Body style: Hatchback
Segment: Mini
Production years: 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
Since the kei-car segment was very important in its home market, the Japanese carmaker Subaru managed to build cars for it, such as the 1992 Vivio, which replaced the Rex.
While for some, the "Vivio" name meant something from the Italian verb to live, it was actually a Roman number system. VI equals 6, and VIVIO meant 660, which was the car's displacement. It was an interesting marketing strategy, but it is hard to imagine that the Japanese were all very acquainted with the Roman numbers.
There was a new design trend on the market, with more curved panels and flowing lines. While that was easier to draw on a longer vehicle, it was almost impossible to do on a 3.3 m (10.8 feet) one. Subaru designers tried and shaved the corners, installed headlights with rounded edges, and even made a smiley on the front bumper. Its flush door handles and the sculptured line on the lower side of the door panel made the car looks bigger.
Inside, the car was so narrow that it could hardly offer enough shoulder room for two passengers. But, for a daily commuter inside the city was more than enough. Despite all that, the carmaker managed to install a regular dashboard with a center stack and four air-vents, but the instrument cluster was smaller and allowed only a speedometer and two gauges. In the rear, there was a split-folding bench good for two adult-sized passengers.
Under the hood, Subaru installed only engines up to 0.66-liters to stay inside the kei-cars regulations. But that didn't stop them from adding a turbocharger for selected versions.
ENGINE SPECS - 0.7L 5MT (44 HP) | |
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Cylinders: | H4 |
Displacement: | 658 cm3 |
Power: | 32 KW @ 6400 RPM 44 HP @ 6400 RPM 43 BHP @ 6400 RPM |
Torque: | 39 lb-ft @ 3600 RPM 53 Nm @ 3600 RPM |
Fuel System: | Monopoint Injection |
Fuel: | Gasoline |
PERFORMANCE SPECS | |
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Top Speed: | 85.7 mph (138 km/h) |
Acceleration 0-62 Mph (0-100 kph): | 16 s |
TRANSMISSION SPECS | |
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Drive Type: | Front Wheel Drive |
Gearbox: | 5-Speed manual |
BRAKES SPECS | |
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Front: | Discs |
Rear: | Drums |
TIRES SPECS | |
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Tire Size: | 145/70R12 |
DIMENSIONS | |
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Length: | 129.9 in (3299 mm) |
Width: | 55.1 in (1400 mm) |
Height: | 54.3 in (1379 mm) |
Front/rear Track: | 48/47.2 in (1,219/1,199 mm) |
Wheelbase: | 90.9 in (2309 mm) |
Ground Clearance: | 5.9 in (150 mm) |
WEIGHT SPECS | |
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Unladen Weight: | 1422 lbs (645 kg) |
Gross Weight Limit: | 2447.1 lbs (1110 kg) |
FUEL ECONOMY (NEDC) | |
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City: | 29.4 mpg US (8 L/100Km) |
Highway: | 45.2 mpg US (5.2 L/100Km) |
Combined: | 37.9 mpg US (6.2 L/100Km) |