Comparison - Hyundai Santa Fe SE Ultimate 2018 - vs - Subaru Viziv 7 Concept Ascent 2018

Does the Viziv name sound familiar to you? Well, it should because that’s the name Subaru has used for a large SUV concept not once, not twice, but now three times. It started back in 2013 with the Subaru Viziv Concept that debuted with a funky set of side doors at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. A couple of years later, Subaru showed up at the Tokyo Motor Show with the 2015 Subaru Viziv Future Concept. That second iteration was more toned down that then first – the funky doors were gone – but the interior was still heavily futuristic. Fast forward to the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show and Subaru was back at it again with the Viziv-7 Concept, a model that showcases what a large, three-row SUV from Subaru will look like when it makes its debut in 2018. To date, we have yet to see the inside of the concept – the doors were even locked at the show, with the interior hidden away by tinted windows – but as far as the exterior goes, this baby is ready to go into production.

As far as SUV’s and crossovers go, Subaru doesn’t have much. There’s the Compact Subaru Outback, which isn’t really as much a crossover or SUV as it is a wagon with jacked up suspension. Then there’s the Crosstrek, which is an Impreza with a raised roof and suspension, and then there’s the Forester, which in every sense of the word is an SUV, but it’s still in the compact segment. That means that Subaru has some room to grow if it really wants to compete in the world of gas guzzlers that is the American SUV Market. The production model derived from the Viziv-7 will fit more in the large-SUV category and will compete against the likes of models like the GMC Yukon, Toyota Sequoia, Nissan Armada, Chevy Tahoe, and Ford Expedition, to name a small handful.

Needless to say,Subaru has its work cut out for it if it expects its newest SUV to gain any traction at all in the market. The competition is stiff, and for folks buying in this segment, fuel economy isn’t as important as the number of passengers something can haul or the cargo space available. With that said, let’s take a better look at the Viziv-7 concept and talk about what we can expect from the future model it represents.

In early 2018, Subaru will introduce a three-row midsize SUV to the North American market. But until then, we’ll have to make do with the VIZIV-7 SUV concept, which is making an appearance at the Los Angeles Auto Show. And it’s quite a good-looking vehicle.

Unfortunately, Subaru says the concept previews the “size direction” of a future three-row SUV, not necessarily the design. So we probably shouldn’t expect to see the bold lighting elements, grille details, and fancy tires make it to production. This has been the case with other concept vehicles Subaru has shown, including the Impreza sedan concept, as they always look much more radical than the final model.

The Subaru VIZIV-7 measures 204.7 inches in length, or more than 6 inches longer than the new 2017 Nissan Pathfinder. In fact, the Subaru concept is longer than the 2017 Highlander (192.5 inches), 2017 Pilot (194.5 inches), and 2016 Durango (199.8 inches). At 79.9 inches, it’s also a bit wider than the competition, and its wheelbase comes in at 117.7 inches, bigger than all the aforementioned competitors but the Durango.

The concept expresses our core brand values, safety, dependability, capability for outdoor activities, and a forward-looking attitude,” Takeshi Tachimori, corporate executive vice president of Fuji Heavy Industries, said in a press release.

With three complete rows of seating, Subaru’s future SUV will be the biggest Subaru vehicle ever made. It will be larger than the Tribeca, which ended production after the 2014 model year. We previously reported that the new three-row model will be built at Subaru’s plant in Lafayette, Indiana.