The Morning Call and Mcall.com's view

Subaru first earned its reputation as a manufacturer of small simple cars. Today it still builds small cars only now they are much more sophisticated.

Take for example the flagship of its line, the XT6. This sporty coupe not only has a new and unique six-cylinder engine, it also has a new full-time four-wheel drive system, which truly makes it a car for all seasons.

In the not too distant past, when the going got tough, only the tough got going. The tough in this case were the four-wheel drive utility vehicles and trucks. Today everybody wants to get in the traction act. Wagons, coupes, sedans and even sports cars are now available with four-wheel drive.

Subaru did not, by any means, invent four-wheel drive, nor did it pioneer it. But back in the mid-1970s this Japanese manufacturer did offer something rather unique for its time, a small four-wheel drive passenger vehicle. Almost instant success and no doubt an incentive for Subaru to expand its four-wheel drive lineup.

Today, every Subaru model – from the economy Justy upward – is available with four-wheel drive. But even in such a lineup, the XT6 stands out a little more.

Here’s a vehicle that can only be appreciated to its fullest by driving it over snow, ice and slush. Its full-time four-wheel drive system, which requires no thought or decision by the driver, provides excellent traction on bad road surfaces. But what if the roads are dry and clean, as they are most of the time? No problem. Under these conditions it handles like a sports car. The XT6 Full-Time 4WD may not be the car for everybody, but it certainly is an interesting alternative.

The test car with its five-speed manual transmission was equipped with ”Continuous” 4WD and featured a three-differential system that directs power continuously to the front and rear wheels. The only thing left for the driver to do, and this will probably not be needed very much, if at all, isto engage the differential lock switch. There was never a need to lock the differential (for additional traction under certain conditions). But it probably would come in handy if you got stuck in a foot of mud.

For those who don’t care to shift for themselves, there is also an automatic gearbox version that, if anything, is even more sophisticated than the manual version. This is an ”Active” 4WD system that uses a multi-plate ”wet” clutch as both a center differential and a power transfer device. An on-board computer directs the multi-plate clutch to vary the power split, depending on front and rear wheel speed, engine speed and load and other factors. According to Subaru, anything from 95 percent front and 5 percent rear to 50/50 is possible, depending upon conditions.

Just one more point about the manual transmission. It was equipped with Subaru’s hill-holder clutch system, making it one of the easiest of manual transmissions to master. The hill-hol der does just that. When properly engaged, it prevents backward roll when starting forward on upgrades.

The new six-cylinder engine is not only Subaru’s first six-cylinder engine, but the first of its type ever offered. What makes it unique is that it is a water-cooled, horizontally opposed engine. There have been other horizontally opposed six-cylinder engines in the past and even today Porsche has one in its 911 model. However, all of these engine are air-cooled, not water-cooled as in the XT6.

As everyone knows, being unique is not necessarily better. However Subaru’s six does a dandy job for the XT. This overhead-cam, multi-point fuel- injected engine measures 2.7-liter/163-cubic-inches and is rated at 145 horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 156 foot pounds torque at 4,000 rpm.

This is plenty of power to move about the 2,865 pound XT6 4WD. The application of power, however, is a little deceiving at first. And this is simply because of the 4WD configuration. ven on to-the-floor acceleration, the wheels won’t s pin. Power is transmitted to all wheels, so get-away is more orderly. And this is the reason traction is so good in the snow.

The engine also provided decent fuel mileage. The test car averaged 15 miles per gallon for city driving and 26 mpg over the highway. Premium unleaded should be used because of the engine’s 9.5:1 compression ratio.

As far as appearances go, the XT6 looks just about the same as it did when introduced in 1985. It has an aerodynamic look to it and a low 0.29 coefficient of drag to prove it. And although the XT6 shares the same sheetmetal with the four-cylinder XT, it has a much huskier chassis. Larger 4- wheel disc brakes are used along with 14-inch alloy wheels with large, 60- series all-season radials. The front suspension has been redesigned, spring rates and sway bar diameters increased and the air suspension is upgraded with a revised ride height and greater damping force.

With an overall length of 177.6 inches, wheelbase, 97 inches; width, 66.5 inches, and height, 52.6 inches, it obviously is not really a big car. Interior room, however, is somewhat deceptive, being larger than expected. Driver and front-seat passenger have plenty of room. Back seat room isn’t spacious but if the front seats aren’t extended fully aft, children or adults won’t be able to complain too much, on a short haul. With the back seat in place, luggage capacity measures 9.8 cubic feet, plus 1.8 cubic feet below the floor. The rear seat folds but there really isn’t a whole lot more room. It is only increased to 11.6 cubic feet (plus the same 1.8 cubic feet below the floor).

This year, the driver has a better view in front. Gone is the somewhat glitzy electronic instrument panel that looked like a transplant from a video arcade. In its place are large, easy-to-read analog instrument gauges. And in keeping with Subaru’s uniqueness, the instrument panel tilts with the steering column so it won’t be covered. Most of the switches and controls are mounted on modules flanking the steering column. They seem a little much at first but are easy to get used to. In keeping with the overall ambience, the modules move along with the telescopic steering column.

The one item that looks like it could use a little more work is the single windshield wiper system. On one of those wet highway days, when the washers and wipers must be used frequently, the test car’s windshield was very hard to clean. There are two spray nozzles but the one on the passenger side seems to be going along just for the ride since the single wiper just pushes the spray into the cowl instead of picking it up and cleaning the window. Maybe it was just the extreme cold temperatures but it left a little bit to be desired.

The price of the XT6 4WD is beginning to get up there. Another result of the dollar/yen relationship. In fact, Subaru just had a 3 perc ent across the board increase. Base price on the XT6 is $16,116 and includes air conditioning, power locks and windows, rear window defogger, cruise control, AM/FM stereo/cassette, headlamp washers, integral fog lamps and a high level of trim.

The full-time 4WD system with five-speed manual transmission is an additional $840. Add to this $105 for metallic paint and $229 for delivery and dealer prep, and the total price came to $17,280.

A new factory warranty for 1988 includes 36-month/36,000-mile drivetrain and rust perforation coverage in addition to the 12-month/unlimited mileage full-vehicle protection.