Subaru Exiga Crossover 7 not for Oz

The wraps have come off the adventurous new Subaru Exiga Crossover 7, a high-riding variant of the seven-seat wagon that shows off a slightly more rugged look along with several new design cues.

Boasting a number of visual updates inside and out, the refreshed design of the new Crossover 7 model is a tip of the hat to the more contemporary new Subaru Outback, which is selling like hotcakes in Australia at the moment – sales are up a whopping 386 per cent to 2595 units for the first three months of 2015, up from 534 for the same period in 2014.

Despite the boom time for Subaru's high-riding AWD wagon and current lack of a larger seven-seat SUV model, Subaru Australia says it has no plans to bring the new-look Exiga Crossover 7 to Australia.

"The Exiga Crossover revealed this week is a Japanese domestic market only vehicle. It's not coming to Australia," said Katrina Jones, Subaru Australia public relations executive.

Although the new Exiga Crossover 7 is fundamentally the same vehicle as the Exiga under the metal, propelled by an unchanged 2.5-litre boxer petrol engine, the adventurous new vehicle gets "newly developed" suspension adding an extra 20mm of ground clearance of the regular model, for a total ride height of 170mm.

Appearing very similar to the Crossover 7 concept that was first at the 2013 Tokyo motor show, other changes include cosmetic tweaks to the front-end including a new  (and larger) grille design and reshaped headlight clusters that move it visually closer with the Outback.

Bold roof rails are added and pumped wheel-arches featuring black cladding also make the cut. Plastic bash guards also extend around the car's lower edges, underneath the front and rear bumpers and side skirts.

Some of the standard features of the Subaru Exiga Crossover 7 include the EyeSight system, comprising a number of driving aids such as radar cruise control and autonomous emergency braking. The interior of the new Exiga boasts eye-catching tan upholstered seats, the front one features full electric adjustment.

Subaru Japan says the vehicle creates a new genre, which it dubs "urban SUV × multiplayer car".

The regular Exiga had been a fixture in Subaru showrooms in Australia for five years until 2014, when the slow-selling model was cut from the market.

Another Subaru wagon unlikely to be offered to Australia is the Levorg, which is viewed as a replacement for the WRX wagon. It's understood a business case on the new vehicle is proving challenging and a negotiations for the small turbo performance sedan's local arrival has been delayed yet again, explained Jones.

"The decision on whether the Subaru Levorg will come to Australia has been delayed by a month, until early May," she said.