Frankfurt Motor Show 2011: Subaru XV
Tuesday, 13 September 2011 11:20 AM
The new Subaru XV compact crossover must battle UK sales away from the Nissan Qashqai, a car that's already got a 1 million models built milestone under its belt
Apart from their obvious rally warrior Impreza cars history, Subaru has also built up a solid reputation for building rugged, reliable and practical all-wheel drive vehicles, so it probably made a lot of sense to get involved in the compact crossover segment; currently ruled in the UK by the Nissan Qashqai.
And today, at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show and after many months of speculation and teasers, the Japanese brand has launched their new XV model into the public eye. And as these new pictures show it’s rugged, modern-Japanese-styled and distinctly Subaru.
There’s much work to do if Subaru want to steal a decent slice of Nissan Qashqai sales – Nissan’s Sunderland plant passed the 1 million Qashqais milestone some months ago – but XV’s distinctive styling is a good place to start. They must also surely consider a front-wheel drive model if they want to keep emissions as trimmed as possible. A diesel (boxer) engine is rightly already planned.
So, here are the key XV points that Subaru hope will raise their new compact crossover’s profile above the rest in this already busy and buzzing segment of the new car market:
– New generation Boxer petrol and diesel engines feature; 1.6- and 2-litre
– CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) and all new Auto Start-Stop system both available
– Interior focus on quality and spaciousness
– The door opening dimensions which have been enlarged and a seating position which allows much easier ingress and egress
– Large Multi-Function Display (MFD) which is highly visible in the upper middle section of the instrument panel for comfortable driving
– By integrating the partition windows into the front doors and positioning the door mirrors on the door panels, class-leading forward visibility was achieved, and blind spots reduced. A more streamlined rear roof edge was designed without impairing the rear field of view
– In addition to SRS driver’s/passenger’s airbags, SRS side airbags and SRS curtain airbags, SRS driver’s knee airbag are standard in all models
– VDC (Vehicle Dynamics Control) is installed in all models as standard. Its "intervention timing" has been optimised while a brake assist function is also incorporated into the VDC system
– An upmarket interior was created by balancing and combining the different tactile and emotional qualities of leather, metal, and cloth
– Overall Length x Width x Height (mm): 4,450 x 1,780 x 1,570
– Seating Capacity: 5
Full performance, price and on-sale date are to be confirmed.
www.subaru.co.uk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subaru
By Daniel Anslow
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