Subaru STI concepts at 2007 Tokyo Auto Salon
Word on the street is that Subaru will no longer offer a Legacy wagon in the USA starting with the 2008 model year. Assuming that's true (and I do), my first thought was what if Subaru offered a turbo Outback GT, which was essentially a turbo Legacy GT but wearing the Outback grille, side cladding and badges? This would appeal to those who want a wagon, but also desire the lower ride height and better handling that goes along with that. My thinking is it wouldn't replace the high-riding Outback XT, but instead would be an addition to the Outback lineup...
Well it seems the folks at FHI have been thinking somewhat along the same lines, only they've taken my idea a step further by showing a
"Tuned-by STI" Outback concept at the 2007 Tokyo Auto Salon. Note that "Tuned-by STI" means it's not the
pure STI that we all know and love. Rather, think of it as more of a
designer-edition, with some of the STI performance tweaks. It's better than a stock Subie, bit it's not the real thing.
Also shown is this super-neat supercharged 660cc AWD
Stella STI concept, which has to be the ultimate urban assault vehicle!
Oh... one more bit of Subie rumor-mongering: Expect to see STI variants of
all Subie lines over the next few years. So what we see here could well be a hint of things to come.
- Permalink | Comments (4)
- Posted by: Bob Holland January 15, 2007, 5:00 AM
- Categories: All Auto Shows, Subaru, Wagons
I like the Stella STi (lose the Stella name though). For North America it would do better with a 1.3 litre engine ( no tax advantages to a 660 here).
I wonder what it weighs?
I like the idea of STi variants across all models.
The Daihatsu-looking thing is pretty cool. If they get it here soon, it might be competitive.
STEEELLLAAAAAAH!
Sorry, had to get that out of the way.
Like that OB.
I would love an STI version of the Outback, but the price would probably exceed US$38,000. The market would be limited for that type of product. I believe that the Magnum SRT8 is not selling as well and could be kept at less than 1,000 units. This should make it a collectors' item but nothing more. I simply wish that the next STI has a hatch or wagon version pumping more than 300hps and that looks nice for once.