- Subaru launches new Trezia compact wagon in Tokyo.
- Trezia is a lightly re-engineered version of Toyota's new JDM Ractis.
- It is designed and engineered to compete strongly with the Honda Fit.
TOKYO — Subaru is making a long-overdue entry into Japan's compact-car wars with its new Trezia. The compact wagon, just launched in Tokyo, should be a formidable competitor to Honda's Fit — which is Japan's second favorite vehicle after the Toyota Prius.
Subaru might be famed for its horizontally opposed Boxer engines and all-wheel drive, but all the sales action in Japan these days is in small, fuel-sipping eco warriors, and Subaru clearly has been missing out.
The Trezia is exactly that kind of car, a compact, zippy 1.3- to 1.5-liter wagon, with front-wheel drive, that offers big space and convenience for its modest overall size.
Actually, Honda's lawyers might want to check it out because body length and width exactly mirror the Fit, as does platform length. The Trezia is some 2 inches taller, however; otherwise, the formula is exactly the same.
Under the hood, there's a choice of inline-4 engines: 1.3-liter with 94 horsepower or 1.5-liter with 107 hp. All-wheel drive is a lead option with the 1.5 engine, and a CVT transmission is standard.
No, the Trezia is not a "real" Subaru but another badge-engineered offering from Toyota. The Trezia is essentially Subaru's version of Toyota's new JDM Ractis with only a new nose treatment to provide some differentiation.
In the eco-car stakes, the Trezia's official gas mileage, equivalent to 43.3-47 mpg, is not far off the Honda's. Subaru is pricing the Trezia starting at the equivalent of $16,972, while the Fit begins at some $2,300 less.
Subaru is targeting selling 1,000 Trezias a month in Japan and has already indicated that it's going to export the car to Europe. No word yet on U.S. sales, although if the Fit can make it across the Pacific, why not the Trezia? Ultimately, any call on that would be made by Toyota, as it's building the Trezia on Subaru's behalf.
Inside Line says: The Trezia has all the specs, space and style to go big in Japan. But would the same formula work for Subaru in the U.S. or be a downer for the brand? — Peter Nunn, Correspondent
Add A Comment »
fantastic says:
06:41 AM, 12/02/2010
@SDIEGO... not at all, unless the car was selling stateside really! like the impreza and the saab, the vibe in the matrix.. give the credit to IL.
iainb says:
10:37 PM, 12/01/2010
And the winner of the most boring car of the year goes to... no wait that honor still goes to the Prius
sdiego says:
02:34 PM, 12/01/2010
fantastic says:
12:06 PM, 12/01/2010
AH AH AH AH subaru si se ou di se ou wi!!..lol a commercial from Haiti..translate "subaru if it is you say it is you". But this is a rebadge Toyota..it is not pure subbie..so, say it is a toyota...lol
Would you know it's a Toyota hadn't Edmunds mentioned it?
sdiego says:
02:28 PM, 12/01/2010
Looks like a Honda Fit, not a Toyota.
saturn95 says:
02:14 PM, 12/01/2010
Nice, but it looks too much like a Honda Fit, I can see a legal problem arising from this.
hotrodw says:
02:04 PM, 12/01/2010
No flat four? Not a real Subie!
Seriously, though, this could work here. They would need to include AWD standard to maintain their image. That would put them at a price disadvantage, but they would have a unique place in the market.
For the record, this is NOT a wagon. I don't know what exactly classifies something as a wagon, but I've been around long enough to know this isn't one. It's a 5-door hatch. By my definition, a wagon is a sedan with a 2-box body.
fantastic says:
12:06 PM, 12/01/2010
AH AH AH AH subaru si se ou di se ou wi!!..lol a commercial from Haiti..translate "subaru if it is you say it is you". But this is a rebadge Toyota..it is not pure subbie..so, say it is a toyota...lol
ethanp71 says:
11:54 AM, 12/01/2010
Ugly. Looks way too much like a Toyota.
juan_mx says:
11:39 AM, 12/01/2010
@deathtollwrx
And those are different brands,
even for exactly the same car there are many examples of different names.
Jetta (5th gen US): Bora (MX), Sagitar(CN), Vento(?).
Golf(1st gen): Rabbit (US), Caribe(MX).
Manufacturers change the name for different countries.
br14n says:
11:36 AM, 12/01/2010
As it's FWD instead of AWD it doesn't really fit with the image that Subaru has been trying to cultivate here in the U.S. The little car market is crowded here already with Honda Fit, Chevy Aveo, Ford Fiesta, Mini Cooper, Toyota Yaris, Mazda 2, the Scions...etc - and we're already saying hello to the Fiat 500. Ask Smart how the little car business is in the States. If it's priced right it could be nice for Subaru dealers to have something else to offer their customers, but like the "Subarota" or "Toyobaru" coupe that is supposed to be the FWD Subaru version of the Toyota FT-86, it will be hard to explain to some folks that "All Subaru vehicles offer the safety and confidence of all-wheel drive...except that zippy looking one. Oh and that little one too".