June17
Subaru on Tuesday took the wraps off its new seven-seat Exiga crossover. The new model should slot between the Legacy and the Tribeca. Power will come from two engines: either a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter flat-four good for 146 horsepower or a turbocharged version of the same engine producing some 222 hp.
The top-rung 2.0GT Turbo will get standard all-wheel drive and a five-speed automatic transmission exclusively, while base-engine models will use a 4-speed auto with a choice of front or all-wheel drive.
At 186.6 inches long and nearly 70 inches wide, the Exiga is over 7 inches longer and nearly as wide as the 2009 Forester — on whose platform it’s based — and the wheelbase is likewise stretched by a little more than 5 inches. Because of this, we doubt the crossover will lose its seven seats if or when the car comes Stateside, as some reports previously suggested.
The name Exiga, which is a mishmash of Exciting and Active, would also likely be replaced by the Outback moniker for the North American market. Engines would also be swapped for the 2.5-liter flat fours Subaru uses in its offerings on this side of the pond, with the 2.0L turbodiesel eventually expected to join the range, at least in markets such as Europe. Toyota’s upcoming Venza would likely be the main competitor the Exiga/Outback would face.
Exiga Concept (2007)
Subaru has been making some really unattractive looking cars lately. I dont like this, if I were to get a Sub I would stick with the Legacy
How do they get “Exiga” from the words “Exciting and Active”? Shouldn’t this thing be called an “Exact” from those words. I guess somebody already owned the rights to $H!T Box.
who wants a front wheel drive suburu. well at least it don’t look like it was sprayed with the ugly gun like the new impreza
It’s okay to benchmark Toyota, but for the love of the mother of Jesus don’t design like them.
front end = ok
rear end= err, not me. slap in a diesel and a manual and ok!
A front-wheel drive Subaru? Oh deary me. They should be wasting time developing the new Liberty/Legacy, not this rubbish.
And they really do need a design direction over there.
Exiga has nothing to do with exciting and active.
Exiga is a combination of the words excrement and regurgitate.
Subaru needs to step back into the forest where the only ones who see what they’re up to are the two tree huggers f*cking over the hood of their rusted out Loyale wagon.
4 spd auto?How much longer?
I thought the same thing shaver: the only companies that still attached to 4 speed slushbox are Suby and Toyota 4 cylinder RAV-4 (among big names).
johnnycanuck, I don’t think tree huggers fornicate. Did you ever saw them in the act? Look at Al Gore, do you think he has Clintons’ reach?
Clinton’s reach? You mean Hillary plays the rusty trombone?
I just don’t know what Subaru is doing with this car. It makes zero sense to put out a car that is stuck between the Forester and Tribecca, when the Outback wagon already exists and no one is buying the Tribecca. Anyone who wants a 7-passenger station wagon is just going to buy a Highlander. FWD? 4AT? More monster hood scoops? Everything about it is wrong.
The front and the back look like they came from two different cars, welded together at the A-pillar.
The slab-sided, severe-looking rear looks like it came from a shrunken Odyssey. Not a good look.
I for one don’t like the Outback’s overwrought, fussy, plasticlad styling — I think it makes a big car look small. I would welcome cleaner lines from Subie and I think the new Forester is a step in the right direction. I don’t know what the hell this thing is at all, though.
187″ long and 70″ wide is actually a tad bit smaller than the Legacy/Outback which is not known for being too roomy. Now they want to add a third row. OUCH!!!
Too bad. I don’t mind most of the stying cues but I can’t handle sardine-tin space.
Oh! And isn’t the Forrester below the Legacy? So how could they possible position this between the more upscale Legacy and Tribeca. Bad sushi must have gone to someone’s head here.
Why force a 7 seater in a small car? The front is OK, rear is bad. And, yeah, 4 speed auto and FWD? What is this, a GM product? I have an 08 Tribeca 5 seater which is a little bigger than the Forester interior. The 7 seater was crowded and left almost no luggage room. This will go in between? Why? Lose the hood scoop, it just looks stupid on this wagon.
I’m surprised it has the option of FWD. im sure due to gas $’s. oh well, its oogly anyway. i like the forester tho & this seems to compete too much with it. Am i wrong?
It might seem cliche, but this looks like to answer to the question nobody asked. I like how they used what looks to be the exact same interior as the Impreza. Where’s the originality?
4 speed auto? WTF?
Wow, I actualy like this better then the Tribeca, but what is up with the 4 speed auto.
Ok… There is no part of “Active” in Exiga other than the A.
They really didn’t have to dumb down the design THIS much. I loved the headlights of the concept, and they slapped the ones from the old Legacy on instead. Why? This is Dull!
The interior is very nice though, even if that open storage bin looks a little low-rent the rest of it seems wonderful. I love the HUGE Navigation screen. That’s seriously big!
I like how LLN keeps insisting that the Outback name will replace Exiga for the US market.. despite the fact that the Legacy wagons were ALL rebranded as Outback just a year ago!
I’m guessing there will instead be an AWD Exiga Outback Sport model to replace the homely Impreza Outback Sport, which is now essentially just a hatchback with a 2-tone paint job.
What Subaru needs to do more than anything else right now is stop introducing new models and redesigning existing ones (though the Forrester re-do is a knockout) and concentrate on getting direct injection and variable valve timing into the flat-four and flat-six motors and mating them to a six-speed automatic. Subarus SUCK for gas mileage — I know from personal experience. They need to do everything they can to get the 2.0-liter 4 up to 28mpg and get a turbo diesel version of the H6 in production. The boxer configuration has awesome advantages in packaging, weight and position in the frame, but it also has inherent problems (4 camshafts, split fuel rail, gigantic manifolds, monster crankshaft, big flywheel) that are going to limit the fuel economy unless they buckle down and put some brand-new tech in it.
What Subaru really needs is to ditch the 4 speed automatic.
I know some models hae a 5 speed, but on most it is an option after the 4 speed, just ditch the 4 speed.
Wow. I really like Subaru, but this car is BEAT.
It looks like the offspring of a Saab and a Suzuki. Why does this Subaru’s front end look so much like a Saab? I have a Legacy Outback and it’s an excellent car, 26+ mpg, pretty fast, or, fast enough for me anyway.. This one..I don’t get it.
Yes yes, and why no 5-speed?! You can get that with a Mazda5 even, but not on this?