Cars - Subaru Alcyone SVX

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	Cars - Subaru Alcyone SVX

The Alcyone SVX, also known in the United States simply as the Alcyone or SVX was a mid-sized sports-touring coupe sold by Subaru from 1991 to 1997.

History and sales

Subaru introduced the SVX in the United States in July of 1991, following up the U.S. debut with a Japanese market introduction in September of that year. The model was designed and marketed as the replacement for their aging Alcyone XT and Alcyone XT6 coupes. 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. Sales dropped significantly for the next few years before falling to just 640 units in 1997, at which point Subaru discontinued the vehicle.

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.

Body

In contrast to the boxy XT, the SVX had curvy, almost futuristic lines designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro of ItalDesign and an unusual all-glass canopy with 2-piece 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 vehicles with "gull-wing" or "scissor" doors such as the Lamborghini Countach and the De Lorean DMC-12.

Drivetrain

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 litre flat-six. The engine was an indirect development of the ER27 model, 2.7 litre unit that had powered the Alcyone XT6, although the new 3.3 litre variant was equipped with dual overhead camshafts and 4 valves per cylinder, and had an increased compression ratio of 10.0:1, bringing power up to 230 hp (172 kW) at 5,400 rpm and 228 ft·lbf (309 Nm) of torque at 4,400 rpm.

Unlike Subaru's newer models, which are all sold exclusively with all-wheel drive, the SVX was available in both all-wheel and front-wheel drive.

Although it was considered to be a very powerful vehicle at its debut, the SVX was heavy, weighing in at about 3600 pounds (1600 kg), and was only available with a 4-speed automatic transmission, both of which adversly affected performance. The all-wheel drive version suffered even further, as the weight and driveline complexity that the system added to the vehicle made it more difficult for the SVX to perform.

Common problems

Early transmission failure, brake rotor warp and wheel bearing failure are all common to the SVX. Generally these problems are attributed to the SVX's weight, which Subaru engineers did not properly take into consideration when designing the vehicle.

--- At first glance, it is tempting to blame these failures on the weight of the car, but in actuality, these failures are all due to Subaru engineering errors (that in some cases Subaru fixed). The early automatic transmission failures were caused by a screen installed at the entrance of the transmission cooler. Normal wear debris would build up at the screen and reduce/stop automatic transmission fluid flow and thus kill the transmission. Subaru later corrected this by removing the screen and installing a proper filter in the automatic transmission fluid circuit. The warped brake rotors are due mainly to poor choice of pad material (and possibily inadequate rotor ventilation). The rear wheel bearing problem seems to be due to either defective wheel bearing grease seals or due to improper bearing assembly when the car was manufactured. The 2005 WRX STi uses the same rear wheel bearing and that car weighs in at 3350 lb which is not much less than the SVX.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Subaru Alcyone SVX ]

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