There are two separate stories about the Subaru Hybrid Tourer making its debut here in Tokyo. The first is the obvious one. This is a hybrid. It showcases the in-house hybrid system that Subaru will bring to worldwide production in 2012, likely as an additional model within the Impreza or Legacy lines.
This will be a setup like in the Honda Insight, wherein you have a gas engine (a 2.0-liter, turbocharged and direct-injected boxer-4, in this case), a continuously variable transmission (the Lineartronic CVT) and a front-drive electric motor packaged between those two.
However, the Hybrid Tourer also has genuine symmetrical all-wheel drive, so the gas engine drives the rear wheels, too. At least in theory, the concept has a driveshaft and center clutch pack built into its flat floor. There's a rear-drive electric motor in the back, too. Subaru officials are adamant that any hybrid production car would have a true all-wheel-drive setup.
But the other story about the Hybrid Tourer is just as interesting. In talking with Osamu Namba, general manager of Subaru design, we learned that this car represents the next design direction for all Subaru models.
We'll walk you through it after the jump.
Yes, that's right, Subaru is changing directions again. But we think the company might stick with this new direction for awhile. Namba told us he's pushing hard for consistency in styling across the lineup -- something Subaru has never really achieved before.
We also learned that his favorite Subaru design of the last decade is the same as ours: the 2005-'09 Legacy. He regards that as a clean design in need of bolder cues. So he's taken the "hawk's eye" headlamps from the old Legacy and combined them with a large hexagonal grille.
Big grilles are trendy right now, undoubtedly because they help minimize the mass of the taller hoods necessitated by tightening safety standards.
Still, Namba's favorite part of the design is the rear quarter -- both the shape of the taillight and the character line that runs horizontally across the hatch, curving down on either side to finish in the bumper.
Inside, the Hybrid Tourer looks every bit a concept car, with a four-passenger layout and "floating" seats. Seat design is something Namba hopes to refine throughout the Subaru lineup. He also wants to give Subaru cabins a more designed look in an effort to impart a higher-quality feel.
Namba became the new design chief at Subaru in August 2008, so he wasn't involved in the design of the 2010 Legacy or Outback. He started his automotive design career at Suzuki and later worked freelance, doing design work for many major Japanese and Korean automakers. His favorite design of all time is the '83 Fiat Uno by Giugiaro.
cino_iconic says:
12:31 AM, 10/21/09
That's sweet. So Subaru will its design language on the New Subie RWD?
arumage says:
06:02 AM, 10/21/09
That's much better than their current designs!
efinils2 says:
07:02 AM, 10/21/09
I hope this translates into the Impreza lineup soon, as it currently has a face far too Chrysler Sebring-like. So please Subaru, I know you are no imitators, but at least make an effort to look like something other than a straight-to-the-rental-lot Chrysler!
zoomzoomn says:
07:36 AM, 10/21/09
If they can get just the styling (sans gull winged doors) converted at even 80-90% into a production car it would sell like hotcakes! Very sharp!!!
felonious says:
09:32 AM, 10/21/09
I really like it! Not crazy about the grille, but the rest of it is really great. Note that it has a Bangle butt, which is not a bad thing, but remember how everyone whined about that back in the day? Turns out he was just too far ahead of his time for the general public to handle.
dnoodles says:
11:07 AM, 10/21/09
very nice effort. best interpretation of the new design language so far. make it so i can buy it (drop the wings, i'm too tall to not hate that experience)
subytrojan says:
09:45 PM, 10/21/09
The car looks too tall/the belt-line looks too high. The hexagon is too big, too.
I'd like to know more about the DI turbo motor and when we can expect to see DI on all Subaru gasoline engines.
dhectorg says:
10:11 AM, 06/26/10
Last year there was a lot of talk about bringing their 2.2L diesel to the states, but unfortunately, they've opted for this hybrid instead. I know hybrids are a little cleaner than clean diesels, but the mileage is actually expected to be about the same as their current European diesels. The main reason I'd prefer the diesel is cost. The hybrid with cost at least several thousand more than a comparable diesel and will be a much more complicated system. Why won't Americans get on board with clean diesels?