Subaru Vivio
Encyclopedia
The Subaru Vivio is a kei car
that was introduced in March 1992, and manufactured by Subaru
until October 1998. It has a 658 cc (52 PS) multi-point fuel-injected four-cylinder engine (44 PS DIN
was claimed in Europe for the same engine), which is small enough to place it in the light car class, giving its owners large tax breaks in Japan. There was also a carbureted version with 42 PS in Japan, which equipped the Vivio Van version. 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.
that was introduced in the 1970s, and was itself superseded by the Subaru Pleo
. It was available in 3 and 5-door versions commonly, with a two-door targa top
version named T-top being available to special order from 1994. The T-top was built by Takada Kogyo, a convertible specialist who also assembled Nissan's Figaro
and Silvia Varietta amongst other specialty cars.
In November 1995 the Vivio Bistro was introduced. This was modified variation with a retro
theme, with Mini
-esque front and rear fascias, matching upholstery and modifications to the dashboard. The Bistro series was popular, causing Subaru to release multiple succeeding 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. The trend of retro-styled cars was quite popular in 1990s Japan, following the success of Nissan's "Pike" series cars like the Pao
and Figaro
. Subaru also tried this approach with the larger Subaru Impreza
called the Casa Blanca with limited success.
The Vivio was available with a variety of normally aspirated or supercharged four-cylinder engines with different gearbox options (including ECVT - an electronically controlled Continuously variable transmission
) and multiple trim packages. Aside from the top of the line RX-R, all engines were SOHC 8-valve designs. The ECVT equipped supercharged model claimed 64 PS with such a setup, and while the Twin Cam 16-valve RX-R version claimed to make no more power than the SOHC, this was only to stay within the limitations laid down by Japan's kei car legislations. Claimed torque was higher, at 88 newton metre versus 84 newton metre. Front- or four-wheel drive version were offered.
The suspension setup used was inspired by the Legacy
instead of using strictly MacPherson struts to save on production costs.
.
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 made it to the finishing line unofficially after repairs were carried out, 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. He made the decision to enter three of the sports model Vivio Super KK driven by Masashi Ishida, local driver Patrick Njiru
and up and coming WRC star Colin McRae
on his Safari debut. "Super KK" is the FIA homologation name for the RX-R grade, in rally trim the 660 cc engine produced 85 PS at 6,000 rpm.
Only one of the three cars finished where it settled for 12th place driven by Njiru.
McRae did manage to set the fastest stage time before managing up to two stages up to Makindu
before retiring with suspension
failure. He later remarked about the car "You can hide the whole car in every single pothole
along the route!". Ishida later retired with head gasket
failure.
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
.
Kei car
Kei cars, K-cars, or , are a Japanese category of small vehicles, including passenger cars, vans, and pickup trucks. They are designed to comply with Japanese government tax and insurance regulations, and in most rural areas are exempted from the requirement to certify that adequate parking is...
that was introduced in March 1992, and manufactured by Subaru
Subaru
; is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries .Subaru is internationally known for their use of the boxer engine layout popularized in cars by the Volkswagen Beetle and Porsche 911, in most of their vehicles above 1500 cc as well as...
until October 1998. It has a 658 cc (52 PS) multi-point fuel-injected four-cylinder engine (44 PS DIN
Din
DIN or Din or din can have several meanings:* A din is a loud noise.* Dīn, an Arabic term meaning "religion" or "way of life".* Din is one of the ten aspects of the Ein Sof in Kabbalah ....
was claimed in Europe for the same engine), which is small enough to place it in the light car class, giving its owners large tax breaks in Japan. There was also a carbureted version with 42 PS in Japan, which equipped the Vivio Van version. 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.
History
The name "Vivio" is a reference to the engine's displacement of 660 written in Roman numerals (VI,VI,O), and also inspired by the word "vivid". It replaced the RexSubaru Rex
The Subaru Rex, also known as Ace, Viki, Sherpa, 500/600/700, Mini Jumbo or M60/M70/M80 in various export markets, is a kei class automobile produced from 1972 to 1992 mainly for sale in Japan by Subaru, although it was also sold in Europe, South America, and the Caribbean...
that was introduced in the 1970s, and was itself superseded by the Subaru Pleo
Subaru Pleo
The second-generation Pleo first went on sale in Japan on April 20, 2010. Due to Subaru's corporate investment by Toyota, this second generation is manufactured by Daihatsu instead of Subaru, and is a rebadged Daihatsu Mira.-External links:*...
. It was available in 3 and 5-door versions commonly, with a two-door targa top
Targa top
Targa top, targa for short, is a semi-convertible car body style with a removable roof section and a full width roll bar behind the seats. The term was first used on the 1966 Porsche 911 Targa, and it remains a registered trademark of Porsche AG....
version named T-top being available to special order from 1994. The T-top was built by Takada Kogyo, a convertible specialist who also assembled Nissan's Figaro
Nissan Figaro
The Nissan Figaro is a small retro car manufactured by Nissan. The car was originally sold only in Japan. Despite this, the Nissan Figaro has become popular with owners in the UK and Ireland, given the popularity of second-hand Japanese import cars...
and Silvia Varietta amongst other specialty cars.
Retro
Retro is a culturally outdated or aged style, trend, mode, or fashion, from the overall postmodern past, that has since that time become functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of "retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into post-modern art, advertising, mass media, etc...
theme, with Mini
Mini
The Mini is a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers...
-esque front and rear fascias, matching upholstery and modifications to the dashboard. The Bistro series was popular, causing Subaru to release multiple succeeding 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
Hackney carriage
A hackney or hackney carriage is a carriage or automobile for hire...
appearance. The trend of retro-styled cars was quite popular in 1990s Japan, following the success of Nissan's "Pike" series cars like the Pao
Nissan Pao
The Nissan Pao, first announced at the Tokyo Motor Show in October 1987, is a retro-styled automobile from Nissan Motors. It was available as a three-door hatchback with or without a textile sun roof , the canvas top being the most collectible. The Pao was one of three fashionable spinoffs of the...
and Figaro
Nissan Figaro
The Nissan Figaro is a small retro car manufactured by Nissan. The car was originally sold only in Japan. Despite this, the Nissan Figaro has become popular with owners in the UK and Ireland, given the popularity of second-hand Japanese import cars...
. Subaru also tried this approach with the larger Subaru Impreza
Subaru Impreza
Introduced in November 1993, the Impreza was offered in either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive versions and as a four-door sedan/saloon or five-door station wagon/estate. According to a Motor Trend article written March 1992 on page 26, the name of Subaru's new compact was, initially, to be...
called the Casa Blanca with limited success.
The Vivio was available with a variety of normally aspirated or supercharged four-cylinder engines with different gearbox options (including ECVT - an electronically controlled Continuously variable transmission
Continuously variable transmission
A continuously variable transmission is a transmission that can change steplessly through an infinite number of effective gear ratios between maximum and minimum values. This contrasts with other mechanical transmissions that offer a fixed number of gear ratios...
) and multiple trim packages. Aside from the top of the line RX-R, all engines were SOHC 8-valve designs. The ECVT equipped supercharged model claimed 64 PS with such a setup, and while the Twin Cam 16-valve RX-R version claimed to make no more power than the SOHC, this was only to stay within the limitations laid down by Japan's kei car legislations. Claimed torque was higher, at 88 newton metre versus 84 newton metre. Front- or four-wheel drive version were offered.
The suspension setup used was inspired by the Legacy
Subaru Legacy
The Subaru Legacy is a mid-size car built by the Japanese company Fuji Heavy Industries, and manufactured by its division Subaru since 1989, and is available as a sedan or wagon. Part of the original design goals for the Legacy model was to provide Subaru a vehicle in which they could compete in...
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 JapanRally Japan
Rally Japan is a rally competition held in Hokkaidō, Japan. The event has been part of the FIA World Rally Championship since its introduction during the 2004 season. From 2004 to 2007, the event was held on the twisty and narrow gravel roads of the Tokachi region near Obihiro. For the 2008 season,...
.
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
Mitsubishi Pajero
The Mitsubishi Pajero is a sport utility vehicle manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors. It was named after Leopardus pajeros, the Pampas Cat which is native to the Patagonia plateau region of southern Argentina. However, since pajero is an offensive term for "wanker" in Spanish, alternative names have...
at the prologue stage, and ran for more than a week until it broke its suspension. The car made it to the finishing line unofficially after repairs were carried out, 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
Safari Rally
The Safari Rally is considered by many to be the world's toughest rally. It was first held from 27 May to 1 June 1953 as the East African Coronation Safari in Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika, as a celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II...
under the decision of former factory driver and Subaru Technica International founder and team owner Noriyuki Koseki to promote the car. He made the decision to enter three of the sports model Vivio Super KK driven by Masashi Ishida, local driver Patrick Njiru
Patrick Njiru
Patrick Njiru is a Kenyan Rally Driver with Subaru World Rally Team from 1983 to 2002. He has so far retired from competitive racing but often take part in organizing and competing in Charity Races like the November 2011, Race4Change in Kenya.-References:...
and up and coming WRC star Colin McRae
Colin McRae
Colin Steele McRae, MBE was a Scottish rally driver born in Lanark.The son of five-time British Rally Champion Jimmy McRae and brother of rally driver Alister McRae, Colin McRae was the 1991 and 1992 British Rally Champion and, in 1995, became the first British person and the youngest to win the...
on his Safari debut. "Super KK" is the FIA homologation name for the RX-R grade, in rally trim the 660 cc engine produced 85 PS at 6,000 rpm.
Only one of the three cars finished where it settled for 12th place driven by Njiru.
McRae did manage to set the fastest stage time before managing up to two stages up to Makindu
Makindu
-Location:The town is located on the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway, in Makueni District, Eastern Province, in southeastern Kenya on the map, close to the International border with the Republic of Tanzania....
before retiring with suspension
Suspension (vehicle)
Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose — contributing to the car's roadholding/handling and braking for good active safety and driving pleasure, and keeping vehicle occupants...
failure. He later remarked about the car "You can hide the whole car in every single pothole
Pothole
A pothole is a type of disruption in the surface of a roadway where a portion of the road material has broken away, leaving a hole.- Formation :...
along the route!". Ishida later retired with head gasket
Head gasket
A head gasket is a gasket that sits between the engine block and cylinder head in an internal combustion engine. Its purpose is to seal the cylinders to ensure maximum compression and avoid leakage of coolant or engine oil into the cylinders; as such, it is the most critical sealing application in...
failure.
This appearance was satirized by cartoonist Jim Bamber
Jim Bamber
Jim Bamber is a British artist and editorial cartoonist specialising in motorsport, who is best known for his motor racing related caricatures which incorporate his distinctive driver designs, that now adorn every issue of Autosport magazines as well as his annual compilation of cartoons from the...
for the Yumping Yarns cartoon of Car & Car Conversions magazine, when he depicted McRae driving his Vivio underneath an elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
.