TWO SURPRISE SUBARUS FOR GENEVA
 

TWO SURPRISE SUBARUS FOR GENEVA

A new mini-car and a large seven-seat SUV are the surprise stars on the Subaru stand at this year’s 75th Geneva International Motor Show.

The stylish Subaru R1 mini-car has just gone on sale in Japan while the Porsche Cayenne-sized B9 Tribeca had its debut at the recent Detroit Motor Show with first US deliveries due in the summer.

Neither are planned for Europe although market research studies are about to begin to gauge public reaction.

Subaru will hold a press conference on the first press day of the show – Tuesday,
1 March at 8.45 am.

Subaru R1
Aimed at the Japanese ‘K-Car’ market, the 660cc R1 offers all-wheel drive and intelligent continuously-variable automatic transmission as technical highlights, clothed in a stylish, streamlined body described as resembling an eggshell.

The black and red interior is especially luxurious and of high-quality and the car is primarily designed as a two-seater.

The two-wheel drive version is one of the most fuel-efficient cars in Japan and qualifies as an Ultra Low Emission Vehicle, exceeding government demands for a
50 per cent reduction in emissions from 2005 levels.


Subaru B9 Tribeca
Spearheading a new design direction for Subaru, the new B9 Tribeca is a large seven-seat SUV similar in size to a Porsche Cayenne or BMW X5.

The Tribeca features all-wheel drive and a horizontally-opposed six-cylinder 3.0 litre ‘boxer’ engine similar to the range-topping Legacy.

To be built in Subaru’s plant in Indiana, the Tribeca will initially be restricted to the US, Canadian and Chilean markets only.

It was engineered to continue Subaru’s excellent reputation for outstanding handling, road-holding and active safety and further extends the ‘crossover’ family which also includes the Outback and Forester.

is FCKUING ugly.

welcome to the new Subaru corporate nose job. :o

http://www.subiegal.com/images/event...ribeca-041.jpg

More at http://www.subiegal.com/

its (still) FCKUING ugly.

is that the R1?

if so what happened to q1? as we have seen p1? ;) god what a difference :D :lol:

is there a twin scroll turbo version? :D :D

looks like the vicki pollard of the car world... makes a cayenne looks sleek and sexy :eek:

Ugly as f*ck :(

er- yeah thats one way to put it :D:D
;)

The R1 looks really nice. I wonder if the CV Transmission is from technology co-developed with Nissan. But I'd second the UGLY for the SUV. It seems that subaru is making quite a name for it's self for horendous design. That and the bugeye should be banned from history books.

the new Impreza will have that corporate nose design. :o

minging :mad:

According to today's Autocar, the Tribeca has received negative reactions in customer car clinics in the US. Well, that's a surprise then.... :eek:

Nice NOT

I don't know who designed the CVT, but I've driven the CVT version of the R1.

TBH I hated it. The feeling of disconnection between what your right foot commands and what and when the transmission actually delivers was something I couldn't live with, no matter how clever or how efficient it is.

When you hit the throttle, the revs rise and the CVT feeds torque to the wheels. In ordinary driving it's OK, but when you have to go for a gap in the traffic to make a turn, it becomes dangerous. You would think that when you hit the throttle harder you would get a better, more urgent response. However my experience was you get a bigger delay between hitting the throttle and the torque actually getting through to the wheels. Not good when some vehicle is bearing down at you at speed and you're still sitting there in your little roller skate, engine revving, praying that today is not your day to die.

I guess you could learn to drive around it given time and practice, like planting your foot earlier and holding it on the brake until you're ready to go. But that would probably shorten the life of your CVT. Those who are not enthusiastic motorists and just want a small A-to-B town car with excellent fuel efficiency will probably be happy enough with it though.