2018 Geneva Motor Show: Subaru Viziv Tourer Concept shows the wagon ain’t dead

THE Subaru Viziv Tourer Concept unveiled at Geneva overnight appears to point more at a replacement for the city-focussed Levorg than the adventure-ready Forester and Outback.

Tear away the chunky guards, tone down some of the harsh angles, and then follow the pinched glasshouse over the rear haunches, and this isn’t a car made for taking the kayaks upstream or the mountain bike to the nearest gnarly peak. It’s a city-friendly wagon, driven by design and more at home in suburbia.

Slightly longer than a Levorg, lower, and sitting on a longer wheelbase, the third Viziv concept to tease Subaru’s future direction only has room inside for four passengers. It taps the Japanese car maker’s “Dynamic x Solid” design philosophy and, Subaru claims, infuses it with the spirit of successive generations of Subaru touring wagon models. Or something. The way the tail-lights blend into the tailgate? That’s clearly not ...

The bonnet scoop hints at an intercooler mounted on top of the engine, suggesting that beneath its bonnet rests a turbocharged beast – a thought supported by the twin exhaust outlets. This all-wheel-drive concept could also tap into Subaru’s hybrid powertrain development.

Like many show cars, the Viziv Touring Concept’s clean lines aren’t yet broken by traditional wing mirrors, with Subaru’s design team giving its side mirror specialists the week off and instead fitting cameras that are potentially somehow linked to the Japanese brand’s specialist Eyesight driver assist system. Its cameras appear to have made the jump from around the rear-vision mirror to special inserts built into the roof, hinting at a possible advanced radar or lidar system.

Subaru’s road-focussed Levorg and Forester SUV are both due for replacement. The Viviz Touring Concept gives a strong clue as to how they will evolve.