Back in college, there was a guy who had a clean SVX and would rip it like all cars should be driven. These are cool and underrated and go on my list of future classics
I bought a new SVX in November 1991, traded It with 175,000 miles in 2000 for a '96. Traded that in 2010 with 180,000 mi. for a '94. I sold that one to a Subaru dealer in 2020 only because of difficulty of locating parts. The SVX does everything well. Yes, a stick shift would have been welcome. I have had among several other models, 2 Austin Healeys, 5 Volvos, 2 Mercedes, a BMW 745i factory turbo, (UGH). Now have a Volvo C-30R Polestar. a Honda S-2000 and two Volvo P-1800s. The SVX was the best all around and versatile performance road car, city car and vacation family car I have ever owned and wish I could have kept the last one I had.
As the owner of a '96, I'd say you really nailed it in this video 👍 what a lot of people don't realize is how expensive the SVX was when it was new, the equivalent of around $60k US dollars today. Not only was it a tough pill to swallow compared to its competition, it also shared dealer lot space with cars like the Justy and Loyale, and likely didn't win over a lot of traditional Subaru loyalists at the time. It's a shame, because even today, these cars hold their own on long-distance highway drives, the higher the speeds the better. Glad you went with Stefan's car as well, it's a real beauty. 👌🏻
Here is a little education for the author. ItalDesign and Giugiaro were commissioned by Alfa Romeo to submit a design for the new GTV6 back in 1989. The car they did including a non-running prototype was approved but no Alfa engine would fit the low hood profile and ultimately the project was abandoned. Subaru was looking for a 2 door coup for their flat 6 and bought the prototype lock stock and barrel. They produced it without even changing the side window ro a more conventional type. Even the interior was left mostly unchanged. And so the SVX was created.
I’ve loved these since I was a kid but haven’t ever been able to afford a good condition one. I’ve currently got an 01 2.5RS with an EJ25 & 6 speed swap. A few months ago a guy from Albany came down to Boston for a Subaru swap day and he had a beautiful example, all motor, fully built with massive brakes and suspension mods. I was allowed to take it on a relatively short drive and it only increased my love for it! Such linear power delivery, it felt so planted on the Mass Pike at high speeds and had just enough feedback where you knew what the limit with the car was. Overall I still very much would love to find one before they’re gone forever.
The comparison with the 928 is very interesting and clever. At last someone captures the essence of the svx: a super cruiser gt with a dramatic shape. However, the 928 had a good manual gearbix to compensate the auto. I think the most relevant competitor would be the sc300 and the legend coupe for instance
One of the strangest? The just as strange, if not more strange was the XT Turbo XT6. 😉 Gotta love ItalDesign. And this car is a great example of it. The SVX was meant to be a luxury touring "sports car", not a true performance shorts car of the traditional sense.
Great review. Gday from all the SVX owners in Australia. Our prices have gone crazy - SVXs that went for $6-8k AUD are now going for at least double that, with $20k being the new normal.
the side window is very unique. I see a miniature of this in my childhood and never forget this car even if this car never go to my country and never see a real one
Had a 92 LSi “Pearlie” which is the black top/white body paint scheme. Just sold it last year with 106K miles. It was unique and most people did not know what it was. Replacement parts were a challenge to say the least. It was special and is missed.
"Subaru the last brand any of us would expect to dive off the metaphorical deep end of design....Clearly" Then flashes the very sad example of the 2022 WRX. Excellent, well done! Speaking as a long time Subaru buyer and a current owner of a 2015 STI and the original owner of my 1995 SVX L. I noticed you mentioned how inexpensive these are but be careful, like any old exotic car, parts are near impossible to come by, ones that you can find are ridiculously expensive and not many mechanics are willing to work on these. It may be cheap to buy but they aren't cheap or easy to maintain. There is absolutely no aftermarket for these cars. They are heavy pigs and are not designed to go super fast, they are a Grand Tourer. If you want to go fast for cheap, you'd be better off finding an inexpensive WRX. If anyone is looking for an inexpensive dragstrip racer to race Mustangs and Camaros this is NOT the car for you.
I just finished up a manual swap on my SVX. Other than the automatic transmissions they don't have a ton or big reliability issues like head gaskets or ring lands.
10:35, that scratch slide spot on the window, ugh. Every SVX has it, and many other subarus. Window guides trap dirt, and that trapped dirt scratches the window every time it moves. Can be fixed though, just open the door up, disassemble it that is. The JDM SVX had a VTD transmission, it had a 33/66 rear bias AWD. The gear ratios are 3.7 for all right hand drive SVXes, 3.545 for left hand drive. Right hand drives have no EGR, and engine is rated for 250hp at the crank. It was the trans that the car was made for, North America got a "reconfigured" version that could run front wheel drive for the USA emission control dynos. Ultimately the ideal is 6 speed Legacy Spec B or 6 speed STI (best). Body roll is absurd, but car will handle well, even on track (profile pic for reference). A quality set of coilovers will fix the problem, and a manual trans swap will fix the "slow". Then you are set for a budget front engine porsche, but with a cooler story, and much more bro-science.
The SVX was first to market before the Impreza.... SVX was introduced late summer 1991 and the Impreza was a year later. The WRX STi version didn't make an appearance until a few years after that. Also the SVX was hugely expensive. It was, in 1991 dollars, $10,000 more than the most expensive Subaru at that time. So in reality, it was nearly twice the price of most of their other offerings at the time.
Gorgeous design, the only Subaru that I've ever considered, but it the two missing items that killed it in the marketplace, one of those is the same reason I never tried to buy one - No Manual Gearbox. The other item is no Turbo, which would have given it the power and torque to deal with the rather high mass for a sportscar of it's era. There are swap kits to fix those issues now, and with more torque it would become a really nice Grand Tourer. IIRC, those belts were a US-Only thing, because of the sheer number of idiots who refused to wear seatbelts.
i have one but it needs work, im not sure if i should sell it and get a more affordable maintained car, im looking into the V6 Honda accords , idk , can i get some opinions ? should i spend a little money to get the SVX where i want it or just get something else ?
This car failed because it wasn’t available in a manual transmission because the e.g. 33 engine was the biggest engine Subaru made at the time and they didn’t have a manual transmission strong enough to withstand the power let alone the torque that this car needed so because of that only 24,600 something were made was my first car
I bought my first one 4 weeks ago. Black and tinted. I will maintain it until that's no longer reasonable, and will use it to chassis-swap a more contemporary EZ36-based Subaru. Talk about a Subaru nerd's mid-life crisis. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Failure!!!?? I worked for Subaru when svx came out that car has so much going on safety comfort style & useful interior the other japanese cars didnt come close rear wiper truck flips up out of way full fold rear seat the legacy's impreza's crosstreck's etc also came from this car's tech remember this was 1992 folks ive owned three since looking for another now selling from 5k 10k or more now if clean straight 50k or so for miles great comfort & driving machine & if want a standard the impreza & legacy trans fit right in (and why wouldn't they.. the 4eat trans fit all same) svx wasn't an expirement it was a statement I admit the 1st to show up on showroom i balked @msrp but after putting on car rack to view it's build & driving it.. I then got it its still futuristic in reality to many the car's we drive and or wish we drove today in 2022 now call me old fashioned but this model has more going on @ every corner than most other companies models offered unless are 40-50 thousand dollar car today
As a former owner of a ‘92 SVX I relate to the comments in the video. Sure, the transmission was somewhat weak and the engine could have used another fifty h.p. or so. But in real world driving on the rough roads of greater NYC the SVX was highly capable and a pleasure to drive. The worse the weather and road conditions, the more planted and secure the Subie felt. Even though the SVX’s time was from some thirty years ago, it’s easy to see why it still has an fraternity of devoted owners and appreciative admirers.
![Yeat & Quavo - 5BRAZY [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4XxnTAwyxus/mqdefault.jpg)
Manual swap not included ;) Subaru is lot liable for any increased fun from aforementioned modification.
Back in college, there was a guy who had a clean SVX and would rip it like all cars should be driven. These are cool and underrated and go on my list of future classics
@Don ok boomer
I bought a new SVX in November 1991, traded It with 175,000 miles in 2000 for a '96. Traded that in 2010 with 180,000 mi. for a '94. I sold that one to a Subaru dealer in 2020 only because of difficulty of locating parts. The SVX does everything well. Yes, a stick shift would have been welcome. I have had among several other models, 2 Austin Healeys, 5 Volvos, 2 Mercedes, a BMW 745i factory turbo, (UGH). Now have a Volvo C-30R Polestar. a Honda S-2000 and two Volvo P-1800s. The SVX was the best all around and versatile performance road car, city car and vacation family car I have ever owned and wish I could have kept the last one I had.
As the owner of a '96, I'd say you really nailed it in this video 👍 what a lot of people don't realize is how expensive the SVX was when it was new, the equivalent of around $60k US dollars today. Not only was it a tough pill to swallow compared to its competition, it also shared dealer lot space with cars like the Justy and Loyale, and likely didn't win over a lot of traditional Subaru loyalists at the time.
It's a shame, because even today, these cars hold their own on long-distance highway drives, the higher the speeds the better. Glad you went with Stefan's car as well, it's a real beauty. 👌🏻
I owned one of these for about 4 years, reliable as hell and about as comfortable as the Jag I owned before it.
By far the most comfortable Subaru I've driven.
give me it
Here is a little education for the author. ItalDesign and Giugiaro were commissioned by Alfa Romeo to submit a design for the new GTV6 back in 1989. The car they did including a non-running prototype was approved but no Alfa engine would fit the low hood profile and ultimately the project was abandoned. Subaru was looking for a 2 door coup for their flat 6 and bought the prototype lock stock and barrel. They produced it without even changing the side window ro a more conventional type. Even the interior was left mostly unchanged. And so the SVX was created.
Love this, the world needs more SVX content!
I can give some would you like to see a 1996 LSi tuned to 312 hp?
I've got a 1992 with only 14k miles, and I love it. Great video.
give me it
I have seen a STi swapped SVX here in New Zealand.
Oooohhh that's cool. Unexpected.
This car is legendary!classic cool it should be much more appreciated worldwide.
I’ve loved these since I was a kid but haven’t ever been able to afford a good condition one. I’ve currently got an 01 2.5RS with an EJ25 & 6 speed swap. A few months ago a guy from Albany came down to Boston for a Subaru swap day and he had a beautiful example, all motor, fully built with massive brakes and suspension mods. I was allowed to take it on a relatively short drive and it only increased my love for it! Such linear power delivery, it felt so planted on the Mass Pike at high speeds and had just enough feedback where you knew what the limit with the car was. Overall I still very much would love to find one before they’re gone forever.
The comparison with the 928 is very interesting and clever. At last someone captures the essence of the svx: a super cruiser gt with a dramatic shape. However, the 928 had a good manual gearbix to compensate the auto. I think the most relevant competitor would be the sc300 and the legend coupe for instance
Love it. Yes, SC300 could easily go head to head. 6-cylinder too. 928 Looks better than both in my world.
@@RoadsUntraveled i have a feel for transaxle porsche and yes the 928 is one of the great car ever designed.
One of the strangest? The just as strange, if not more strange was the XT Turbo XT6. 😉
Gotta love ItalDesign. And this car is a great example of it. The SVX was meant to be a luxury touring "sports car", not a true performance shorts car of the traditional sense.
This is my buddies car!
Great review.
Gday from all the SVX owners in Australia.
Our prices have gone crazy - SVXs that went for $6-8k AUD are now going for at least double that, with $20k being the new normal.
the side window is very unique. I see a miniature of this in my childhood and never forget this car even if this car never go to my country and never see a real one
Had a 92 LSi “Pearlie” which is the black top/white body paint scheme. Just sold it last year with 106K miles. It was unique and most people did not know what it was. Replacement parts were a challenge to say the least. It was special and is missed.
Japan's Citroen SM
I originally bought my SVX for the style. I've kept it for the drive quality.
I think the best cars will always do this.
i need one so bad
It’s predecessor, the XT turbo/XT6, was even weirder, but in a cool way… however good luck finding one they have all since rusted away 🥺
"Subaru the last brand any of us would expect to dive off the metaphorical deep end of design....Clearly" Then flashes the very sad example of the 2022 WRX. Excellent, well done! Speaking as a long time Subaru buyer and a current owner of a 2015 STI and the original owner of my 1995 SVX L. I noticed you mentioned how inexpensive these are but be careful, like any old exotic car, parts are near impossible to come by, ones that you can find are ridiculously expensive and not many mechanics are willing to work on these. It may be cheap to buy but they aren't cheap or easy to maintain. There is absolutely no aftermarket for these cars. They are heavy pigs and are not designed to go super fast, they are a Grand Tourer. If you want to go fast for cheap, you'd be better off finding an inexpensive WRX. If anyone is looking for an inexpensive dragstrip racer to race Mustangs and Camaros this is NOT the car for you.
The SVX, 300ZX and GTO are all "not as popular as other 90s JDM cars" due to there superior advance technology for the time.
I just finished up a manual swap on my SVX. Other than the automatic transmissions they don't have a ton or big reliability issues like head gaskets or ring lands.
10:35, that scratch slide spot on the window, ugh. Every SVX has it, and many other subarus. Window guides trap dirt, and that trapped dirt scratches the window every time it moves. Can be fixed though, just open the door up, disassemble it that is.
The JDM SVX had a VTD transmission, it had a 33/66 rear bias AWD. The gear ratios are 3.7 for all right hand drive SVXes, 3.545 for left hand drive. Right hand drives have no EGR, and engine is rated for 250hp at the crank. It was the trans that the car was made for, North America got a "reconfigured" version that could run front wheel drive for the USA emission control dynos. Ultimately the ideal is 6 speed Legacy Spec B or 6 speed STI (best).
Body roll is absurd, but car will handle well, even on track (profile pic for reference). A quality set of coilovers will fix the problem, and a manual trans swap will fix the "slow". Then you are set for a budget front engine porsche, but with a cooler story, and much more bro-science.
After comparing it to the Porsche 928, I knew the video wasn't going to get any better lol
The SVX was first to market before the Impreza.... SVX was introduced late summer 1991 and the Impreza was a year later. The WRX STi version didn't make an appearance until a few years after that. Also the SVX was hugely expensive. It was, in 1991 dollars, $10,000 more than the most expensive Subaru at that time. So in reality, it was nearly twice the price of most of their other offerings at the time.
Funny this video came in my recommendation, a week after you post it. I'm looking at a SVX to buy right now aha
They're listening! hahaha. Hope you enjoyed it
The current prices for SVXes are going up.
Mine has risen 4-5 times compared to when I bought it second hand. 😮
Gorgeous design, the only Subaru that I've ever considered, but it the two missing items that killed it in the marketplace, one of those is the same reason I never tried to buy one - No Manual Gearbox. The other item is no Turbo, which would have given it the power and torque to deal with the rather high mass for a sportscar of it's era. There are swap kits to fix those issues now, and with more torque it would become a really nice Grand Tourer.
IIRC, those belts were a US-Only thing, because of the sheer number of idiots who refused to wear seatbelts.
If only mine wasn’t totalled, haven’t been able to find another for a good price since
No badging back then because branding wasn't as big an issue as it is with everything today.
Svx was 35k in 1996 same price as a corvette c4.
i have one but it needs work, im not sure if i should sell it and get a more affordable maintained car, im looking into the V6 Honda accords , idk , can i get some opinions ? should i spend a little money to get the SVX where i want it or just get something else ?
I just got one and in the number plate it says svx
the auto seatbelts close when you start the car, if they stick tapping them they move easy. 6mt swap really opens them up.
also, when compared to an STi they are only a few hundred pounds heavier.
Alcantara came factory in the 04 and up STI.
Love the review, but LOL, Did anyone notice something strange in the sky @ 8:00 mins
This car failed because it wasn’t available in a manual transmission because the e.g. 33 engine was the biggest engine Subaru made at the time and they didn’t have a manual transmission strong enough to withstand the power let alone the torque that this car needed so because of that only 24,600 something were made was my first car
Joy.! great;👌😊 car.
I bought my first one 4 weeks ago. Black and tinted. I will maintain it until that's no longer reasonable, and will use it to chassis-swap a more contemporary EZ36-based Subaru. Talk about a Subaru nerd's mid-life crisis. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Coolest subaru made, i love my '92
Failure!!!?? I worked for Subaru when svx came out that car has so much going on safety comfort style & useful interior the other japanese cars didnt come close rear wiper truck flips up out of way full fold rear seat the legacy's impreza's crosstreck's etc also came from this car's tech remember this was 1992 folks ive owned three since looking for another now selling from 5k 10k or more now if clean straight 50k or so for miles great comfort & driving machine & if want a standard the impreza & legacy trans fit right in (and why wouldn't they.. the 4eat trans fit all same) svx wasn't an expirement it was a statement I admit the 1st to show up on showroom i balked @msrp but after putting on car rack to view it's build & driving it.. I then got it its still futuristic in reality to many the car's we drive and or wish we drove today in 2022 now call me old fashioned but this model has more going on @ every corner than most other companies models offered unless are 40-50 thousand dollar car today
As a former owner of a ‘92 SVX I relate to the comments in the video. Sure, the transmission was somewhat weak and the engine could have used another fifty h.p. or so.
But in real world driving on the rough roads of greater NYC the SVX was highly capable and a pleasure to drive. The worse the weather and road conditions, the more planted and secure the Subie felt.
Even though the SVX’s time was from some thirty years ago, it’s easy to see why it still has an fraternity of devoted owners and appreciative admirers.
Please review Mitsubishi Pawma Its pop up Sport Cars and made just 12 unite cars
Ha! Already own one!
I owned one of these. Loved the car but the transmission was garbage.
Seen one in real life there are awesome rear it was automatic if I own it I would have manual swap it can't keep automatic
👌🏿
My 2004.mitsubishi space star also can hide his radio. Not so special
No
Turbo