Subaru brings diesel back to the US
 

I'm not a big fan of Subaru's junky fuel economy, but the wagons are definately better than SUVs and in many cases the extra traction is necessary for commuters in the more northern lands.

ABG has just announced that subaru will be bringing it's new diesel engine to the US soon, so for those people who drive subies, this'll be a decent goodness.

Linky: http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/01...ing-to-the-us/

My other ride is a Forester, and the FE is teh pits. It looks so neat and nippy, but all that extra driveline and the roofrack - Sweetie isn't keen on taking it off, she thinks I'll lose the bits - and the phone booth profile add up to a steady 25mpg. Dumb.

And as for the roof rack: why should I care? I have a truck. That's what it's for.

Diesel Trend
 

The trend in the U.S. lately has been mid-sized applications of Diesels, unfortunately (or the traditional pickup/van). I haven't seen anything in the 2.0L range for this engine option, since the big changeover to low-sulfur/low-particulate, and the 1.9L VW offerings. Since then, Mercedes and VW (and Jeep from the Daimler days) now have Diesels in large vehicles.

I can't recall if the SMART will have a diesel, otherwise, lower FE options have trended toward the larger vehicle section. The article's comments mention a 2.0L option for the Impreza in Europe -- that sounds like a good idea.

With its edge on being different from the rest, I bet Subaru could pull off a small diesel car. The problem may be in the colder climates, where these cars tend to be the most popular in North America -- but I'm sure they've improved on cold starts, etc. Still, it's interesting to see the option in the larger engine coming over -- hopefully a trend.

RH77

They reintroduce diesels right as diesel prices climb even further above gasoline (at least here). Doesn't sound so smart to me.

It's seasonal for the most part IME. Come summer they'll drop back down...

Toyota...Honda...BMW...Subaru all have terrific diesels that they sell in other countries, but which they do not offer in the US. I think that's a shame, but I'm glad to see Subaru joining VW and MB.

You read it over and over from us TDi nuts...load the car to the gunwales with people and luggage...blast up the freeway at 70 mph with the a/c on full tilt boogie gettin' 50 mpg. I mean geez, how much easier does doubling you mpg get? ;)

Oh yeah...Ford and GM's European subsidiaries both offer PDG diesels over there, too. But do you think they'd sell them here? Nooooo, don't want to rock the boat.

Speaking of Ford, do you guys remember a few years ago when Ford came close to signing a follow-on deal with International to replace the 7.3 PSD? Well, the engine under consideration was totally modular, meaning it could be built in V-6 thru V-10 versions. If they hadn't all started pointing fingers and blaming each other instead of working together to address the issues, Ford would have had a nice little V-6 diesel to put in everything from mid-size cars to light pickups.

That would have been cool! :thumbup:

To dig this thread back up, Subaru have unveiled the intricate details of their Boxer Diesel Engine at the Paris Int'l Auto Show.

Jalopnik has a nice write-up and lots of detailed pics.

I'm poised to see if we'll get one here. I'd especially love to see one being thrashed on the Rally circuit :D

RH77

You guys see the new Mercedes-Benz E320 diesel?

2008 Mercedes-Benz E320 BLUETEC -- Test drive and new car review -- 2008 Mercedes-Benz E320 BLUETEC turbodiesel

60 large for a 30 MPG car? My brother's 1983 300SD does that. Tier II ruins twenty-five years of tecnological advances.

Dave, you really should stop tilting at this windmill. Comparing the 2008 E320 to the 1985 300SD:

2008
EPA Est. MPG 23/32
Tons CO2/yr 8.1

1985
EPA Est. MPG 19/23
Tons CO2/yr 10.1

(EPA numbers only go back to 1985.)

So the 2008 gets BETTER mileage and pollutes less. I bet it also runs rings around it in any measurement you'd care to test. Yes, 60 large is a lot, but these folks could care less about a 25 year old car. I'm sure the '83 was plenty pricey when new, and the same type of buyers back then are the ones looking at the new one.

It's time to move on here.

2009 E320
City: 23
Highway: 32
Crub weight: 3860
Engine: 6 cyl 3.0
Power: 210 hp

1985 300SD
City: 19
Highway: 23
Crub weight: 3625
Engine: 5 cyl 3.0
Power: 120 hp

Yup, Tier II really ruinned everything.

I was hoping to see that engine again. I noticed right away (a year ago?) in photos that the internals are bigger by millimeters. Good candidate to convert to gas and not tell anybody. :)

After the 3 main clunky breaks all world records and curses in the name of god, unlike the lovable flower covered beetle, it would be time to make sense of it all mr fuji heavy bull crapper..called "subaru"

The ej engine is a tragedy, and they get more than ever for it. Absolutely as backwards as a honda in an ice storm.
I hope the diesel comes here. the front of the engine has dangling things not thinking of the north apparently, but it is a good try, and of course they will steal boxer integrity like 5 mains in the first place, and call it the worlds first diesel boxer.. Thiefs keep on thieving. its a disease.:rolleyes:

The subaru diesel is a crap engine, even by diesel standards.

...and this is where you would say why :confused:

RH77

I'm just telling it how it is.

Jeremy Clarkson Subaru Legacy Outback TD RE review | Driving - Times Online

You're just telling how one guy feels about it. Moreover, Mr. Clarkson isn't a reference in our spectrum of automotive performance, he couldn't care less about fuel economy.

How bout we look at the numbers.

148 hp and 258 pound-feet of torque, more than the new (to us) 2.0 VW CR TDI.
Peak torque at 1800 rpm and peak power at 3600 rpm, pretty much like any small diesel.
50 mpg on the highway, sounds good to me.

Yeah and it would have most likely been a POS like the 6.0L and the new 6.4L Ford/Navistar has there head up there ass with diesel engines. They have a long ways to go to catch GM and Cummins. Too bad the new 6.7L Cummins is a fuel hog unlike the 5.9L.

If you don't like the message, shoot the messenger. Jeremy Clarkson has done more to promote efficient diesel fueled cars than you could ever dream of. You're just afraid to admit it because it doesn't fit in with your world view.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOFbsaNeZps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKa90jSvkPs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Fg1EhBB1PQ

If you think an AWD diesel Subaru Outback can get 50 US mpg on the highway, I can cut you a killer deal on a bridge in Brooklyn. Pretty much any small diesel will have peak power at 4000 rpm and most modern diesels will rev out all the way to 5000rpm after that. Peak torque at 1800rpm and peak power at 3600rpm is pathetic and useless in a car engine. :thumbup:

Some diesel engines are just plain crap. This Subaru diesel is one of them. Its their first effort. They've never build a diesel engine before. I would wait until the second or third generation.

The legacy sedan does in fact return over 50 mpg in the euro combined cycle.

I guess 1997-2003 TDIs, which have peak power at 3300 rpm are pretty pathetic and useless.

Concerning my comment on Mr. Clarkson I should have specified that he burnt more fuel in cars than most of us will ever burn. Not too surprising for a man who said: "I do have a disregard for the environment. I think the world can look after itself and we should enjoy it as best as we can".

Yeah, I'm seeing that. That little bailout that just occurred put a nice piece of of the american taxpayer's money in their pockets too. I didn't realize that while getting stabbed in the back the purchase of the dagger was required.

Bull ****
VCAcarfueldata.org.uk - Search Results - Further Information

Urban 33.6mpg US
Extra Urban 49mpg US
Combined 41mpg US

There is no diesel Subaru that can return 50mpg US on the euro combined cycle. Not by a long shot. If you want to 'clarify' your statement about using Imperial MPG to inflate the numbers, this would be the time.

Again, you're not responding to the issue presented: you have one singular source (Top Gear) with a few clips. Clarkson has promoted Diesel efficiency, but it seems like it wasn't until the BMW 330d did he finally come around. The question is "why is the Subaru Boxer Diesel a POS"???

I watch Top Gear on a regular basis, but I don't base a singular source such as this program on a determination. My "Worldview" comprises of at least 3 different sources (preferably independent and International) to even form a foundation for a loose opinion. Clarkson is a paid celebrity on a TV show -- hardly a solid source IMO. Merely entertainment.

RH77

He complained about the fact that it only comes w/ a manual trans! I've lost all respect for him I've gained when he trundled around the BBC studios in the smallest production car ever. :D

You're right, I assumed those were usmpg figures, thanks for pointing it out. I don't fear to admit it when I'm wrong.

Usable power at RPMs that normal people drive at (as opposed to on a track)? Sign me up!

FWIW, at least Subaru has forced induction down pretty good.

I am at least as much of a fan of Top Gear as anyone else, but his reviews are generally pretty useless. His disdain of any vehicle that isn't a Jag E-type pretty much makes him a much better TV host than journalist.

I, for one, would really like to see a diesel Subaru. The mediocre fuel economy is just one of the reasons I ditched a non-turbo Impreza for the xB. Interestingly, though, it's right in line with other comparable cars, like the Jetta, Mazda3, Scion tC, etc. If Subaru doesn't screw up the diesel (my money says they don't), I could definitely consider one as a future car.

Oh for sure. 1800 rpm power band (1800-3600rpm) sounds totally awesome!

Have you driven a Diesel (anything) before?

By the way, what do you drive?

Your Vehicle Log is curiously absent :confused:

RH77

I drive a diesel everyday and everything I need is in the 1000-2000 rpm range. The only time my engines sees over 2000 rpm is when I run out of gears.

I see as many reasons someone would rev this subaru diesel at 3600 rpm than a gasser at 7000 rpm.

Depending on the BSFC mapping, would you see the Subaru design as inferior? As I understand it, torque is the key component for daily driving, so you would hit that in your range of acceleration.

RH77

I can't comment on the design of an engine, I don't know enough. But just looking at the numbers you can definately say the subaru engine is inferior, if you're Jeremy Clarkson and you're compairing it to the BMW diesel in the 535d with peak torque at 2000 rpm and peak power at 4400 rpm.

But, IMHO torque at low rpm is really what you want if you're on ecomodder.

Not so long ago a new jetta TDI was driven across all 48 states, they averaged 58 mpg, hitting 60 mpg on some tanks. Both the new Jetta TDI and the Subaru Legacy sedan get similar fuel economy on the Euro cycle.

33.6/49 USMPG for the Legacy
33.1/52 USMPG for the Jetta

It should be noted that the Subaru have 5 speeds and is awd, whereas the TDI have 6 and is front wheel drive.

So I would really not be surprised to see ecomodders pulling over 50 mpg on the highway with that car.