Subaru Advanced Tourer Concept Redefines Hybrid Wagons
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2011 Tokyo Auto Show
Just the Facts:- Subaru hints at the future with its sensational hybrid wagon concept.
- The Advanced Tourer Concept is an update of the 2009 Hybrid Tourer Concept.
- The Advanced Tourer mates an electric motor with a turbocharged 1.6 direct-injection boxer engine.
TOKYO — Forget about the scissors-style front doors, the rear suicide doors and the all-glass panoramic roof. Subaru's Advanced Tourer Concept, unveiled here at the 2011 Tokyo Auto Show, is one hot-looking wagon that just might make it into production in 2014, without a few of the more eye-popping design details.
An update of Subaru's 2009 Hybrid Tourer Concept, the Advanced Tourer is sized between the Impreza and Outback wagons, with cutting-edge styling that is likely to spill over into the automaker's next crop of production cars.
Subaru said the concept was developed as a "new-generation sports wagon" under the theme Revolutionary Sports Tourer. Overall length is 180.3 inches, which makes the Advanced Tourer more than 6 inches longer than an Impreza wagon and 8 inches shorter than an Outback.
The revolutionary aspect may allude to the choice of driveline — an advanced hybrid system that combines an electric motor and a new turbocharged 1.6-liter version of Subaru's direct-injection four-cylinder boxer engine. Look for a production version of the hybrid powertrain to appear in other Subaru cars in 2013.
The concept also features all-wheel drive and Subaru's new Lineartronic continuously variable transmission, which the company describes as the world's first longitudinally mounted chain-drive CVT to be used in mass-produced AWD passenger cars.
Powered by a lithium-ion battery pack and linked to a brake regeneration system, the electric motor can be used exclusively during takeoff and at low speeds.
Other features include a monitor built into the steering wheel that enables access to navigation, video and Web-based apps, as well as an updated version of Subaru's EyeSight video warning system.
Edmunds.com says: Send it here. Immediately.
