Subaru diesel boxer engine development nearly complete

Subaru Europe President Hiroyuki Ikeda dropped an unexpected announcement in his Paris motor show speech when he mentioned that the company was working on a SubaruBoxer Turbo Diesel and that development is nearly complete.

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The superb rotational balance of the horizontally-opposed engine allows low vibration because the pistons counteract each other to cancel it out. Moreover, with its firmly supported crankshaft, the crankcase construction is strong enough to resist huge combustion pressure. The horizontally-opposed engine’s character is proving an excellent match for a diesel engine.

The Impreza lineup has become more appealing with its price and packaging as well. The base model 2007 Impreza 2.5i sedan has a starting price $800 lower than its predecessor, despite being identically equipped. A 2.5i Special Edition will hit showrooms in October carrying $2,800 worth of additional equipment including a moonroof and 6-CD changer, although the price is just $1,500 more than the base model. All WRX sedans and sport wagons include a standard moonroof at no extra charge. The 2.5i Sedan starts at $22,695, with the range topping out as the WRX STI Sedan, priced at $48,995. The WRX sport wagon and sedan are priced at $35,495.

Better known for its outstanding performance and roadholding, Subaru’s iconic Impreza has won two class categories in The Caravan Club’s ‘Towcar Of The Year 2007’ awards.

Facelifted for 2006 – and with a new 2.5 litre turbocharged engine – the Impreza WRX Sports Wagon beat off all challengers in both the ‘£20,000 to £25,000 Class’ and ‘AWD Under 1,800 kg Class’.

After the time loss of the previous two days, the Subaru World Rally Team’s focus for the final Leg turned to testing and development work for forthcoming events. Petter Solberg maintained his overnight seventh position throughout most of the day, however an impact with a rock on the racing line on the last stage of the day dropped him back down to eighth overall. Chris Atkinson had a steady drive throughout the day to finish the event in ninth position.

Subaru is about to unveil an entry-level Impreza with a new 1.5-litre flat-four engine. This engine develops a modest 105bhp and 105lb-ft of torque, and is good for 109mph, 0-60mph in 13.5 seconds and 35.8mpg; it returns 184g/km of carbon dioxide.

The rally’s twisty roads generate low average speeds; it’s expected that crews will negotiate the route at an average speed of just over 60kph, barely half the speed recorded on smooth gravel events like Rally Finland or Rally New Zealand. With less air being forced into the car, airflow to the engine and transmission is substantially reduced and teams run cooling settings at their maximum to keep temperatures at a suitable level.

It takes just 5 seconds to get from 0-60mph and the top speed is a very precise, 158.4mph. But that is just numbers on a screen and can’t possibly portray the sensation from the driver’s seat. For instance, on the test route is a long slow hill, although not too steep. Just to see what the car would do, I put my foot down at 30mph in 3rd gear. At first, there was a gentle increase in forward momentum and then the turbo came in and heralded a ‘Wow!’ followed by an ‘Oh, my goodness’, which preceded an expletive and a huge grin. Hush my mouth.

The as-yet-unnamed car would be built on the same platform as the SX4 compact all-wheel-drive hatchback, have a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine tuned for around 150kW of power, and could be here within the next four years.