Subaru Boxer Diesel Is One-of-a-Kind
January 25, 2008
MALAGA, Spain -- Never one to run with the crowd, Subaru has just released the world’s first 2.0-liter Boxer Diesel engine in European versions of the Legacy and Outback.
A Boxer Diesel?
Think of it as a brand-new, clean sheet, four-cylinder horizontally opposed turbodiesel engine, developed completely in-house by Subaru and conceived exclusively for European markets.
That clearly makes it a bit special, and yet you might not unreasonably wonder why Subaru has gone to all the time, trouble and expense of developing this unique piece of technology, which will launch officially at the Geneva Motor Show, then be on sale just after.
Wouldn’t it have been far easier, cheaper and more normal to have bought a diesel engine, maybe from Toyota which holds an 8.7 percent share in Fuji Heavy Industries, Subaru’s parent company?
True, that could have been one route but that’s not the Subaru way, the engineers and management being determined instead to build an engine that fits in with the unique flat-engine/all-wheel-drive DNA and low center of gravity of Subaru’s cars.
Yes, it would be tricky and commercially tenuous (in the short term). But with this fascinating new Boxer Diesel, Subaru is not just thinking about today and tomorrow, but also the day after tomorrow…when it will fit it in the Forester and Impreza, too, and sell the diesel globally starting in the early 2010s.
Meantime, anyone who has been following Subaru of late, especially in Europe, will have known that this very special engine was on its way.
Why? Because Europe is very big on diesel and Subaru doesn’t have one. This means it’s missing out on a whole chunk of the action in markets like France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK where the diesel take is now up to 50 percent of sales and counting.
Europeans love the smooth, high-torque, low cost, durable ways of the swift, refined modern-era diesel, something that Americans know little about, but soon will.
But there’s something else. The buzzword in Europe is also now C02 and Subaru’s been in desperate need of a "clean" new tech engine (preferably a diesel) to meet Europe’s ever more stringent emission regulations.
Put more simply, as the emissions mandates tighten up, Subaru was actually in some real danger of being edged out of Europe altogether.
So in one respect, this Boxer Diesel is its lifesaver and, in action, it is just as impressive (smooth, torquey, quiet and vibration-free) as you’d hope.
Benchmarked against the BMW 320d, one of the best diesels in the world, Subaru’s Boxer Diesel, as a first attempt, is truly some achievement.
What’s more, under the hood, Subaru’s light, compact aluminum 1998 cc Boxer
turbodiesel “beats" the regular Subaru 2.0-liter gasoline flat-4 pretty much all the way down the line.
It’s shorter for a start, and stronger, and while it has the same 150 horsepower output, it’s considerably more torquey, far cleaner and, as you would expect, miles better on fuel.
Put simply, with 258 lb-ft of torque peaking at just 1,800 rpm, it has stronger pulling power on tap even than Subaru’s 3.0-liter flat-6 in the Legacy 3.0R and Outback.
In the Legacy Boxer Diesel sedan, Subaru is quoting 42 miles per gallon (US), versus 25.3 miles per gallon for the thirsty 2.0-liter gas version. C02 emissions are set at 148 grams/kilometer compared to 209 grams/kilometer (and 243 grams/kilometer for the 3.0-liter), and that’s with a five-speed manual transmission.
Subaru has already said it is working on a six-speed manual for its prized new Boxer Diesel, so should improve things even more. The engine, furthermore, has plenty of stretch built in and could yet be enlarged to six cylinders as Subaru continues to develop it.
Not that the 2.0-liter Boxer Diesel will exactly be a giveaway. The hint is that in the standard Legacy it will come for around the same price as a 2.5-liter Outback. So more than the 2.0-liter gas version. But when you look at its performance, economy and emissions, it all starts to add up.
And the icing on the cake, for Subaru, is that there’s nothing else around like it. Rare in this business, the Boxer Diesel really is one of a kind.
Posted by Michelle Krebs at 4:25 AM under Companies , News , Technology | Comments (6) | digg this | Seed Newsvine
Like many, I've had a bit of initial excitement regarding the diesel wave that is coming. Great economy with power - sounds too good to be true. The real-world economics of diesel technology are beginning to trouble me though. First, most manufacturers are charging a stiff premium for the diesel engine ($2K to $7K). The other biggie is diesel fuel is more expensive than regular (here in Washington state regular today is $2.95, diesel $3.45).
Last weekend I was helping my dad pick out his latest and greatest Cummins Dodge. He's owned 7 since they debuted in the early '90s in the Dodge trucks. So, to my amazement - he got the Hemi! He said, getting the diesel would cost him $7K more and he could never make that back in fuel savings. Plus, diesel is .50 cents more per gallon.
When will the economics of diesel pan out in America?
Posted by: Double Wishbone | January 25, 2008 at 7:08 AM
No offense dude, but I think your dad's argument for picking up the Hemi is pretty foolish. Higher purchase price of the Cummins sure, but also higher resale value. Thats something people overlook constantly when looking to buy a new vehicle. How much will it be worth in 2-4 years?
He may have paid $7K extra for the new diesel, but he'd probably get $7K more when he traded it in than the Hemi version. So net loss for purchase price over 2 years is zero.
Bottom line is, as far as trucks go, diesels hold value better. If he's not getting his money back off the Cummins he's getting ripped off.
So no loss on purchase price, but better fuel economy. Thats all gain, man. Money in the pocket.
Posted by: BigMcLargeHuge | February 06, 2008 at 12:35 PM
Another thing to remember when it comes to a diesel is the longevity factor. I have a VW TDI with 191,000 miles still getting 50+ MPG. I also have an 83 Mercedes 300SD that has 440,000 miles (yes almost 1/2 a million miles) and still runs/drives beautifully.
If you do the research, you'll find that just about every diesel engine ever created has an amazing lifespan. This is due to the over-engineering required to allow for the high compression that makes a compression-combustion engine work.
Another thing to consider is the fewer oil changes required on a diesel. Most manufacturers (including US diesel manufacturers) suggest 6,000 - 10,000 oil change intervals. I find this great since it costs me less, and there is less waste for the environment.
As for cost of fuel, yes diesel is more expensive. However, if you take into consideration the better fuel economy that you receive from a diesel motor due to the fact it is a far more efficient engine (i.e. it utilizes more of the potential energy of the fuel due to the higher compression ratio) the excess cost of the motor will be paid for. My example is I owned both a Chevy Silverado 6.0 gasoline and Silverado 6.6 Diesel. Both were 3/4 ton, 4x4 ex cab and short bed. The gasoline model got average combined highway/city 14 mpg. The diesel, on the other hand got 21 average. You do the math on the savings. Even if the math evens out on fuel costs, the resale value (as previously mentioned), fewer oil changes, longer mean-time between failures and lower CO2 emissions equals greater value and savings. I also towed 1 trailer with both pickups. In the case of the gasser, I got 11 mpg empty, and 9 mpg fully-loaded. On the diesel, I got 19 mpg empty, and 17 fully loaded - and I was able to pass people without much worry on the diesel.
The final thing to remember about a diesel is it's ability to run on ONLY on non-petrol fuel stock. The original diesel engine designed and built by Rudolf Diesel was fueled by peanut oil. He actually stated that he invented it to run on a substance that didn't rely on petroleum. Ironically the petro diesel was given his name. Gasoline motors can run on alternative fuels, but E-85 still has 15% gasoline in it. This is because the gasoline engine cannot run reliably in cold weather on pure alcohol. In the case of alternative fuels, the diesel motor is the ONLY choice at present that is practical and cost-effective. I currently run my Powerstroke F250 on pure waste veg oil with no modifications - which I get for free from my local Taco Bell...All I do is filter it and put it in my tank (I live in Arizona...no need for warmers). Now tell me diesel fuel is more expensive...
Posted by: Diesel Freak | February 15, 2008 at 11:36 PM
if only the world would wake up and see how diesels run on NON petroleum based oils could change the world for better.... probably never would happen, just not human nature to do what is actually intelligent and rational.
Posted by: peterdaniel | March 31, 2008 at 10:19 PM
I would like to see facts or links cited with some of the things you people are saying about resale value and other things when comparing diesel with other options. For example, BigMcLargeHuge comments that Double Wishbone's dad is foolish in his choice of a hemi over diesel, the goes onto state opinions as facts, which are not backed up with anything. Who is foolish?
Posted by: jaredsalinger | January 10, 2010 at 6:16 PM
You can't dismiss things without evidence either. That means you're at a minimum, as foolish as I, jared.
I'll be happy to explain further. That was not stating opinion as fact, that was observation and trending based on past performance of real data.
If you want examples, they exist. Not giving them when they weren't asked for doesn't make them untrue.
Next time ask, instead of just being dismissive.
Posted by: bigmclargehuge | April 05, 2010 at 12:02 AM