Subaru SVX

Subaru SVX: which 3.3 AT to choose (1991–1997)

Four Subaru SVX versions exist in the catalogue, all named 3.3 AT, all Coupe, all one generation (1991–1997), all Gasoline, 6 cylinders Opposite, 4 valves per cylinder, No boost, Front, longitudinal, Distributed injection (multi-point), Automatic 4, AWD, 3318 cm³, 95 fuel, 70 L tank. They are not interchangeable. Separate them by power: 3.3 AT 220 hp, 3.3 AT 230 hp, 3.3 AT 240 hp, 3.3 AT 250 hp.

Four Subaru SVX versions exist in the catalogue, all named 3.3 AT, all Coupe, all one generation (1991–1997), all Gasoline, 6 cylinders Opposite, 4 valves per cylinder, No boost, Front, longitudinal, Distributed injection (multi-point), Automatic 4, AWD, 3318 cm³, 95 fuel, 70 L tank. They are not interchangeable. Separate them by power: 3.3 AT 220 hp, 3.3 AT 230 hp, 3.3 AT 240 hp, 3.3 AT 250 hp. The choice is which of those four number sets you actually need.

Specs at a glance: four 3.3 AT versions

Displacement is identical: 3318 cm³ on every 3.3 AT. Specific output is therefore a straight split of horsepower by that volume: 66.3 hp/L (220), 69.3 hp/L (230), 72.3 hp/L (240), 75.3 hp/L (250). Each 10 hp step is about 3.0 hp/L. The 250 hp 3.3 AT makes 30 hp more than the 220 hp 3.3 AT (+13.6%) from the same 3318 cm³.

Peak torque does not climb with peak power. 3.3 AT 220 hp has 304 Nm at 4600 rpm. 3.3 AT 230 hp adds 5 Nm (309 Nm at the same 4600 rpm). 3.3 AT 240 hp keeps 309 Nm but moves it to 4800 rpm. 3.3 AT 250 hp drops to 294 Nm at 4800 rpm — 10 Nm below the 220 and 15 Nm below the 230/240. The strongest peak-power 3.3 AT is the weakest peak-torque 3.3 AT.

Peak-power rpm also splits the set: 220 and 230 make rated power at 5600 rpm; 240 at 6000; 250 at 6400. Compression ratio is 10 on 220, 230 and 250; 9.7 on 240. Bore × stroke is 96.9 × 75 on 220, 230 and 250; 97 × 75 on 240.

Performance and mpg: measured vs not measured

Where fuel use is measured, it is the same three figures on 3.3 AT 220 hp, 3.3 AT 230 hp and 3.3 AT 250 hp: 10.3 city, 7.6 highway, 10.4 mixed L/100 km. Choosing 250 hp over 220 hp does not change the recorded consumption set. 3.3 AT 240 hp city, highway and mixed consumption are not measured.

Acceleration: 230 hp is 0.1 s quicker to 100 km/h than 220 hp (8.6 vs 8.7). 250 hp is 1.1 s quicker than 220 hp and 1.0 s quicker than 230 hp (7.6 vs 8.7 / 8.6). 3.3 AT 240 hp 0–100 is not measured.

Top speed does not follow horsepower. 3.3 AT 230 hp is the fastest recorded at 235 km/h — 5 km/h above 220 hp (230 km/h) and 10 km/h above 250 hp (225 km/h). The 250 hp 3.3 AT is the slowest of the three measured top speeds. 3.3 AT 240 hp top speed is not measured.

Dimensions, weight, tank, clearance

Wheel sizes are not measured on every 3.3 AT. Tank is 70 L on all four. Ground clearance is 135 mm only on 3.3 AT 240 hp; on 220, 230 and 250 it is not measured.

Kerb weight is the largest arithmetic split in the whole model. 3.3 AT 220 hp is 1300 kg. 3.3 AT 230 hp is 1630 kg — 330 kg heavier (+25.4%). 3.3 AT 240 hp is 1620 kg (320 kg over 220; 10 kg under 230). 3.3 AT 250 hp is 1625 kg (325 kg over 220; 5 kg under 230). Gross mass is 2045 kg on 220, 230 and 250; not measured on 240.

Payload from those pairs: 745 kg on 220 hp (2045 − 1300), 415 kg on 230 hp (2045 − 1630), 420 kg on 250 hp (2045 − 1625). The light 220 hp 3.3 AT carries 330 kg more payload than the 230 hp 3.3 AT. 3.3 AT 240 hp payload cannot be calculated: gross is not measured.

Mass per horsepower: 5.91 kg/hp (220), 7.09 kg/hp (230), 6.75 kg/hp (240), 6.50 kg/hp (250). The 220 hp 3.3 AT is the lightest per horsepower. The 230 hp 3.3 AT is the heaviest per horsepower: +1.18 kg/hp versus 220. The 250 hp 3.3 AT sits between them at 6.50 kg/hp — better than 230 and 240, worse than 220.

Front and rear suspension are Independent, spring on all four. Front brakes are Ventilated disc on all four. Rear brakes are Disc ventilated on all four (label as in the data). Chassis hardware does not differentiate the versions.

Generation: one Coupe, four 3.3 AT, nothing else to pick between years

There is 1 generation of Subaru SVX: 1 generation, Coupe, 1991-01-01 to 1997-12-31, 4 versions. Every 3.3 AT in the data uses those same start and stop dates. There is no second generation, no restyle row, and no body other than Coupe. A “which generation” question for this model has only one answer: this Coupe window. Version choice is inside that window, not across windows.

Which 3.3 AT to choose

Choose 3.3 AT 220 hp if kerb weight and payload matter more than peak hp. It is the only 3.3 AT at 1300 kg. It still has 304 Nm (second-highest torque in the set), 8.7 s to 100 km/h, 230 km/h, and the same 10.3 / 7.6 / 10.4 L/100 km as the 230 and 250. You give up 10–30 hp versus the others and 5 km/h versus the 230’s top speed. You gain 330 kg less kerb mass than the 230 and 745 kg payload versus 415–420 kg. Power-to-weight is the best in the catalogue at 5.91 kg/hp. Clearance and wheels remain not measured.

Choose 3.3 AT 230 hp if the recorded top speed is the target. It is the only version at 235 km/h. Versus 220 hp it adds 10 hp, 5 Nm, 0.1 s on 0–100, and 5 km/h on top speed, with identical mpg figures. Versus 250 hp it is 20 hp down but 15 Nm up, 10 km/h faster at the top, and 1.0 s slower to 100 km/h. The cost in the numbers is mass: 1630 kg, 7.09 kg/hp, payload 415 kg. Peak power still arrives at 5600 rpm, same as 220, not the 6000–6400 of 240/250.

Do not choose 3.3 AT 240 hp if you need a complete measured sheet. It is the only 3.3 AT with compression 9.7, bore 97 × 75, and ground clearance 135 mm. It sits at 240 hp / 177 kW @ 6000 rpm and 309 Nm @ 4800 rpm — torque matched to the 230, power between 230 and 250. Kerb is 1620 kg (6.75 kg/hp). What you cannot use for a buy decision: 0–100 not measured, top speed not measured, city/highway/mixed not measured, gross mass not measured, wheels not measured. If those blanks matter, this is the version to skip.

Choose 3.3 AT 250 hp if 0–100 time is the ranking criterion. It is the only 3.3 AT at 7.6 s and 250 hp / 183 kW @ 6400 rpm — 30 hp and 21 kW above 220, 20 hp and 14 kW above 230. Specific output is highest at 75.3 hp/L. Kerb 1625 kg puts it 5 kg under the 230 and 6.50 kg/hp. Mpg matches 220 and 230 where measured. What you give up: peak torque 294 Nm (lowest of the four), top speed 225 km/h (lowest of the three measured), and the light 1300 kg kerb of the 220. Clearance not measured.

Direct arithmetic: what the next 3.3 AT actually adds

220 → 230: +10 hp, +5 Nm, −0.1 s to 100, +5 km/h top speed, +330 kg kerb, −330 kg payload, mpg unchanged, tank unchanged.

220 → 240: +20 hp, +5 Nm, 0–100 not measured, top speed not measured, +320 kg kerb, clearance becomes 135 mm, compression 10 → 9.7, bore 96.9 → 97, mpg not measured.

220 → 250: +30 hp, −10 Nm, −1.1 s to 100, −5 km/h top speed, +325 kg kerb, mpg unchanged.

230 → 250: +20 hp, −15 Nm, −1.0 s to 100, −10 km/h top speed, −5 kg kerb, payload 415 → 420 kg.

240 versus 250 cannot be ranked on 0–100, top speed or mpg: those 240 fields are not measured. On the fields that exist, 250 has +10 hp, −15 Nm, +5 kg kerb, compression 10 vs 9.7, and no recorded clearance versus 240’s 135 mm.

Short ranking by job

• Lightest / best kg per hp / most payload: 3.3 AT 220 hp (1300 kg, 5.91 kg/hp, 745 kg).
• Highest recorded top speed: 3.3 AT 230 hp (235 km/h).
• Only recorded ground clearance: 3.3 AT 240 hp (135 mm) — incomplete performance and economy sheet.
• Fastest recorded 0–100 and highest hp/L: 3.3 AT 250 hp (7.6 s, 75.3 hp/L, 250 hp).
• Highest peak torque: 3.3 AT 230 hp and 3.3 AT 240 hp (309 Nm); 240’s 309 Nm is at 4800 rpm, 230’s at 4600 rpm.

There is no price field in the data, so “extra money” is not a figure here. The extra in the numbers is extra horsepower, extra mass, extra or missing speed, and extra blanks. For a complete measured Coupe 3.3 AT, the usable trio is 220 / 230 / 250 hp. Pick 220 for mass, 230 for 235 km/h, 250 for 7.6 s. Treat 3.3 AT 240 hp as the incomplete sheet unless 135 mm clearance is the one number you came for.