Subaru Alcyone

Subaru Alcyone (1985–1991)

The Subaru XT, XT6, and Alcyone were sporty coupes sold from 1985 to 1991 by Subaru. The XT was sold in Australia and New Zealand as the Vortex and the XT6 was sold in North America and Europe. The Alcyone was sold in Japan. All were available in front wheel drive or all wheel drive (depending on the year).

The XT was replaced by the Subaru SVX in 1992.

The Alcyone is named after the brightest star in the Pleiades star cluster, on which the Subaru logo is based.

Subaru has earned a reputation for designing and marketing unusual vehicles—sometimes successfully, sometimes not. The Subaru XT is no exception. First introduced in February 1985 in the United States (June 1985 in Japan), the XT was a wedged-shaped departure from the 1970s-influenced curves of the previous models, aimed directly at the heart of the 1980s. When introduced, the New York Times called it "the ultimate in jazzy design", in contrast to Subaru's older "cheap and ugly" offerings. Its unusual wedge shape led to the unflattering nickname, "flying doorstop".

The XT was loaded with features rarely found on small cars, such as a turbocharger, a computer-controlled engine and transmission, adjustable height suspension and an optional digital instrument cluster. The XT also had some features found on few other cars, such as an electronic in-dash trip computer, retractable flaps covering the door handles, and a single wiper blade for the entire windshield.

Drivetrain

The 1985 XT was fitted with two engines:

• EA82: 1781 cc F4 producing 97 hp (72 kW) at 5200 rpm and 103 ft·lbf (140 Nm) at 3200 rpm (9.5:1 compression ratio)
• EA82T: 1781 cc turbocharged F4 producing 111 hp (83 kW) at 4800 rpm and 143 ft·lbf (194 Nm) at 2800 rpm (7.5:1 compression ratio) (Some sources say 7.7:1.) In europe the power of the xt turbo was raised to 136 hp (100 kW)

These engines shared the following equipment and specifications:

• 1781 cc (108.7 in³) displacement (92x87 mm/3.62x3.425")
• Multi-port fuel injection
• Single overhead camshafts (note that because these are flat engines, all are equipped with two such camshafts)

The XT was available with both manual and automatic transmissions. Early XTs were available as either front wheel drive or part-time four wheel drive, selectable by a push button atop the shifter. After 1987, the part time four wheel drive system was replaced with an all wheel drive system.

Features and options

As mentioned above, the XT was loaded with unusual features. Included on all models were:

• Retractable door-handle flaps
• Single front wiper blade
• Steering wheel with a single vertical and a single horizontal spoke
• Pistol-grip shifter
• Microprocessor engine and transmission management
• Steering wheel with both tilt and reach adjustment
• Instrument cluster that tilted with the steering wheel

Furthermore, some models were equipped with additional features:

• Digital instrument cluster that tilted with the steering wheel
• Trip computer with range/fuel management facilities
• Pneumatic suspension with height control
• Push-button four wheel drive (later changed to all wheel drive)
• Hill holder brake system, prevented rolling on hills in the manual transmission version.

Like other Subaru models of the same vintage, the XT was sold in three models: the base-model DL, the better-equipped GL, and the top-of-the-range GL-10. Many of the options mentioned above were available only on the GL-10.

Two F4-powered derivatives were sold in Japan: the four wheel drive Alcyone VR, and the front wheel drive Alcyone VS. Both were equipped with turbocharged motors.

The XT received a minor update in 1987 for the second half of the 1987 model year, roughly corresponding to the 1988 launch of the XT6. Early XTs are easily distinguished from later models by inspecting the taillight and reverse light configuration - early models had reverse lights in the rear bumper, while 1987 1/2-up models had the reverse lights in the center taillight panel. All wheel drive turbo and six-cylinder models can be distinguished by the shape of the headrests; base models had solid headrests, whereas the turbo AWD and six-cylinder models had a large rectangular hole through the center.

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