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Subaru Viziv is a diesel hybrid crossover we could learn to love

With the 2013 XV Crosstrek, Subaru reaffirmed its interest in niche crossovers, and early signs are that it's selling well, so will parent Fuji Heavy Industries green-light another one? That's the question begged by the new Viziv concept just unveiled here at the Geneva Motor Show.
Of course, this is a pure showcar, and the four-seat crossover coupe's drivetrain is suitably next-generation as well. The plug-in hybrid drivetrain system features a 2.0-liter diesel boxer engine mated to a CVT, and a pair of electric motors drive the rear wheels for a through-the-road all-wheel-drive system. By going with motor-driven rear axles, Subaru says it has been able to provide larger rear-seat footwell and lower load floor. More excitingly, Subaru says its control systems allow for side-to-side torque vectoring for improved handling, and the system actually apportions more power to the rear wheels when the Viziv takes a corner.
In typical concept car fashion, the Viziv features flashy butterfly doors that provide access to both the front and rear seats, along with oversized 20-inch wheels and cutting-edge lighting. We like the Viziv's overall design direction - it looks more organic and all-of-a-piece than we're used to seeing from the Japanese automaker.

Evo shakes down Subaru WRX STI on Swedish tarmac

The Subaru WRX STI has never let anyone question its intentions. With a gaping hood scoop up front, massive rear wing at the back and often found with gold wheels spinning all four corners at the ground, there was never anything subtle about this Subaru. The latest 2015 version is made up of many new parts, but the formula certainly hasn't changed. Evo's Henry Catchpole aims to find if it all still jives together on some misty, Swedish backroads in a new video.
Surprisingly, the movie eschews Evo's standard shtick of big, smoky powerslides in favor of a legitimate review of the new STI. However, this isn't Consumer Reports. As the screenshot above implies, Catchpole isn't afraid to chuck the car around a little and put two wheels off the road all in the name of testing the severe sedan's limits. He just puts an equal amount of focus into how it actually drives.
Autoblog's Steven J. Ewing fell in love with the Subie when he did our First Drive. Does Catchpole concur? Scroll down to watch the STI snaking through Sweden and find out.

Subaru uses a mime and a toy car to explain why it loves the boxer engine

I will freely admit to struggling with why Subaru continues to stubbornly employ a boxer engine design while so few other automakers do the same. After all, with twice the number of cylinder heads and cams as a traditional inline four-cylinder engine, a boxer four is more complex, more expensive to manufacture and more cumbersome to service with few tangible benefits. Until recently, the company's engines struggled to meet the fuel economy numbers of its competitors while offering no real boon in horsepower or torque. Subaru seems to recognize I'm not the only one scratching my head.
In order to help us non-believers understand what's what, the company has employed a pair of mimes, a toy car and a few clay engines to demonstrate the folly of every other automaker on the planet. Subaru says the boxer offers up a lower center of gravity than either an inline four-cylinder engine or a V6, which I will gladly concede. The company also says the design offers up smoother operation.
I'll offer just two counterpoints here. First, an engine with a low center of gravity is excellent, but when vehicles like the Forester, XV Crosstrek and Outback boast more ground clearance than most mainstream SUVs, that argument flies out the window. Second, anyone who's spent any amount of time behind the wheel of a vehicle equipped with an inline four and then proceeded to move into one propelled by a boxer can tell you the latter has all of the idling manners of a small tractor. Check out the video below to see for yourself.