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The Impreza has just joined the European diesel line-up of Legacy, Outback and Forester. Subaru Australia national corporate affairs manager David Rowley said there was no hold up on the diesel. "We flagged last year that new-generation Outback diesel would arrive later this year and that's still the plan," he said. The Outback 2.0D will go on sale in early November.
"We'll evaluate the level of customer interest and then make a decision on other cars in the rage, with Forester being the next most likely candidate, but not before well into next year," he said. "The reception in Europe has been very positive and we're optimistic that we can gain a good level of interest here too."
The 2.0-litre Boxer diesel engine in the Impreza is claimed to achieve fuel economy of 5.9L/100km with CO2 emissions of 155g/km which is 20g less than a Corolla. It's no slouch, either, with 112kW of power and 350Nm of torque between 1800 and 240 revs, propelling it to 100km/h in nine seconds and a top speed over 200km/h.
The horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine sits flat and deep in the engine well with a variable geometry turbocharger and catalytic converter mounted underneath for a low centre of gravity. Coupled with Symmetrical all-wheel drive, this improves handling and traction.
Subaru claims the flat-four layout with horizontally-opposed pistons cancels out second harmonic vibration which means there is no need for heavy balancer shafts. Apart from reduced diesel noise, it also ensures a lively throttle response.
The 1998cc Boxer diesel has an 11mm longer stroke and 6mm smaller bore than the 1994cc petrol engine. Cylinder bore spacing is reduced so the engine block is 61.3mm shorter at 353.5mm. It uses a common-rail fuel-injection system with fuel pressurised at 180MPa.
The variable nozzle turbocharger ensures the correct boost at all engine speeds and placing it beneath the engine contributes to the Impreza’s low centre of gravity, where it also connects directly to the catalytic converters, boosting environmental performance.
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