Subaru Says Turbocharging to Continue for Next-Gen WRX/STI, STI Will Still Have 300+ HP

November 17, 2011 at 12:30pm by David Gluckman

Besides confirming the U.S.-market name for its new small crossover, Subaru also used the L.A. auto show to reassure the assembled media that the rear-drive-only BRZ doesn’t signal the end of its AWD hot rods. It comes on the heels of the news that the next-generation WRX and STI will for the first time use their own distinct platform, thereby splitting the enthusiast models from the workaday Impreza on which they’ve previously been based.

At L.A., Subaru also said that the WRX will continue to be turbocharged, dusting fools with a forced-induction version of the carmaker’s new 2.0-liter “FB” boxer four. The STI version will still produce over 300 hp, the company said, and we believe curb weights for both will come down as a result of the new platform. As you’d expect with the cars on different platforms, the next-gen WRX and STI will drop “Impreza” from their names when they arrive a couple of years from now, giving Subaru a trio of three-letter cars for enthusiasts.

Tags: Subaru, Subaru WRX, Subaru WRX STI |

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Subaru XV Crossover to Be Called XV Crosstrek in U.S.

November 17, 2011 at 11:01am by David Gluckman

Now that Subaru’s rear-wheel-drive sports car is just a couple of weeks from its debut—read our prototype drive here—the company has started talking about other new models. After introducing the BRZ Concept STI to journalists at the L.A. auto show, Subaru offered tidbits on a new crossover.

Last month, Subaru confirmed that a version of the Impreza-based XV would be coming to the U.S. to replace the Impreza Outback Sport, but that its name wasn’t yet decided. We’ve now learned that the U.S. version will carry the XV Crosstrek badge, allowing Subaru to better market the butched-up Impreza hatch as a crossover. (We say carrying over the Outback Sport name would have been OK, too.) It will sit below the Forester in the company’s lineup. We expect the same 2.0-liter boxer four and manual or CVT transmissions as are offered in the 2012 Impreza.

Tags: Subaru, Subaru WRX, Subaru WRX STI |

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Subaru Reveals More About Production BRZ Sports Car With Teaser Pic and PDF

Leaked brochures of the Toyota version be damned, Subaru continues to prepare us for the Tokyo auto show reveal of its rear-drive sports car with information hors d’oeuvres.

On the latest silver tray, Subaru serves up a glimpse at the car’s front end—you can see that the grille is different than the one on the Toyota FT-86/Scion FR-S—plus some additional specifications. As we learned during our drive of a BRZ prototype, the boxer engine architecture is Subaru’s, but Toyota has contributed its dual port/direct-injection heads. (Engineering geeks take note: Subaru’s working on its own direct-injection tech, as previewed in the Advanced Tourer Concept, and it’s not licensed from ToMoCo.)

A PDF also rocketed in from the Pleiades (you can check it out here) and reported the BRZ’s length, width, and height. The big deal here is less that the car is 166.9 inches long, 69.9 inches wide, and 51.2 inches high, but that the numbers corroborate those in a spec sheet allegedly leaked from Japan. That sheet also reports weight estimates of 2668 to 2712 pounds, numbers given further credibility by the dimensional accuracy. Overall, the BRZ and its Toyota sib will be longer and wider than the Mazda MX-5, though a bit taller and between that car and the RX-8 in weight.

Online leaks, teasers, a decoy set for the L.A. auto show—it sounds like J.J. Abrams is writing the launch plan for the BRZ and Toyota FT-86. At least it will all be over a month from now, when the pair of heavily hyped cars are properly and fully presented to the public in Tokyo.

Tags: 2011 L.A. auto show, 2011 Tokyo auto show, Scion FR-S, Subaru, Subaru BRZ, Toyota FT-86 |

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Subaru Advanced Tourer Concept preview

Subaru has revealed the first details on the Advanced Tourer Concept, a midsize sports wagon that evolves the brand’s design direction. It will debuts at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show.

Based on the brand’s “Confidence in Motion” motto, the Advanced Tourer Concept is defined by Subaru’s as a “Revolutionary Sports Tourer”.

This midsize concept (4,580 x 1,840 x 1,430mm) is positioned in the C-segment wagon and is focused on driving performance and utility.

The exterior design features sculpted, tight lines lines defined by sharp edges – a treatment similar to that of the Impreza Design Concept revealed last year, which introduced the “Confidence in Motion” philosophy.

The interior is very concept-like and has four individual seats and a distinctive atmosphere created by the brown and silver tones and wood and metal trims.

Among the anticipated features of the cabin are a large panoramic glass roof and a LCD display integrated in the steering wheel.

The car is powered by a HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle) system, equipped with a 1.6 liter turbocharged boxer engine, the Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive (AWD) system and the Lineartronic CVT transmission.

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Subaru Set to Debut Advanced Tourer Concept at Tokyo Auto Show

The biennial Tokyo auto show always presents a handful of unique and eye-catching concepts. Few are even remotely feasible, but that just makes the weirdest ones even more interesting. The Subaru Advanced Tourer Concept, however, is one 2011 Tokyo debutant we would love to see make production in some form, in part because it is a wagon and in part because it plain looks good.

Subaru is calling the ATC a "grand touring car of the future," albeit one that is roughly as "grand" as any Impreza-size car can be. Does it preview a wagon variant of the Impreza, which is currently offered in sedan and five-door forms? Subaru says that, as a company, it "has shown the most strength in the sports wagon category," and that the ATC "demonstrates Subaru's direction toward the future." So, maybe. Hopefully.

Greetings, ATC. Audi You Do?

Bracketed by a pair of slab-sided front fenders is a face that even an Audi stylist could love (and possibly find rather familiar)-hexagonal grille, A3-like LED lights, and all. The concept flaunts its unbridled wagonness with a chunky D-pillar, but we don't expect the double-gullwing doors on any production Subaru ever, no matter how grand it may be.

An all-glass roof allows ample lighting to the ATC's four-place interior, which features a wide variety of wood and metal finishes. Among the more frightening interior innovations is a monitor in the middle of the steering wheel with which the driver can adjust audio, climate, and cruise-control settings, as well as view maps, the internet, and even TV. Rather than ponder a future of automotive autopilot, we'll suggest Subaru put that monitor back in the dash.

Powering the all-wheel-drive ATC is a 1.6-liter, turbocharged, direct-injection version of Subaru's new boxer-four. Subaru made no mention of power for either the engine or the claimed hybrid system, except to say that the engine's output is similar to "current leading turbo engines." To us, that means horsepower and torque in the neighborhood of 180. The third member in this powertrain is a CVT-Subaru plans to replace most (if not all) of its automatic transmissions with rubber bands in the future. Overall, the company says the ATC should better the fuel economy of its existing products by up to 50 percent.

Preview of the WRX/STI?

With its road-scraping stance, aggressive front end, and huge wheels, the ATC could be seen as a preview of the next-gen WRX and STI. The pair will be built on a bespoke platform but may not be much different in size from the Impreza. At the very least, expect many of this car's stylistic elements, as well as its powertrain, to appear on and in future Subarus.

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