Subaru's Global Platform.

[Ben Up North]

Wouldn't it be awesome if the Global Platform was the first step in being able to swap bodies on a Subaru.

Want to go touring? Put the Wagon body on it. Blatting around town, the lighter sports body. Gotta carry bulky loads? The Van or Ute body.

Just putting it out there.:lol:

 

[Kevin]

Yes, they could call it "transformers" :lol:

 

[Beachworm]

Unfortunately, "global platform" doesn't even mean interchangeable parts. It's only the floor pan like now with Impreza and Forester. With monocoque construction it's not even like the old VW beetle where you could unbolt the body and have a running floor pan.

I was chatting to a bloke who pulled up next to me in the shopping centre car park yesterday in a shiny Landrover Discovery 4 and he demonstrated to me its capacity to be versatile. Push a button and it lifts 50mm to cruising height. Push another and it goes up another 50mm to off road height. That's about as good as it gets.

 

[Rally]

And being a Disco it's probably the only time he uses it- to show people

 

[Kevin]

:thumbsup:

 

[Ben Up North]

I was chatting to a bloke who pulled up next to me in the shopping centre car park yesterday in a shiny Landrover Discovery 4 and he demonstrated to me its capacity to be versatile. Push a button and it lifts 50mm to cruising height. Push another and it goes up another 50mm to off road height. That's about as good as it gets.

Citroen got that down pat years ago. Makes changing a tyre pretty easy

 

[Kevin]

^ they did indeed - but in Sydney, when I was a lad and before flatbeds, I believe there was just one tow truck that had the necessary suspension pumps to tow them!

 

[November]

I was chatting to a bloke who pulled up next to me in the shopping centre car park yesterday in a shiny Landrover Discovery 4 and he demonstrated to me its capacity to be versatile. Push a button and it lifts 50mm to cruising height. Push another and it goes up another 50mm to off road height. That's about as good as it gets.

It worked.. Strange.

 

[Beachworm]

You guys are spoilers. After I saw it I wanted one.

 

[Subaru Man]

I would happily have one as well. Pity they cost a fortune. I test drove them compared to most of the other large 4WD's a few years ago and the contrast was amazing. The rest were tractors compared to the Discovery 4.



Luckily test driving is cheap and I ended up buying a Forester. Can't fit 7 in though.

 

[Rally]

Thinking back of the last few off road trips I have done. I have come across Rangers, Patrols, Hiluxs, Landcruisers, Navaras, Pajeros, Challengers, Mazda’s, Suzuki’s and a few others including, of course, Subarus. But no Discos. No Rangies.

I did see a Rangie on a dirt road once. I just assumed his GPS was broken. Do Lucas make GPS units?

 

[Beachworm]

It's funny, isn't it how you become aware of things. When I was driving a troopy and a Hilux I never saw a Forester either. Now, the only ones I see off road other than on the internet are the ones in the same convoy as me.

 

[El_Freddo]

Do Lucas make GPS units?

No, for the same reason they don't make computers too - they haven't worked out how to make them leak oil!!! :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:


Seriously though, pushing buttons or relying on braking systems is not 4wd'n. That's kind of like sitting on the couch at home watching TV...


As for the global platform - where would one store all these different bodies? I think I'd rather just swap out springs/strut combos for street or offroad (rears). That's not really ideal on the gen1/2, and I'm not sure about the later foz rear setups.


Cheers

Bennie

 

[ateday]

Many years ago when I lived in South Africa I owned a Citroen Club which could be raised/lowered as necessary. Great little car and thrived on revs. Even in top gear it would red line.

 

[November]

You guys are spoilers. After I saw it I wanted one.

You have to sit down. Take a deep breath. Twice. Calm down. Close your eyes. And in back of your mind there is a small doubt telling you - YOU'RE NOT!!!

 

[Rally]

Swapping bodies requires a separate chassis. There goes your rigidity. It also adds weight and cost.

 

[Kevin]

Do Lucas make GPS units?

They do however make brake pads because they know how to make things stop! :lol:

(TRW-LUCAS pads - I've used them for many years and can recommend them as being as good if not better than the "red" and green" stuff pads; less expensive as well)

 

[Red XS]

On Western Australian tracks I see the occasional Land Rover convoy, a few new and old ones tagging along with other groups, plus pieces of Land Rover parts scattered along the ground. So they do get used offroad here in the West, just nowhere near as much as Patrols and Cruisers. They have a lot of technology that makes them capable, just means you have to find hard tracks to test them. No different to fitting larger tyres and lockers in other 4wd's. The challenging part is finding testing tracks that aren't too far from the nearest repair shop.

Evidence of Land Rover offroad

Coilovers, quick disconnect sway bars and 2 sets of wheels are probably the best way to get a variety of different cars into one Subaru. However I am too lazy to wind the coilovers up and down for on and offroad or change 4 tyres. I just found a compromise that suits me and leave it. I do use quick disconnect swaybars, only because it takes under a minute to do.