cars, Subaru XV Concept
Subaru has invented a word to describe the XV concept debuting at the Shanghai auto show: “protren,” a combination of “professional tool” and “trendy design.” Such clunky wordsmithing was unnecessary, though, since this is simply a tarted-up version of the next Impreza hatchback. (Our choice would have been “hatchcon,” but that’s at once infinitely more clear and evocative of an annual gathering of incubator enthusiasts.)
Although there’s no specific mention of the Impreza—Subaru describes the XV as a new generation of crossover vehicle—the concept matches the 2012 Impreza in styling. Specifically, the matte-electrogreen XV gives a peek at what a new Impreza Outback Sport would look like, a vehicle that is in its present form simply an Impreza five-door with two-tone paint.
The current Outback Sport has an awkward delineation where the front fascia meets the fenders. That’s thankfully absent here. Instead, the front is body color, and black-metallic-painted fender flares and rockers provide the machismo; a production model likely would trade the metal-look parts for plain, dark plastic pieces.
The XV concept is powered by a 2.0-liter boxer-four hooked to a continuously variable transmission, a powertrain that’s guaranteed for the new Impreza. Subaru also provides wheelbase (103.7 inches), length (175.2), width (70.9), and height (63.8) measurements that should match a new Outback Sport’s.
The Impreza sedan and hatch are being shown in New York for the first time in production form concurrent with this concept’s display in China. If the Outback Sport does return to the Impreza lineup, it will be sometime after the four- and five-doors go on sale here later this year.
Subaru has invented a word to describe the XV concept debuting at the Shanghai auto show: “protren,” a combination of “professional tool” and “trendy design.” Such clunky wordsmithing was unnecessary, though, since this is simply a tarted-up version of the next Impreza hatchback. (Our choice would have been “hatchcon,” but that’s at once infinitely more clear and evocative of an annual gathering of incubator enthusiasts.)
Although there’s no specific mention of the Impreza—Subaru describes the XV as a new generation of crossover vehicle—the concept matches the 2012 Impreza in styling. Specifically, the matte-electrogreen XV gives a peek at what a new Impreza Outback Sport would look like, a vehicle that is in its present form simply an Impreza five-door with two-tone paint.
The current Outback Sport has an awkward delineation where the front fascia meets the fenders. That’s thankfully absent here. Instead, the front is body color, and black-metallic-painted fender flares and rockers provide the machismo; a production model likely would trade the metal-look parts for plain, dark plastic pieces.
The XV concept is powered by a 2.0-liter boxer-four hooked to a continuously variable transmission, a powertrain that’s guaranteed for the new Impreza. Subaru also provides wheelbase (103.7 inches), length (175.2), width (70.9), and height (63.8) measurements that should match a new Outback Sport’s.
The Impreza sedan and hatch are being shown in New York for the first time in production form concurrent with this concept’s display in China. If the Outback Sport does return to the Impreza lineup, it will be sometime after the four- and five-doors go on sale here later this year.
No comments:
Post a Comment