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With the Subaru Viziv Performance Concept, be careful getting your hopes up

Subaru fans have reason to be excited. The company revealed the Viziv Performance Concept at the Tokyo Motor Show, and it's pretty obvious that it's a preview of a future WRX. The big vents, hood scoop, fenders, and its sedan profile all shout WRX. Someone from Subaru's design department even confirmed that the study could influence the next model. While admiring the concept's lines and imagining the next model, we, as well as some of our commenters, realized that we should keep our hopes and expectations low. The reason for this is that Subaru pulled a bit of a bait-and-switch with WRX styling before, back in 2013. That year, the company revealed the WRX Concept. It, like the Viziv Performance Concept, was a vented, scooped, flared, low-roof interpretation of the next WRX. Everyone loved it, and they were psyched to see a Subaru that could truly be described as beautiful, rather than say, unique, or interesting, or different, or any other kindhearted euphemism. View 11 Photos Then Subaru unveiled the production WRX for 2015. To the company's credit, it did manage to include design cues from the concept such as the fender flare lines and fascia shape, and it shared very few exterior panels with the Impreza. Unfortunately, it was still based on the Impreza platform, and those lines had to be pulled in and compressed onto the tall and narrow economy car. Without the low roof, ultra-wide fenders, and long, defined trunk, the car lost a lot in translation. The result thoroughly disappointed, and on occasion infuriated, fans. Basically, we've been burned before by Subaru's concepts. Heck, if you want more proof, take a look at the Subaru BRZ STI Performance concept that had a turbocharged engine. And yet, we still have no turbo BRZ on the market. But just because we're trying to be realistic doesn't mean Subaru won't surprise us with a close-to-concept WRX in the future. And the company is showing some signs that its concepts are more realistic. Looking at the evolution of the Viziv-7 concept into the Ascent concept and production prototypes, it seems a lot of the original design has survived. So hope isn't lost, just tempered. Related Video: Featured Gallery Subaru Viziv Performance Concept Tokyo Motor Show View 12 Photos Tokyo Motor Show Subaru Concept Cars Performance Sedan 2017 tokyo motor show subaru wrx concept subaru viziv perfromance concept

Mark Higgins sets new Isle of Man record in Subaru STI

Subaru has done it again, setting a new four-wheel lap record around the 37.75-mile TT Mountain Course at the Isle of Man. Mark Higgins in a 2015 WRX STI rocketed through the country roads at an average speed of 116.40 miles per hour to circle the track in 19 minutes, 26 seconds, thereby beating his previous record of 19 minutes 56.7 seconds from 2011 in an STI.
According to Subaru, speeds during the lap ranged from as little as 30 mph to over 160 mph. The STI was mostly stock with the only major mechanical change being different springs and dampers to handle the course's famous bumps at such sustained high speeds. For safety, it also had a rollcage, racing harness, and fire suppression system.
"It was quite a lap we did today and I am really happy to have another record in the bank. The chassis of the new car is so much better it really allowed me to pick up time in each sector in the more technical parts of the course," said Higgins about the run in the Subaru.

Subaru teases Viziv Adrenaline Concept crossover for Geneva

The latest installment in Subaru's Viziv line of concept vehicles is set for a reveal at the Geneva Motor Show next month. It's called the Viziv Adrenaline, and it'll add to a pair of electrified "e-Boxer" models on display, possibly the e-Boxer version of the Forester and a Crosstrek plug-in hybrid, which is branded as the XV in Europe. We're limited to this darkened, front three-quarters view for clues about the Viziv Adrenaline. It appears to be a two-door, raised crossover with bulging quarter panels, an interesting undulating belt line and plenty of creases for a rugged look. It also appears to sport futuristic-looking rearview cameras in place of conventional mirrors, and the LED headlights look pretty close to the ones found on last year's Viziv Tourer. Also, two cutouts at the top of the hood may indicate the presence of a combustion engine. Given that this is called the Viziv Adrenaline, are we looking at a performance model? Viziv is Subaru-parlance for "Vision for Innovation," so there are doubtless more details in store for us in Geneva. Last year's Viziv Tourer Concept presaged a production WRX wagon, and the Viziv Performance Concept from 2017 previewed a possible future WRX (don't forget the Viziv Performance STI Concept from last year's Tokyo Auto Salon). While Subaru has given us reasons to be wary about its concepts' ties to future production models in the past, don't forget the Viziv-7 did indeed become the Ascent three-row SUV. The Viziv Adrenaline debut is scheduled for March 5. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.