Subaru does new diesel duo

Following the unveiling of its long-awaited turbodiesel boxer engine in Legacy (Liberty in Australia) and Outback models at the Geneva motor show earlier this year, Subaru now plans to extend the range by revealing turbodiesel Impreza and Forester variants at the Paris motor show opening on October 2.

This will give the company a European foothold in a segment where it had been notably absent and, eventually, should add appeal to the company's Australian model lineup.

But while Subaru Australia has said the upcoming new Outback range is slated to include a turbodiesel model when it launches here in July next year, there remains as yet no word on plans for Impreza and Forester in terms of local consumption.

Commenting at the announcement of Impreza and Forester turbodiesels, national corporate affairs manager for Subaru Australia, David Rowley said, "At this stage we don't have a definite timeframe.

"The new turbodiesel has been very well received in Liberty and Outback in Europe, and demand over there has pushed us (Australia) back.

"But although it's currently not on the horizon, we are certainly keenly interested and maintain it as top of mind in our discussions with Fuji."

The new 2.0-litre turbodiesel boxer uses different dimensions to petrol Subaru engines, with a rearranging of the bore and stroke measurements to produce a square, rather than oversquare configuration. This has been achieved by reducing the bore and increasing the stroke. The diesel's crankshaft is also shorter than petrol variants.

The boxer turbodiesel also adopts aluminium for the crankcase, making it light, as well as fundamentally strong.

Subaru also says the boxer configuration means it is quieter and more refined than inline, or V-configuration diesels.

The 1.998-litre common rail diesel uses a variable-nozzle turbocharger with double overhead camshafts and four-valve cylinder heads. It is rated at 108kW at 3600rpm and 350Nm at 1800rpm for Forester, and 110kW at 3600rpm and 350Nm at 2400rpm in the Impreza. CO2 emissions are quoted at 167g/km and 152g/km respectively.

Although no indication of when Australia will get the turbodiesel in Impreza and Forester is being given at present, Subaru boss Nick Senior said recently "Our wish would be that over time we would introduce a diesel throughout key models, including Outback, Forester and Impreza."