2016 LA Motor Show: Subaru Viziv-7 concept revealed

Subaru has peeled the covers off the Viziv-7 concept at the LA auto show, revealing an all-new seven-seat wagon that will take over from the Tribeca as the Japanese automaker’s largest vehicle.

And it will be huge. Literally.

Measuring just under 5.2 metres long, the Viziv 7 is over half a metre longer than the Forester and 40cm longer than a Subaru Outback. Overall width comes in at 2 metres, nearly 20cm more than the already-sizable Outback.

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And when you line that footprint up against its major rivals like the Mazda CX-9 or Toyota Kluger, it easily eclipses them. In fact, it’s fractionally larger than a V8-powered Nissan Patrol – one of the largest cars available in Australia.

If you’re struggling to put that into perspective, here’s a clue – the wheels fitted to the concept shown here have a massive 21 inch diameter.

Subaru doesn’t mention what powers the Viziv-7, but WhichCar understands that a production model would most likely be powered by a turbocharged 2.5-litre petrol four-cylinder, a similar strategy employed by the Mazda CX-9. Subaru also has a 3.6-litre naturally-aspirated petrol flat six in its engine portfolio, but tightening emissions regulations may force that motor into retirement.

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The as-yet-unnamed production version will be built in the United States and will primarily be sold in that market. As far as an Australian release is concerned, the outlook is not good.

Though large seven-seat SUVs are strong sellers Down Under, the need to engineer a right-hand drive variant coupled with anticipated strong demand from American buyers means it’s unlikely we’ll see a successor to the Tribeca roll into local Subaru showrooms.

Subaru expects the Tribeca production line in the US will be maxed out from left-hand drive demand, and there are no plans to build that model in Japan – the current source for all Subaru models sold in Australia. And with the Exiga already having departed our shores and no other seven-seat products in Subaru’s future planning pipeline that means Australian motorists will be forced to look elsewhere for a three-row SUV.