- This article incorporates information from the equivalent article on the Japanese Wikipedia.
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| Manufacturer | Subaru |
|---|---|
| Production | 1992–1998 |
| Predecessor | Subaru Rex |
| Successor | Subaru Pleo |
| Class | Kei car |
| Body style(s) | 3-door hatchback 5-door hatchback 2-door targa top |
| Layout | Front-engine, front-wheel drive / four-wheel drive |
| Engine(s) | 658cc EN07A straight-4 658cc EN07E straight-4 658cc EN07Z straight-4 658cc EN07X straight-4 |
| Transmission(s) | 5 speed manual 3-speed automatic ECVT Paddle shift |
| Length | 3,295 mm (129.7 in)[1] |
| Width | 1,395 mm (54.9 in) |
| Height | 1,385 mm (54.5 in) |
| Curb weight | 650 kg (1,433 lb)-700 kg (1,543 lb) |
The Subaru Vivio was a kei car that was introduced in March 1992, and manufactured by Subaru until October 1998. It has a supercharged 658 cc (52 hp)[2] (44 hp in Europe) engine which is small enough to place it in the lightcar class, which gives its owners large tax breaks in Japan. The Vivio feels roomy considering its small size, thanks to a relatively tall profile and large windows. It is one of the lightest kei cars, weighing in at between 650 kg (1,433 lb) and 700 kg (1,543 lb) depending on the trim line.
The name "Vivio" is a reference to the engine's displacement 660.0 written in Roman numerals (VI,VI,O), and also inspired by the word "vivid". It replaced the Rex that was introduced in the 1970s. It was available in 3 and 5-door versions commonly, with 2-door targa top version named T-top in acceptance to the order. In November 1995 the Vivio Bistro was a facelift variation with a retro theme was introduced, with Mini-esque front and rear fascias, matching upholstery and modifications to the dashboard. The Bistro series was popular, causing Subaru to release multiple versions of the Bistro, called the "Bistro B-Custom", the "Bistro Chiffon", the "Bistro White Edition", the "L Bistro", the "Sports Bistro" with BBS wheels, the "Bistro SS" using the engine package from the Vivio RX-SS, and the "Club Bistro" with a British black cab appearance. As a result, other manufacturers followed the trend and Japan would see a string of modern retro-styled cars, such as the Toyota Origin and the Nissan Figaro. Subaru tried this approach with the larger Subaru Impreza called the Casa Blanca with limited success.
The Vivio was available with a variety of supercharged 4-cylinder engines and multiple trim packages.
The suspension setup used was inspired by the Legacy instead of using strictly MacPherson struts to save on production costs.
Motorsport
The supercharged grade RX-R and RX-RA was widely used for rallying in Japan. RX-RA was a motorsports trim grade with more close ratio gears and harder suspensions than RX-R. You can still see some entrants using Vivio at WRC Rally Japan.
In 1992, at the Paris-Beijing marathon raid, a private entrant ran the Vivio RX-R with the EN07X engine. Most people who saw the car imagined its early retirement but was faster than works team Mitsubishi Pajero at the prologue stage, and ran for more than a week until it broke its suspension. The car finished to the goal unofficially after repairing, with no other serious troubles.
The most famous appearance of Vivio in an international motorsport event was in the 1993 round of the Safari Rally under the decision of former factory driver and Subaru Technica International founder and team owner Noriyuki Koseki to promote the car.[3][4] He made the decision to enter three of the sports model Vivio Super KK[5] driven by Masashi Ishida, local driver Patrick Njiru and up and coming WRC star Colin McRae on his Safari debut.
Only one of the three cars finished where it settled for 12th place driven by Njiru.[4]
McRae did manage to set the fastest stage time before managing up to two stages up to Makindu before retiring with suspension failure.[3][6] He later remarked about the car "You can hide the whole car in every single pothole along the route!"[4]. Ishida later retired with head gasket failure.[6]
This appearance was satirized by cartoonist Jim Bamber for the Yumping Yarns cartoon of Car & Car Conversions magazine, when he depicted McRae driving his Vivio underneath an elephant.
Notes
- ^ "1992 Subaru Vivio". carfolio.com. http://www.carfolio.com/specifications/models/car/?car=18656. Retrieved 2007-10-29.
- ^ "What is a Vivio?". vivioman.stormloader.com. http://vivioman.stormloader.com/whatis.html. Retrieved 2007-10-29.
- ^ a b http://allafrica.com/stories/200709220099.html allAfrica.com: Kenya: Citizens Remember Colin Mcrae
- ^ a b c http://www.rallye-info.com/carmodel.asp?car=208 Subaru Vivio Details : Rallye-Info.com
- ^ Super KK is the FIA homologation name for the RX-R grade
- ^ a b RallyBase
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