Following that trend is the company's recent release of a four cylinder boxer diesel engine. While most Japanese manufacturers are developing their own diesel engines for sale in the European market, Subaru's designs follow the pattern that previous ground-breakers at Mercedes and VW had set. No one ever thought to make a diesel with horizontally opposed cylinders.
But that was then. The new 2.0 liter motor pumps out 148 horsepower and, more importantly, a tree stump-pulling 253 lb/ft of torque. In the Legacy model, this powerplant gives a 0-60 time of 8.5 seconds along with fuel economy in the high forties. As a comparison, the base four cylinder with 170hp and 170lb lb/ft gets 18 mpg in the city and 26 on the highway. Terrible numbers for such a low powered four banger, in my opinion.
So when is this miracle motor coming to the United States? That is a far trickier question. Subaru is adopting a wait and see approach to diesel engines in the United States. Apparently it would rather see if Honda has any success flogging Honda Accord oil burners.
Is there a newfound caution in the company ethos for Subaru? I would hope that is not the case. Not only for the sake of the company, but also for its owner base which is well known for accepting all the latest technology. These are people who demand four wheel drive on all models, just so they can drive through blizzards on their way to the Home Depot.
This rebellious manufacturer also single handedly wooed the PlayStation Generation into the new muscle car with its Impreza WRX and STI models. Mitsubishi had some success in the same vein with the Evo series, but like the Ford Mustang before it, the Subaru was always the more practical ownership proposition.
Back to the new boxer diesel. Right now, it is only being offered with a five speed manual transmission. A stick is the quickest way to get to the power band of a typical diesel but an automatic option is also about a year away. Word is that the soonest the U.S. will see the new motor is 2 years, giving Subaru enough time to be sure it would be 50 states emissions compliant.
The engineers at camp Subie are hopeful that the high compression ratios the boxer design can handle will cut down on emissions sufficiently so that no direct urea compression system will be necessary. Currently only Honda has figured out a way get around using urea in the emissions process.
If Subaru is so unsure of the possible sales success of its new boxer diesel, I can only hope that its environmentally-conscious ownership base will demand it, especially as I see no Subaru hybrid on the horizon. Looking at the mileage ratings of the rest of the gas-powered Subaru lineup, a diesel also just might be pivotal for the automaker to be able to reach new CAFÉ regulations in this country.
via guest blogger Jim Hamel