Subaru Viziv-7 Concept is ready to shrug off VW Atlas

When the Outback doesn't have enough room, buyers can look to this upcoming three-row crossover for even more room.

Subaru has already confirmed that a seven-seat, three-row crossover is joining the brand??™s lineup in the United States and Canada in early 2018, and the Viziv-7 SUV Concept at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show is a good preview of how the company??™s biggest model could look. Subie is still keeping the automotive world guessing about the rest of CUV??™s important specs, though.

The Viziv-7 SUV looks like a larger, tougher evolution of the current Outback and Forester. A large grille dominated the front, and the headlights feature bracket-shaped LEDs for running lights. The profile highlights the muscular fenders an arching shoulder liner that flows upward to the D-pillar. The hatchback is angular, and a strip of LEDs runs through it for a visual connection between the taillights.

???We know customers in this segment want a full-sized vehicle, and the next three-row from Subaru will be the biggest Subaru vehicle ever,??? said Takeshi Tachimori, corporate executive vice president at Fuji Heavy Industries.
The Viziv-7 definitely suggests that Subaru wants the still-unnamed three-row to be an imposing vehicle. At 204.7 inches (5,200 millimetres) long, the concept stretches way longer than the company??™s current Outback at 189.6 inches (4,816 mm). In addition, it??™s bigger than the new Volkswagen Atlas at 198.3 inches (5,037 mm) and the Chevrolet Tahoe at 203.9 inches (5,179 mm).

Subaru doesn??™t offer any details about the interior, but the cameras for the company??™s EyeSight driver assistance suite is visible on the rear-view mirror. The latest version of the tech in the Impreza includes aids like pre-collision braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, blind spot detection, and high beam assist.

Unfortunately, Subaru doesn??™t give any info about the three-row crossover??™s powertrain either. The company??™s venerable combination of a boxer engine and all-wheel drive seems like a safe bet. However, the exact powerplant is a mystery. If the company sticks with what it currently has available, the 2.0-litre turbocharged boxer four-cylinder from the Forester XT with 250 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque seems like a viable option. The aging 3.6-litre flat-six with 256 hp and 247 lb-ft from the Legacy and Outback is another possibility, but a rumour suggests Subaru wants to stop using six-pot powerplants.