Headed for another Subaru Heartbreak.

"BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast." (boxerfanatic) 10/07/2015 at 18:12 • Filed to: None

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!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (courtesy of MotorAuthority)

And the preview sketch for the next Impreza 5-door, also to debut at the Tokyo show.

Subaru, you cruel... I swore I was done after WRX Design Concept, and Impreza Design Concept before that didn’t show to be anywhere NEAR the production versions. That was supposed to be the last knife wound in my back.

Now this? Now a 3-door compact CUV that LOOKS GREAT...

Oh, SNAP. That isn’t a 3-door... that is a 5-door with an articulated panel shifting hinge. (check out the last shot...)

You KNOW they aren’t going to be doing anything in the same solar system as this. And the next-gen Subarus are going to be under-powered, CVT-driven dullard appliances.

Looks like I am headed for another heartbreak... just like the classic power ballad says...

Zohaibman72 > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 10/07/2015 at 18:20

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Subaru is going from one of the most unique brands on the market with the most niche and quirky cars to becoming AWD Toyota.

I hope this CUV concept keeps the door design. Which it won’t. Old subaru would do something like that. 2015+ Subaru? I don’t think so.

Berang > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 10/07/2015 at 18:42

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I only say this every now and then, but those tires look sexy.

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 10/07/2015 at 19:31

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Production mule spied.

wbizarre - OEM fetishist > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 10/07/2015 at 20:13

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For all we know that concept car is under-powered and has a CVT.

wafflesnfalafel > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 10/07/2015 at 22:22

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I’m sure this is just a styling exercise for the next gen Forester - if you take it at that, it’s a decent looking mid sized CUV.

lunr > Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius 10/07/2015 at 22:46

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Gosh, I hope that's not final production. They've couped (swooped?) the rear. No more greenhouse - one of the reasons I love my Fozzi.

SlickMcRick > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 10/07/2015 at 23:52

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That seat looks rather....uncomfortable.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > wbizarre - OEM fetishist 10/08/2015 at 12:39

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Actually, in the article, it mentioned a hybrid through-the-road AWD system.

Basically kinetic front-wheel-drive (likely CVT, knowing Subaru), with an electric dual-mode rear axle... when coasting or braking, it generates electricity from the motion of the tires, and on-demand, it reverses throughput and applies torque through the rear tires in concert with the front.

Actually, for efficiency on-road, it sort of makes sense, aside from perhaps increased rolling resistance, and once the electrical capacitance is depleted, it is relegated to FWD, unless there is a supplemental generator on the front drivetrain to help charge in normal circumstances, and shunt power directly to the rear traction motors when the capacitance level is low.

For actual performance... it might not be all that exciting.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > wafflesnfalafel 10/08/2015 at 12:50

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It looks fantastic, albeit it is a class size smaller than Forester, more like XV Crosstrek. There is almost no room behind the rear seats. If it were a production car, and the rear seats were folded down, the gap between the rear hatch open, and the rear doors being open, would be extremely small... great access to a relatively modest sized cargo area... which is why bikes are slung on the back, not racked inside the cargo area.

Looking FANTASTIC is the problem.

The blue pill, or the red pill?

Frankly, I think the roofline proves that Impreza Design Concept got re-tooled to BE the WRX Design Concept, and they are the same shell. the production cars didn’t get anywhere close, and were a bait-and-switch betrayal.

This likely will be, too. Be it the next Forester, or the next XV Crosstrek, or a bit of a preview for both, I don’t hold any hope for any current or future Subaru production vehicle being compelling until I SEE IT in person, and know the stats. I fully expect further betrayal.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > SlickMcRick 10/08/2015 at 12:51

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Probably just as pie-in-the-sky as the bike carrier, and the whole Viziv Future concept vehicle.