My XT6 PageThe Subaru XT6 or as it's know in Japan, Alcyone was named after a particularly bright star(Alcyone) in the Pleiades, a star cluster called Subaru in Japanese. This model was launched in the United States as the Subaru XT in February 1985 and as the Alcyone in Japan in June 1985. This series' hallmark is its styling, designed to evoke the image of the aerodynamic shape of a hawk or eagle. The XT6 / Alcyone's sweeping wedge shape enabled this model to achieve the world's lowest air resistance level, 0.29 CD (coefficient of drag). Take a look at some of the specs.....2.7 liter overhead cam, multi-port fuel-injected horizontally opposed (boxer), aluminum alloy, 6 cylinder engine (same type of engine Porsche uses in the 911), full time all-wheel drive with push button locking center differential, computer controlled active and adjustable 4 wheel independent suspension, 4 wheel disc brakes, variable assist electric power steering, tilt and telescopic steering wheel, the guage cluster actually tilts with the steering wheel.
Subaru's are known for thier horizontally opposed cylinder layout, often referred to as "boxer". Having the engine flat creates a low center of gravity essential for good handling and alows the hood to be lower. The engine also uses a "flat crank". While most production engines use four crank throws spaced 90 degrees apart, racing engines often use a "flat" crankshaft with throws spaced 180 degrees apart. Here's an animation of a boxer type engine...
My XT6 is mostly stock except for a K&N air filter and free flow exhaust. I added a hood scoop from an XT Turbo for more cool air under the hood. I also removed the restrictive intake silencer. These mods have greatly improved power and torque in the upper RPM range. Tires are Firestone Firehawks, 215/60, one size wider than stock. The car is alot of fun to drive, with good torque, a sweet sounding engine (helped by free flow exhaust), and a smooth shifting 5-speed manual. The suspension is firm but not harsh and handling is enhanced by full time all-wheel drive. At highway speeds the suspension actually lowers the ride height for better aerodynamics which in turn returns better fuel mileage. The car still has the original computer controlled suspension and it still works perfectly. The reason I note this is for those of you not familiar with these cars is that the suspension, while very sophisticated, can be problematic and very expensive to replace. Many XT6's have been converted to regular coil-over shocks. I believe that less than 20,000 XT6's were produced from 1989-1991, if anyone knows exact numbers please e-mail me, so the rarity of XT6's ensures the you won't see one very often.
Here are a few pics of my XT6....
Here's my engine....
The XT6 and its History
1984 -
The Subaru XT was introduced for the 1985 model year, it was given high praise for having the lowest drag coefficient of any production car in the world. The XT styling is known for its love it or hate it opinions, officially introduced with a 1781 cc horizontally-opposed Flat 4, which pumped out an inadequate 97 hp @ 5200 rpm and 103ft-lbs of Torque @ 3200 rpm. The press gave the XT mediocre reviews , constantly complaining about the lack of hp / torque, (ooomph).
1986 -
A turbocharger was added to the XT, which improved performance...but not to the degree that everyone had hoped it would. The turbo boosted engine specs to 111hp @4800rpm and 134lbs-Torque @2800 rpm. This wasn't enough to please reporters or enthusiasts, as they were disappointed in the mild implementation of the turbo.
1988 -
Take the XT add two more cylinders, 891 more cc's couple more gadgets and you have the XT6, which was introduced in 1987 for the 1988 model year. The XT6 is equipped with a 2700cc, horizontally-opposed flat 6 engine which produced 145hp @ 5200rpm and 156lbs of torque @4000 rpm, in addition to the new engine Subaru introduced the Cybride Power Steering, which was a very complicated electric power steering system, that worked well...when it worked ! :) All XT's with 4WD (AWD) came equipped with a self leveling pneumatic suspension system, which when matched with the legendary Subaru AWD system, and the Cybrid power steering system gave the car the a feel and handling that is only rivaled by cars many times the price!
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