Subaru Supposedly Shows its Future Design Language with the XV Concept

Subaru XV Concept (Credit: © Subaru)

A while back, Subaru revealed a teaser image showing a Geneva-bound concept based on its compact Crosstrek crossover. Now, with the Geneva Auto Show in full swing, the automaker has fully revealed the concept.

Unfortunately, this is not the STI version of the Crosstrek as many—myself included—were hoping it would be. This concept does, however, give us a glimpse into the future of the Crosstrek and other Subie models. While I typically take any Subaru concept with a grain of salt, this one seems timid enough to be close to production.

Up front, the XV Concept gains a revised hexagonal grille with a new horizontal insert. It also gets new LED headlights, a silver bumper insert with orange accents, and new vertical fog lights with black cladding surrounding them. The front fenders feature a more flared look and the cladding around the front wheels is beefier than before, hinting at this Crosstrek is more rugged than the current model.

The sides of the XV Concept gain smaller mirrors and new character lines near the shoulder of the car. You’ll notice that the roof rails and new 19-inch aluminum wheels also feature the same orange accents that the front bumper insert has.

Subaru XV Concept (Credit: © Subaru)

Around back, the theme of this revised Crosstrek continues. It features additional body cladding, vertically mounted reflectors, a silver bumper insert with orange accents, and LED taillights that match up nicely with the new headlights. The rear spoiler also extends further down the hatch, accenting its slight forward lean.

In terms of size, the XV Concept checks in at 177.9 inches long, 75.6 inches wide, 61.8 inches tall, and it rides on a 105.1-inch-long wheelbase. These dimensions make it 2.7 inches longer, 5.5 inches wider, and 1.8 inches shorter in height than the current Crosstrek.

This concept supposedly previews the future design language for all Subaru vehicles, including the Crosstrek. However, like all Subaru concepts, I recommend not taking this look too seriously. Future models will likely take cues from this concept, but a direct carryover model is highly unlikely. Stay tuned for updates.