The Subaru Alcyone SVX (also known in the United States simply as the Subaru SVX) was a mid-sized coupe sold from 1992 to 1997. Built as a successor to the first-generation Alcyone (also called the XT), it had a 6-cylinder boxer engine and a unique appearance. In contrast to the boxy XT, the SVX had unusual, curvy lines designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro of ItalDesign. Like all Subarus at the time, it was available in all wheel drive, though many front wheel drive examples were also produced. The SVX is most easily recognized by its unconventional split windows.

History and sales

The Alcyone SVX was introduced in 1992 as a replacement for the then-aging Subaru XT and XT6 coupes. The SVX featured a large 6-cylinder boxer engine, like the XT6, but was significantly larger than the previous model.

The SVX was first introduced in the United States in July of 1991 and was sold in Japan in September of the same year. [1] US sales were good and topped 3,859 units in 1993, although it is reported that Subaru intended to sell 10,000 SVXs each year. [2] Sales dropped significantly for the next few years before falling to just 640 units in 1997, the last year for the SVX. Subaru has not replaced the SVX with another large coupe.

Overall sales of the SVX were 14,257 in the United States and a total of approximately 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]

Construction

Body

The most unique feature of the SVX was its side windows: only the lower half actually rolls down. 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 vehicles equipped with unusual doors: both the Lamborghini Countach and the De Lorean DMC-12 have split windows. Although the SVX has doors that open conventionally, the exceptionally large "greenhouse" windows prohibit being rolled into normally sized doors.

Drivetrain

All SVXs were sold with a 3.3 L 6-cylinder boxer engine driving a four-speed automatic transmission. Both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive models were available from 1991 to 1995, although only AWD models were available in 1996 and 1997.

The SVX's EG33 engine was an indirect development of the 2.7 L ER27 flat-6 from the XT6, expanded to 3,318 cc (96.9 mm bore by 75 mm stroke) and equipped with dual overhead camshafts and 4 valves per cylinder. An increase in compression ratio to 10.0:1 brought power to 230 hp (172 kW) at 5,400 rpm and torque to 228 ft.lbf (309 Nm) at 4,400 rpm. [4]

Common problems

The SVX was the heaviest car Subaru had ever made to that point, at about 3600 pounds (1600 kg) which led to some design flaws. Transmissions would wear out early without aftermarket coolers, brake rotors would warp due to the stresses of stopping such a large vehicle, and wheel bearings would fail.

External links

• Subaru SVX.com is an enthusiast site for SVX owners.
• The Subaru SVX FAQ has numerous technical details.
• History | Subaru Global is Subaru's official history site with a short page on the SVX.