We all know that Subaru is best known traditionally for the sporty sedans; and lately for the less WRC-like XV. All this while they are okay when it comes to SUVs, mainly because of the Forester but the company is missing out in the larger, full-size sports utility vehicle segment.
Previously they had the Tribeca but it enjoyed just limited success (mostly the US). It fared badly in Asia, and was a no-show in Malaysia presumably because it would be hard to justify its inevitable high price tag.
It seems that Subaru wants to try again. The company has introduced the VIZIV-7 SUV Concept (VIZIV is derived from Vision with Innovation) at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show, with a clear indication that it wants to demonstrate how big a Subaru can be. Let’s look at the numbers then: it’s length is 5200mm, width is 2030mm while height is 1860mm. Wheelbase stretches to 2990mm.
Compare this to, for instance, a BMW X5 xDrive40e, which is rather large. But the VIZIV-7 Concept blows it out of the water with additional 314mm, 92mm and 98mm (length, width, height). For wheelbase, the Subaru has 57mm more. If you think that’s not quite a fair comparison with the BMW being a five-seater, then let’s look at the Audi Q7. The Subaru still has the German beat, which only boasts an overall length of 5052mm, width of 1968mm and 1740mm for height. At 2994mm, it’s close but still won’t compare to the Subaru’s. So, quite big then.
“The concept expresses our core brand values, safety, dependability, capability for outdoor activities and a forward looking attitude,” said Takeshi Tachimori, FHI’s Corporate Executive Vice President. “We know customers in this segment want a full-sized vehicle and the next 3-row from Subaru will be the biggest Subaru vehicle ever.”
It will have three rows of seating and feature the company’s DynamiC X Solid design philosophy, which was first seen on the 2017 Impreza unveiled at the New York Auto Show earlier this year. Basically, it is what the Kodo Soul of Emotion philosophy is to Mazda. The VIZIV-7 Concept will point to the size direction of this three-row SUV once it is properly introduced to the North American market in early 2018.