Subaru · 1991–1996

Subaru Alcyone SVX

The Subaru SVX, marketed in the Japanese home market as the Subaru Alcyone SVX, is a two-door, front-engine, all- or front-wheel drive coupé manufactured and marketed by Subaru from 1991 to 1996 over a single generation. Superseding the company's aviation-influenced XT range, the SVX was Subaru's first entry into the luxury/performance market, and was noted for its aircraft-inspired 'window-within-a-window' side-glass configuration. The nameplate "Alcyone" (pronounced "al-SIGH-uh-nee") refers to the brightest star in the Pleiades constellation, stylized in the Subaru company logo. The suffix "SVX" is an acronym for "Subaru Vehicle X".

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Subaru XT · Successor: Subaru Impreza

All Subaru Alcyone SVX data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

Development

The Subaru Alcyone SVX debuted as a concept at the 1989 Tokyo Auto Show with styling by noted Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro of ItalDesign. The SVX entered production, retaining its window-within-a-window configuration, adapted from the previous generation Subaru Alcyone/XT with an additional extension of glass covering the A-pillar — which Subaru described as an "aircraft-inspired glass-to-glass canopy." In contrast to the angular XT, the SVX featured softer lines with its two-piece power side windows. Each side window featured an operable section roughly two-thirds of the entire windows size, with the division parallel to the upper curve of the door frame. The SVX featured a drag coefficient of Cd=0.29, identical to that of the XT coupe it replaced. European market cars had a slightly lower wind resistance of Cd=0.285, thanks to a larger undertray. From 1991 to 1992, Subaru displayed the Amadeus, a prototype shooting brake variation on the SVX, in both two- and four-door versions, which was considered for production. Ultimately the Amadeus was not produced.

Powertrain

The SVX debuted with and remained available with only one engine, the EG33 model 3.3-liter boxer horizontally opposed flat-six. This engine was the largest engine produced by Subaru for its passenger cars until the introduction of the 3.6-liter EZ36 engine in the 2008 Subaru Tribeca. The previous generation Subaru Alcyone had a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, but the larger EG33 was more powerful and so a turbo was not installed. Internally, the engine is essentially a six-cylinder variant of the EJ22 found in the first-generation Japanese market Legacy and Impreza. The new 3.3-liter variant was equipped with DOHC and four valves per cylinder, and had an increased compression ratio of 10.1:1, bringing power up to 172 kilowatts (231 hp) at 5,400 rpm with 309 newton-metres (228 lb⋅ft) of torque at 4,400 rpm. Fuel delivery was accomplished with sequential multi-port fuel injection with dual-spray injectors. Engine ignition used platinum spark plugs and a computerized management system with "limp home feature", which included over-rev protection, as well as monitors for fuel injection and ignition. The exhaust system consisted of head pipes from each bank of cylinders with their own pre-catalytic converters, which entered a dual-inlet / single outlet main catalytic converter. A single 2.5-inch (64 mm) exhaust pipe exited the main converter and went into a resonator, and onto the main, transverse, single-inlet muffler with twin exhaust tips in the bumper. The SVX was offered solely with an automatic transmissions, as Subaru did not offer a manual transmission capable of handling the horsepower and torque of the EG33 engine at the time. Subaru offered two all-wheel drive systems for the automatic transmission, called ACT-4 or VTD. The first system, called ACT-4 (active to

Market

Sales of the SVX reached 14,257 in the United States and a total of 24,379 worldwide. 2,478 SVXs were sold in Europe (of which 951 went to Switzerland, 854 to Germany, and 60 to France). Roughly 7,000 of all SVXs sold were right-hand drive models. Included in this number were the 249 vehicles sold in Australia, at a cost between approx. A$73,000 to A$83,000. 5,884 units remained in Japan. The SVX was also developed and released during Japan's "bubble economy", and as the economic condition in Japan continued to decline, it had an effect on sales in Japan. Asia. In Japan, the SVX was the first Subaru to exceed government dimension regulations with regards to the vehicles exterior measurements. The SVX also obligated Japanese buyers to pay more annual road tax which limited sales due to the engine displacement. The SVX was not Subaru's first car to be sold in Japan with an engine bigger than two litres; this honor goes to the preceding Alcyone XT6. The models offered in Japan were the L (similar to the LSi in the US) and the S4. As a result, in Japan the SVX was considered a luxury vehicle and was equipped appropriately with one-touch climate control, leather interior, front seats that were both electrically adjustable and heated, a single-disc CD player coupled with a Panasonic AM/FM stereo system, that was hidden behind a retractable panel, and a remote-controlled infrared keyless entry with security system. Later S-Four badged versions had 250 PS (184 kW; 247 hp). Some later Japanese models also came with upgraded 16-inch forged diamond spoke BBS alloy wheels instead of the 16-inch 5-spoke wheels that was standard equipment that most SVX's came with. Television advertising in Japan used Minako Yoshida singing "500 Miles", a reference to the car being able to travel 805

Motorsports

In 1991, a Subaru SVX, driven by Ken Knight and Bob Dart, won the Alcan Winter Rally, a race starting in Seattle to the Arctic Circle and back. In the early 1990s there was a Subaru SVX PPG Pace Car. It featured a silver to purple fade paint job, silver wheels in the front, purple wheels in the rear, "SVX" windshield banner, roll cage and an amber roof light. It was evaluated by Wally Dallenbach Sr, Indy Car Chief Steward and PPG Pace Car evaluator. It was used as a promotional tool for Subaru, as well as a pace car. While most pace cars were retired after one season, the SVX proved to be such a worthy example and a favorite, and was used for several seasons. It was in storage for many years in the "Subaru Performance Attic" in Cherry Hill, New Jersey near Subaru of America's new headquarters in Camden, New Jersey.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Subaru SVX
Manufacturer: Subaru
aka: Subaru Alcyone SVX
Production: 1991 – December 1996
Assembly: Ōta North Plant, Ōta, Gunma, Japan
Designer: Giorgetto Giugiaro at Italdesign
Class: Grand tourer
Body style: 2-door coupé
Layout: Front-engine, four-wheel drive, Front-engine, front-wheel drive
Engine: 3.3 L EG33 H6
Transmission: 4-speed 4EAT automatic
Wheelbase: 2610 mm
Length: 4625 mm
Width: 1770 mm
Height: 1310 mm
Kerb weight: 1590 kg
Predecessor: Subaru XT

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q609454CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subaru_SVXCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1363850367 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1996_Subaru_SVX_in_Polo_Green_Pearl,_front_left.jpgPublic domain · Photo: Svxcess at English Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.