2017 Subaru XV teased ahead of Geneva Motor Show debut

The Geneva Motor Show is a couple of months away, but Japanese automaker Subaru has released a teaser pic of its all-new 2017 Subaru XV to whet appetites ahead of its March debut at the Swiss show.

The teaser image depicts the XV in shadowy profile, and all but confirms speculation that the next-gen crossover hatch will echo the design of last year’s Crosstrek concept.

From the teaser pic, it’s apparent that the new XV will continue to be based heavily on the Subaru Impreza hatch. Besides some plastic body armour and a jacked-up suspension, those are clearly Impreza bones underneath.

The XV will be the second vehicle to feature the Japanese carmaker’s scalable SGP platform, following the Impreza, which Subaru claims will improve suspension and safety as well as support the next generation of its powertrains and drivelines.

Its profile design also appears to feature sharper design lines and a more aggressive nose, sharing some similarities to its older sibling, the Outback.

The XV is one of Subaru’s most popular vehicles, with 2016 sales figures putting it as Subaru’s third highest-selling model behind the Subaru Forester and Outback.

Powertrain and equipment details will likely surface after the doors open at Geneva, but WhichCar doesn’t expect the next-gen XV to deviate too far from the current-generation XV’s template.

The current XV features the same 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder engine found in the Subaru Impreza, which is paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission. With the new-gen Impreza offering new versions of both the 2.0-litre four and CVT with 115kW of power and 196Nm of torque, we can expect the same hardware under the bonnet of the 2017 Subaru XV.

A hybrid powerplant is also presently offered in some overseas markets such as Europe and Japan, but with that option not making it to Australia, odds are low that we’ll see it here in the next-gen XV.

The new Subaru XV is slated to go on sale in Australian car dealerships in the middle of 2017.