Subaru Hybrid Tourer Concept
Skimming through the Subaru Hybrid Tourer concept press release, the second paragraph left us a little confused. “The original point of the ideal grand touring car is its interior design, featuring four independent and comfortably positioned seats. Passengers are enclosed within an atmosphere that provides a surpassing feeling of openness and stress-free reassurance, through the further pursuit of a human-centered philosophy, the essence of Subaru car design, and the incorporation of functions that are friendly to passengers.” Say what? After some head scratching, what we divined from reading that jargon is that this car has four seats and it’s about the essence of nothingness.Who Moved my Dash?
Like the car’s mission statement, its cabin leaves us a bit confused. Subaru tells us “the top of the dashboard is moveable up and down for an optimal driving environment for the driver according to driving conditions.” That’s something we’ll need to see to understand. Also, the floor is flat in the rear and the concept’s windshield has a special anti-eyestrain coating.
Like the car’s mission statement, its cabin leaves us a bit confused. Subaru tells us “the top of the dashboard is moveable up and down for an optimal driving environment for the driver according to driving conditions.” That’s something we’ll need to see to understand. Also, the floor is flat in the rear and the concept’s windshield has a special anti-eyestrain coating.
The Subaru Take on Hybrid All-Wheel Drive
Nothing new to Subaru is the concept’s symmetrical all-wheel-drive system, here attached to a 2.0-liter turbocharged boxer-four that gets the direct-injection treatment. What is new is the way in which the four-wheel power is implemented along with hybrid technology. A lithium-ion battery supplies power to a motor/generator in the front and an additional motor in the rear that can operate by itself during low-speed maneuvers. Both motors can be deployed independently to assist the gas engine and retain Subaru’s trademark all-wheel drive. Under normal driving, the gasoline engine is the primary source of propulsion. It’s equipped with a start/stop function to conserve fuel at idle.
Nothing new to Subaru is the concept’s symmetrical all-wheel-drive system, here attached to a 2.0-liter turbocharged boxer-four that gets the direct-injection treatment. What is new is the way in which the four-wheel power is implemented along with hybrid technology. A lithium-ion battery supplies power to a motor/generator in the front and an additional motor in the rear that can operate by itself during low-speed maneuvers. Both motors can be deployed independently to assist the gas engine and retain Subaru’s trademark all-wheel drive. Under normal driving, the gasoline engine is the primary source of propulsion. It’s equipped with a start/stop function to conserve fuel at idle.
Another Concept with Gullwing Doors
The Hybrid Tourer concept’s styling has an overall sleek appearance that reminds us of a stretched Impreza hatch wearing Subaru’s new corporate grille. Gullwing doors are all the rage on design exercises these days, although we’d prefer they be used sparingly by the companies that actually intend to send them to a production line.
The Hybrid Tourer concept’s styling has an overall sleek appearance that reminds us of a stretched Impreza hatch wearing Subaru’s new corporate grille. Gullwing doors are all the rage on design exercises these days, although we’d prefer they be used sparingly by the companies that actually intend to send them to a production line.
Subaru’s idea behind this concept was to display a “new proposal for the future of grand touring cars.” We’ve always preferred our GT cars with big power up front driving the rear wheels, so this concept may be a bit of a stretch of the term. That aside, it likely offers a glimpse of Subaru’s hybrid intentions, and we’re thankful those intentions appear to take into account driving enjoyment, another critical “point of the ideal grand touring car.”
Sources : caranddriver
No comments:
Post a Comment