Subaru Alcyone SVX

Subaru Alcyone SVX
Subaru Alcyone SVX
Overview
Manufacturer	Subaru
Also called	Subaru SVX / Alcyone SVX
Production	1991-1997
Designer	Giorgetto Giugiaro
Body and chassis
Class	Sport compact
Body style	2-door coupé
Layout	All wheel drive
Powertrain
Engine	3.3L 230 hp (172 kW) EG33 Flat-6
Transmission	4-speed automatic 4EAT
Dimensions
Wheelbase	Template:Auto in
Length	Template:Auto in
Width	Template:Auto in
Height	Template:Auto in
Curb weight	Template:Auto lb
Chronology
Predecessor	Subaru Alcyone XT

The Alcyone SVX, also known outside Japan as the Subaru SVX, was a mid-sized, high-performance sports-touring GT coupé sold by Subaru from 1991 to 1997. It was Fuji Heavy Industries first attempt to enter the luxury/performance car market.

History and Sales

Subaru introduced the SVX in the United States in July 1991 (as a 1992 model), following up the U.S. debut with a Japanese market introduction in September of that same year. The model was designed and marketed as the replacement for their aging, envelope pushing Alcyone XT and Alcyone XT6 coupes.

The introduction of the SVX was seen as Subaru's continuing objective of shedding its reputation for building inexpensive, utilitarian automobiles, that were unfortunately lacking in style and innovation. The process of changing their identity began with the introduction of the Legacy and when the SVX appeared, it took the world by surprise. Subaru had wanted to show that they had the ability and technology to build automobiles capable of competing with the best of its rivals. The car was developed and manufactured as originally conceived and priced accordingly.

It is noteworthy that Subaru gave the world its first opportunity to drive a "concept car". Giugiaro designed the slippery, sleek bodywork, incorporating design themes from many of his design concepts, such as the Ford Maya[1] and the Oldsmobile Inca[2]. Subaru decided to put the concept vehicle into production and retain its most distinguishing design element, the unconventional window-within-a-window. Subaru called this an "aircraft-inspired glass-to-glass canopy."

The Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the base model 1992 SVX-LS was $24,445, with the top of the line model with touring package, the LS-L, listing at $28,000. This was $8,000-$11,000 higher that any previous Subaru. By the end of its production run in 1997, the price had risen to $36,740 for the top-of-the-line LSi. Prices listed for the SVX were not uncommon for a car of its caliber, but were unheard of for a Subaru.

Despite its high price, and the fact that it had made its U.S debut during an economic recession, sales in the United States were good; 5,280 cars for 1992 and 3,859 cars in 1993, although it was reported that Subaru intended to sell 10,000 SVXs each year. Unfortunately, demand for the SVX dropped significantly before falling to just 640 units in 1997, at which point Subaru discontinued production.

Total sales of the SVX numbered 14,257 in the United States and a total of about 25,000 worldwide. 2,478 SVXs were sold in Europe (with 854 headed directly to Germany). Roughly 7,000 of all SVXs sold were right-hand drive models.[3]

As an investment, Subaru actually lost $3,000 on every Subaru SVX sold, for a total loss of around $75,000,000 on this project. However, they considered this a small price to pay for the increased awareness of Subaru's presence as a quality, forward-thinking auto manufacturer.

During the early 2000s, prices have stabilized for used vehicles, and it has become one of the more popular cars to collect from the 1990s, especially among Subarus. Many well-preserved and maintained examples are still on the road today and available at a fraction of their original price, and the SVX is widely believed to become a collectible.

Body

Alcyone SVX Hood Emblem

In stark contrast to the boxy, angular XT, the SVX had curvy, almost futuristic, lines designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro of ItalDesign and an unusual, aircraft-inspired "glass-to-glass canopy" with 2-piece power side windows. The windows are split about 2/3 of the way from the bottom, with the division being parallel to the upper curve of the door frame. These half-windows are generally seen on exotic vehicles with "scissor", "gull-wing", or "butterfly" doors, such as the Lamborghini Countach, De Lorean DMC-12, and the McLaren F1. The SVXs aerodynamic shape allowed it to attain a very low drag coefficient of only .29cd.

Subaru SVX

Public reaction to the appearance of the SVX was one of astonishment. Even today, when people look at the car, often the question asked is "That's a Subaru?" in comparison to what the company was making only 8 years earlier.

Drivetrain

File:97engine.jpg

EG33, quad cam, 24 valve engine

Unlike the previous model, which had been available with either a turbocharged 4-cylinder (as XT) or a naturally-aspirated 6-cylinder (as XT6), the SVX debuted with and remained available with only one engine, the EG33 model 3.3 liter "BOXER" horizontally-opposed Flat-6 or H-6.

Internally, the engine is essentially a six-cylinder variant of the EJ22 found in the first-generation Legacy and Impreza. The new 3.3 liter variant was equipped with dual overhead camshafts and 4 valves per cylinder, and had an increased compression ratio of 10.1:1, bringing power up to 230 hp (172 kW) at 5,400 rpm and 228 ft·lbf (309 Nm) of torque at 4,400 rpm. Fuel delivery was accomplished with sequential Multi-port fuel injection with dual spray injectors. Engine ignition used platinum-tipped spark plugs and computerized management system with "Limp Home feature", which included over-rev protection, monitors fuel injection and ignition.

The exhaust system consisted of headpipes from each bank of cylinders with their own pre-catalytic converters, which entered a dual-inlet / single outlet main catalytic converter. A single 2.5" exhaust pipe exited the main converter and went into a resonator, and onto the main, transverse, single inlet muffler with twin exhaust tips in the bumper.

All versions of the SVX sold were equipped with automatic transmissions. Depending on the country, Subaru had two versions of their All-Wheel-Drive system for the automatic transmission, called ACT-4 or VTD. The first system, called ACT-4 by Subaru, was the same setup commonly found on other Subaru models of the period, and used a variable clutch pack center differential using a 90% / 10% power split front to rear, which could transfer up to a 50% / 50% power split for maximum traction if the front wheels started to slip. This AWD system was offered throughout the entire production run, and was used in vehicles manufactured for sale in the USA, Canada, Germany, France and Switzerland. A continuous traction delivery system, called VTD by Subaru, was used in vehicles for sale in Japan, England, Australia, Spain, Austria and Brazil. The VTD AWD system is a permanent AWD due to its 36% / 64% split.

Subaru began to realize that the selling price of the SVX was giving some buyers "sticker shock", so in an attempt to attract more buyers, a Front Wheel Drive FWD version was offered on the SVX during the 1994-1995 model year. In 1994, FWD was offered on both the L model (X33 in the VIN) and on the LS model (X34 in the VIN). In 1995, only the L model was offered in FWD (X33 in the 5th, 6th and 7th digits of the VIN). Unfortunately, AWD is a core technology that buyers identify with Subaru, and offering the SVX with FWD didn't help yearly sales figures.

Performance

Acceleration from 0-60 mph was 7.3 seconds, with a standing 1/4 mile time of 15.4 seconds at 92.5 mph (148.9 km/h). The top speed of the 1992/1993 SVX was 154 mph (248 km/h), while in later models (1994-1997) the top speed was electronically-governed at 143 mph (230 km/h).

Although it was considered to be a very powerful vehicle at its debut, the SVX was heavy, weighing in at 3580 pounds (1624 kg), which is roughly the same as a Third Generation Outback wagon. It was only available with the 4EAT 4-speed automatic transmission, which adversely affected performance. A manual transmission, capable of handling the horsepower and torque of the EG33 engine, was not available at the time of production and was never made available as an option. However, many owners have successfully retrofitted the SVX with manual transmissions. Almost all recent Subaru manual transmissions can be adapted to the SVX, with the most popular ones being the 5 and 6-speeds from the Impreza WRX and STi.

Subaru chose to use the boxer engine in the SVX, as well as their other products, to simplify the power train implementation of all-wheel drive and because of the natural smoothness of the engine design. According to Subaru, because the engine sits in-line, or longitudinal, with the transmission, instead of being offset, or transverse, as can be commonly found by other FWD and AWD vehicles, body roll is minimized. The weight of the engine and transmission are balanced instead of being offset, which causes the weight of the engine and transmission to be unbalanced in the engine bay in other vehicles. The boxer engine also affords a low center of gravity because the engine sits low in the engine bay and close to the ground, as opposed to other vehicles, allowing the vehicle to stay more stable in moderate to high speed maneuvers. Other manufacturers attempt to counteract the offset weight by making their power trains' weight evenly distributed, which overall causes the power train to be heavier than the Subaru layout, which is manufactured from lightweight aluminum. The boxer design also provides perfect vibration mitigation due to the fact that the movement of each piston is exactly countered by the corresponding piston in the opposing cylinder bank, eliminating the need for a harmonic balancer attached to the front of the engine at the crankshaft. Torque steer is also reduced with this type of power train layout. This is achieved by having the front drive shafts being of equal weight and length, and extend from the transmission to the front wheels at almost perpendicular from the transmission.

Motorsports

In 1991, a Subaru SVX, driven by Ken Knight and Bob Dart, won the Alcan Winter Rally, [4] a race starting in Seattle to the Arctic Circle and back.

Common problems

Transmission failure in the early models, brake rotor warping and wheel bearing failures were all common problems with the SVX. At first glance, it is tempting to blame these failures on the weight of the car, but in actuality, these failures are mostly due to Subaru engineering errors (that in many cases Subaru fixed).

• Automatic transmission failures in the early models (1992-1993) were caused by a fine screen filter installed in the transmission cooler, which was located inside the radiator. Debris from normal wear would build up and clog the screen, reducing or stopping automatic transmission fluid flow, thus killing the transmission through overheating. Subaru later corrected this by removing the screen entirely and installing a proper external filter in the automatic transmission fluid circuit to catch any debris from the transmission, before it entered the cooler. In 1994 the transmission received several upgrades, taking care of some of its reliability issues. With proper fluid maintenance and the addition of a larger aftermarket transmission cooler this problem is correctable.

• Warped brake rotors were due mainly to over-torque of the lug nuts and inadequate thickness of the rotor.

• Rear wheel bearing problems surfaced due to improper lubrication. The bearings were replaced at the dealerships pre-greased. This was however only a packing grease to prevent rust, so if bearings are not properly cleaned and re-packed the problem will come back. Since then, Subaru is now shipping all wheel bearings pre-greased with the proper high-temperature grease, so repacking is no longer necessary.

• The Subaru SVX is one of the few vehicles that requires an external E-ZPass transmitter. This is because the titanium dioxide coating on the windshield blocks the signal from the RFID transponders.

External links

• SVX World Network - The largest and most comprehensive source of information on the SVX
• SVX World Forums - A newer forum similar in scope, created and maintained by former
  and current members of the SVX World Network
• Subaru SVX Information Warehouse - Valuable SVXipedia and FAQs on maintenance of the SVX
• Research Everything SVX - Specifications on sales, models, options, colors and prices by year
• Jamsvx Subaru SVX - Detailed information on SVX history and variants in the JDM market
• Subaru SVX.com
• 1992 SVX Technical Service Bulletins - Official factory information addressing early problems
• History | Subaru Global - Subaru's official history site
• History | Subaru USA - History of Subaru in America, 1968-present
• Alcan Winter Rally
• Where the Suckers Moon: The Life and Death of an Advertising Campaign - Book detailing the brief
  and disastrous marriage between the struggling Subaru corporation and the hip ad agency it hired to
  revive its image, especially the SVX