EXTRA DOSE OF VIGOR
EXTRA DOSE OF VIGOR
Dec 20, 2011 (The Manila Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Subaru chooses Thailand Motor Expo as venue from where to stage Asean of the latest Impreza's pumped-up variant
SUBARU practically invented the fashionable crossover genre when, almost two decades back, it kitted up its second-generation Legacy wagon with rugged tires, a taller stance and plastic decor, then hired the definitively Aussie Crocodile Dundee to pitch the clever not-quite-wagon-not-quite-SUV spawn, christened as the Outback (get it?). These days, the maker of oddball all-wheel drive/boxer engine-propelled cars shows it hasn't completely lost its quirky ways by introducing a variant of its new-generation Impreza, which has been kitted up with rugged tires, a taller stance and plastic decor, and christened as the XV.
Thankfully, though, there's no Crocodile Dundee involved this time around.
The XV made its global debut in September at the Frankfurt International Motor Show, then took its Asian bow at the recent Tokyo Motor Show, the car turning out as one of the event's stars as it formed part of Subaru's certified crowd-drawing lineup of new (or significantly upgraded) models that count the latest Imprezas, a luxurious wagon concept, and the much-awaited, much-hyped BRZ sports car which the company had jointly developed with Toyota. Then, a mere eight days later, Subaru brought the XV to the Thailand International Motor Expo to officially launch the car to the Asean region. Expectedly, the XV's appearance at the Thai event was just as stirring as it had been in Tokyo.
Pumped-up Impreza
Subaru bills the XV as a "new type of crossover SUV that not only projects a great presence despite its compact sporty design, but also boasts a range of new features never seen before in an SUV"--or a car that's actually a 2012 Impreza hatchback that's available with the carmaker's new 2.0-liter engine, the same one found on the 2011 Subaru Forester base model. That means the XV flaunts a degree of fuel efficiency, as well as green credentials, that weren't possible with Subaru's previous 2.0-liter engines.
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In Europe (where the car will go on sale first), it's the XV; in the United States, Subaru wanted it to have a name, like the brand's other crossovers (Outback, Forester, Tribeca), so Subaru of America is calling it the XV Crosstrek.
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