Subaru Viziv-7 Concept Revealed: Subaru's New Three-Row Flagship Is Huge

Subaru has perched a three-row crossover atop its lineup before.

It didn’t work. (And not just because of some things TTAC may or may not have said about the general appearance of the B9 Tribeca.)

Set to be revealed today at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show, the Subaru Viziv-7 Concept previews the arrival of a genuinely large Subaru family crossover. Don’t expect the Viziv name to carry forward – that’s merely how Subaru tags its concepts. Do expect a production version loosely based on the design of the Viziv-7 Concept in the early stages of 2018.With a wheelbase stretching 117.7 inches and a bumper-to-bumper length of 204.7 inches, the Viziv-7 Concept’s wheelbase is a third-row-favoring 9.5 inches longer than the departed Tribeca’s. The whole vehicle is 13.2 inches longer than the Tribeca — a rare but indisputable flop for Subaru.

Nearly a decade of production produced only 76,774 Tribeca sales in the United States, or roughly the number of Ford Explorers sold every four months.

But the B9 Tribeca wasn’t just ugly — in fact, the Tribeca was rather innocuous after a MY2008 facelift. Cramped inside, overpriced, somewhat ponderous to drive — Subaru’s first three-row vehicle was undesirable for a number of reasons.

The Tribeca was also the three-row family crossover effort from a brand that owned just 1.2 percent of the market.

The production version of the LA auto show’s Viziv-7 Concept will fight on behalf of a Subaru brand that’s seen its market share triple since the B9 Tribeca hit the market. And if the concept’s dimensions are anything to go by, it shouldn’t be too cramped.

At 204.7 inches long, the Viziv-7 stretches two feet farther than the Forester, Subaru’s best-selling model. The concept is 15 inches longer than the Subaru Outback, Subaru’s biggest current model. The Viziv-7 is even longer than the Chevrolet Traverse and Dodge Durango, both big players in the three-row crossover segment.

We have more faith in the Viziv-7 Concept’s dimensions carrying forward to production than its styling. Historically, Subaru concepts have not accurately predicted production cars, even when the Viziv tag isn’t used. The Impreza Concept from last year’s Tokyo auto show (and then the Impreza Sedan Concept from last year’s LA auto show) is recognizable as an Imprezaesque car, but it’s wildly better looking than the humble production car. Subaru’s three-year-old Legacy Concept has themes that carried forward to the production Legacy sedan, but it’s in a whole different league.

So, this isn’t merely a matter of toning down the wheels and headlights. A production Subaru three-row crossover might not resemble this Viziv-7 in any meaningful way.

But for the growing legions of Subaru loyalists who need something bigger — a lot bigger — something good this way comes. Expect the production U.S.-built Subaru flagship to be called the Ascent.

[Images: Subaru via NASIOC Forum]

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook.