Sleek Looking Five-Door Features Rear Electric Motor for AWD
Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press
In a recent concept review about Toyota’s sweet new FT-86 sports coupe that I covered, we saw the unusual pairing of Toyota running gear with Subaru’s horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine. The design made sense mechanically, as the flat-four configuration is compact and allows for a low centre of gravity and reduced hood height, resulting in a sleek look with excellent aerodynamic and handling benefits, not to mention that the Subie mill is rally proven, rich on torque and will no doubt prove thrilling to drive. And while a Subaru variant is expected shortly, the more eclectic Japanese brand showed something different at the Tokyo auto show this year.
2009 Subaru Hybrid Tourer Concept
This time, gleaning some green benefits from its relationship with Toyota (the world’s largest car company owns a respectable albeit not controlling percentage of the mostly Fuji Heavy Industries held carmaker), the Hybrid Tourer Concept is less about fast and nimble and more about fuel-saving and environmental efficiencies. We already know that a hybrid Legacy is on the way, which is a great move for Subaru and should be a terrific car when considering how good the current 2010 Legacy and Outback models are, but just the same it appears that the four-door midsize model is just the beginning.
The Hybrid Tourer Concept incorporates the same horizontally-opposed Subaru-built internal combustion engine (ICE) that the Legacy Hybrid will utilize, 2.0 litres in displacement and featuring turbocharging and direct-injection while mated to a Lineartronic continuously variable transmission (CVT) for optimal fuel efficiency, but there’s more to this sleek five-door than that.
Two electric motors combine to either power the Hybrid Tourer completely or assist the primary ICE drive system. An electric motor rated at 10 kW combines with the ICE to power the front wheels and replenishes the lithium ion battery pack when not assisting the boxer engine. A second motor adds 20 kW of extra power to the rear wheels when launching off the line, or gets used to propel the car at extremely slow speeds on electric-only power, such as when parking. An idle-stop feature, the same as used on hybrids since the beginning, which shuts the engine off when idling, at a stoplight for instance, and then restarts it as soon as the brake pedal is released, further improves fuel economy while reducing emissions, plus regenerative braking, a system also used on production hybrids since day one, makes use of otherwise wasted kinetic braking energy to keep the battery topped up.
Packaging a rear-mounted electric motor, which needs no driveshaft of course, allows for all-wheel drive (a Subaru staple) without the usual intrusion to interior space, resulting in a fully flat floor in the rear to optimize legroom.
While all of this hybrid technology sounds extremely doable and practical, a few concept-oriented touches make sure that we don’t forget this is car is meant for show and tell, not real life, at least not yet. For example, ultra-large gullwing doors for front and rear access pay homage to the automaker’s history of building planes, although Subaru might want to consider adapting this concept’s dash controls that pivot up and down for a better forward view.
Another innovation that would be superb if brought to market is a special shielding added to the windshield glass that is supposed to reduce eyestrain during night driving, while Subaru has covered the seats with a special leather that improves “breathability” while a “ventilation function is used in the seats for improved comfort and texture.”
From a design perspective, it’s gorgeous! It borrows a bit from the Legacy concept that preceded the production model, and surprisingly it appears to have been influenced by Mitsubishi’s Sportback Concept, which eventually morphed into the current Lancer Sportback, although not appearing quite as appealing in the process. If Subaru can put something as sleek and sexy as the Hybrid Tourer Concept into production, however, their sales numbers would rise dramatically. After all, no one questions the brand’s quality, performance capability or value, it’s always a case of style, with most mainstream buyers not willing to go quirky to get all that inner goodness. Of course, the new Legacy is starting to change the brand’s perception of quirkiness considerably, but it will take some time before the mass market wakes up to a new Subaru, and a car like the Hybrid Tourer could be like visual smelling salts jarring awake what is now a rather complacent Toyota, Honda and Nissan-focused marketplace.
Yes, the Hybrid Tourer Concept is a step in the right direction for Subaru, both stylistically and mechanically. Now we’ll have to see if it gets the green light for production, and if so, gull wing doors aside, whether or not it gets dumbed down from concept to reality.
