, low-drag fixed glass seams, and a canopy roof, possibly with a glass roof option.
"Sportback" hatch. A trunk lid on a coupe is too small... and a fastback roofline might as well open up to the roof. Maybe double-jointed like SEAT or BMW's X6/5-GT. folding bucket-style seats in the second row, and a fold-forward passenger seat with a hard back panel.
I would even keep the gull wing doors, or hinge them at the A-pillar like the McLaren/Merc SLR, or the new McLaren MC4-12C... but again, maybe too much $$$$.
Load up the options list for a fair price. VALUE will sell, getting a lot of car for the money.
Make it sporty, but above that, useable, smooth, and satisfying. Gear it to cruise smoothly at highway speeds, especially with the H6 engine option. My H6 SVX cruises SO much better than my turbo 4 Legacy does, despite the Legacy being more current, more powerful, and 13 years newer.
This doesn't need to be a muscle car, nor should it pretend to be a lightweight sports car when it is not. GRAND TOURING COUPE with the capability to perform in ALL weather conditions.
If I could combine the best parts of my Legacy and my SVX, I would in a heartbeat. If you, Subaru, want to build it, THAT is what you need to do.
I will scrimp, save, sell, work, and barter to be first in line to buy one, especially in world rally blue, with a blacked out roof. 300hp+ tuned EZ36R H6 with 6-speed stick, please.
DKB_SATX 5:40PM (10/13/2009)
*IF* they do it, and *IF* they do it as a hatch/shooting-brake sort of car, this could keep me in Subarus for another cycle. My '05 Wagon shows no signs that it won't happily last much longer than it would take Subaru to develop this car (3-5 years?) and still let me wait until the bugs are ironed out in the second model year.
The bigger dog's travel kennel needs to fit in the back with at most one section of the back seat folded and it could be a contender for me.
Gruv 5:52PM (10/13/2009)
Yeah, I love SVX's also. Mine was even featured on autoblog! :D
http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/02/reader-ride-1992-subaru-svx/
Here's the first and MAIN tip: GIVE IT A FREAKING MANUAL TRANSMISSION. The slushbox was the reason I wound up selling mine. Couldn't take it any longer.
John H. 6:20PM (10/13/2009)
Generally agreed, but I look like this:
- shortened & chopped Legacy platform for the wider track and 2+2 seating
- aeroskin body is tight and sits low, with a minimal rear overhang (hence wider Legacy chassis to give some usable rear cargo space), but is 3-door fastback hatch with split-folding rears for traditional Subaru utiltity when needed.
- 3.0l twin-turbo H-6 to be smaller and lighter than the old 3.6 H-6, while retaining the advantages of 6-cyl, 3.0l displacement. 320+ hp at the wheels
- 6-speed auto with 2 overdrive gears and optional paddleshift, but it needs to be modern. If Subaru can squeeze in a SMG, so much the better. Remember, this is a GT, not a sports car. The sports car guys can swap in a STI gearbox anyways when the do the bodykit & exhaust...
...and...
- solid roof option for more headroom (I'm tall), better aero, lower CG, one fewer leak possibility, and one less mechanical thing that can go wrong!
BoxerFanatic 6:21PM (10/13/2009)
Gruv, that is a nice black SVX, man. Sorry you ended up selling, but I can understand.
That is why some ingenious folks have developed aftermarket methods of fitting the manual gearbox transaxles into SVXs, from WRX, Legacy, and even the STI's 6-speed. but it does cost, and there is a little bit of clearance and fabrication work...
BoxerFanatic 6:49PM (10/13/2009)
@john H...
Good ideas... but '10 Legacy grew by a LOT over the 2005-2009 model. The '10 Outback is taller than a Forester, and about as big inside and out as a Tribeca.
That is almost too big a base to build from... but if the body is right, it should be very do-able. They would HAVE to lower the cowl line, though. The tribeca, and the '10 Legacy/Outback have very high cowl lines, and high, flat fronts. Hardly necessary for a car with a pancake flat engine. and absolutely wrong for an aerodynamic coupe.
I too have long wished my SVX had a lift-back like my old '93 Probe GT did. Much more practical that either of my subarus with relatively small trunk openings, regardless of how practical the interior trunk volume is.
Just as my Legacy sedan has a manual gearbox... a grand tourer is not mutually exclusive to manual shifting. and aftermarket swapping is getting harder on newer ever-more-computerized cars. a factory transmission choice between a manual and either an automatic or automated-gearbox.
Even people who want a GT car that happens to be sporty, still want to shift their own gears, and cruising on the highway doesn't require shifting much with either gearbox. probably less with a manual than an auto. A manual transmission is not exclusively the domain of sports cars, or tuner cars, and a choice is always more accommodating than a mandate. An automatic mandate hurt the original SVX's appeal.
A fixed, solid roof coupe option is fine. I am 6'2" and I like sunroofs. SVX's canopy looks just beg for transparency of some sort... but again, option choices are good on the bigger considerations, like engine, gearbox, and variable roof configurations...
I'd love to see a twin-turbo boxer Subaru. I am not sure Subaru is ready for that... The EZ series block isn't as thick or robust as the EJ series 4 cylinder, or the EG33 in the original SVX. It may not be robust enough for warranty coverage on a production car with turbos. EZ36 is rumored to be capable of more than 300hp, as it is, but that the 5EAT behind it isn't robust enough, so it is limited, as is the EJ25 Turbo 4, and the previous EZ30R H6, to ~250lb-ft. of torque. A transaxle upgrade, and then exploring the EZ's non-turbo potential would be fine.
Again, a choice between H6 and Turbo 4 would be a welcome choice, and appeal to more people.
And for RowFive, above... the SVX was quite good looking, and remains more timelessly futuristic today than some of the other cars it competed with in 1992, or have been designed since. Improvements from the design language that the Hybrid Tourer is introducing are welcome, but the SVX is a fine car, and a 20th Anniversary resurrection in 2012 will be VERY welcome.
Kumar 4:04PM (10/13/2009)
I can think of a couple of AB commenters who just made a mess in their pants.
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