Subaru Diesels Enter the Eurozone
After showing an oil-burning concept car last year, Subaru has just debuted their European-spec diesel engine. Significance is twofold. First, until this point, Subaru hasn't offered a diesel engine. Oil burners account for 40 percent of the European new car market; Subie's diesel deficit has seriously retarded their progress into the Eurozone. Second, this ain't no regular four-pot diesel. It's a 2.0-liter turbocharged flat-four that churns-out 148 horses and 258 ft.-lbs.of twist (from 1800 rpm.) Yup, you heard right: it's a flat-four; the same horizontally opposed Boxer layout Subaru sells in gas-powered form. As horizontally opposed engines have better balance than their inline counterparts, a Subaru diesel could be smoother and quieter than an in-line oil burner. In the Legacy wagon, it should get about 41 U.S. miles per gallon and chug from zero to sixty mph in roughly 8.5 seconds. Reviews are trickling in: AutoExpress, Car magazine and Fifth Gear . So far, so good. Will the Subie diesel clean-up its act to California compliance and come to the States? The answer of the week (via Autobloggreen) is yes. But with a projected date of 2010, there's still plenty of time for Subaru to cancel, confirm, cancel, confirm…
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I'm getting the impression from the pics that you won't be able to get one without also accepting the functional hood scoop. A turbo is a turbo, I guess. That will be off-putting to the conservative Outback buyer who wants to look the part. Marketing needs to have a heart to heart with Engineering on that.
It's time for Subaru to bring back the Brat and throw this engine in it. :) Or VW can bring back the Rabbit pickup. Either way, I want a SMALL truck with a diesel option.
Yay Subaru! A biodiesel powered Legacy or Outback would be a fine car and so politically correct for us up here in the "Cascadia" part of North America. I only hope that there is room on the back bumper for my HRC, Save the Whales, Free Tibet, Keep Portland Wierd bumper stickers AND the new Biodiesel Powered bumper stickers.
Subaru desperately needs this to make it to the next level in the American market. Their biggest weakness right now is their fuel efficiency, in a world where gas prices are going up. A California compliant diesel should open up a whole new market for them.