Last week, we reported on rumors regarding the Subaru WRX getting a diesel engine option, and now it sounds like senior executives at the company are fanning the flames again. According to Autocar, a high performance version of Subaru's existing 2.0 liter diesel engine is being considered for the WRX, while the standard Impreza will get the normal version.

Currently, only the larger Legacy is equipped with the diesel engine and that's only in Europe. We've been expecting the diesel to come here to the U.S. in the Legacy, Impreza and Forrester models. We'd love to add the WRX to that list, and the higher performing diesel engine in that application would be very exciting indeed.

[Source: Autocar]

I recently had the opportunity to spend some time with a 2008 Subaru Impreza STi. As a sporting rally-bred machine, the STi has some serious performance credentials. When you really crack the whip, the STi will get to 60mph in about 4.9 seconds. The problem is, for a relatively small car, it consumes quite a bit of gasoline in the process. During the time I drove it, it only averaged about 18mpg. It also takes a lot of revs to get it to really go. Below about 4,000rpm, the STi engine feels pretty gutless which means it's not all that much fun to drive around town. Now that Subaru has a diesel engine available in Europe and coming to the U.S. in 2010, the speculation is starting about a diesel-powered STi. The current diesel has 148hp but a tuned version could easily put out 180-200hp. More importantly, with a potential 300lb-ft of torque that would surely be available below 2,000rpm this could make a seriously fun car with 30+mpg. Bring it on!

[Source: AutoExpress]

What Car? has a first driving impression of Subaru's new diesel-powered Legacy. It's the first compression ignition engine from the quirky Japanese brand. It's not a particularly detailed review and doesn't provide much hard data. However, according to the magazine the new engine which is available in the Legacy wagon and Outback is a gem. They like the smooth running boxer which provides respectable performance to go with it's 41mpg (U.S.) combined EU rating. It looks like this will definitely be an engine worth waiting for when it arrives on U.S. shores in 2010.

[Source: What Car?]

Almost a year after announcing their new diesel boxer engine at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show, Subaru has finally put it on sale in the UK. The Outback and the Legacy Sports Tourer (aka station wagons) go on sale in February in the the UK with a 2.0L horizontally-opposed four-cylinder diesel engine. This apparently is the first diesel engine of this configuration ever installed in a production passenger car. The new plant is rated at 150hp and 258 lb-ft of torque with an impressive 41.3 mpg (U.S.). That's better than either the Mondeo or Passat diesel wagons and the Subaru has all wheel drive. The Legacy wagon gets from 0-60mph in a respectable 8.5 seconds, even with this impressive mileage. The diesel engine is also 2.4 inches shorter than Subaru's 2.0L gas engine thanks to smaller cylinder bore spacing. We can expect to see this engine appear in the U.S. market under the hood of the Forester and Imprezza in mid-2010.

[Source: NewsPress.co.uk]

When Subaru announced their new diesel boxer four-cylinder engine, American Subie fans were disappointed to learn that the company wasn't planning to offer the engine here. Fortunately it looks like rising fuel prices and increasing fuel economy standards are causing Subaru management to have a change of heart. Just as General Motors is now looking at bringing their new 2.9L diesel V-6 stateside, Subaru is now looking to add the diesel to just-released second-gen Forester and Impreza models. At the Detroit Auto Show, Fuji Heavy Industries (Subaru's parent company) president Ikuo Mori said the diesels should arrive here by mid-2010.

[Source: DieselForecast]

Not long after Toyota took up the stake in Subaru that was formerly owned by General Motors, the two companies agreed to work together to add hybrid power-trains to the all-wheel-drive specialist's lineup. The problem is that the unique layout of the Subarus precludes just dropping in the hybrid synergy drive. That means that while Toyota's technology can be used it has to be repackaged. In the meantime Subaru was already working on a new flat four-cylinder diesel engine which was unveiled at last spring's Geneva Motor Show. That diesel will begin appearing in Subarus in the European market after the 2008 Geneva show.

Work continues on the hybrids although Subaru won't say what the timeline is. Fuji Heavy Industries (Subaru's parent company) has said that they won't build hybrids until lithium ion batteries are available. Given Subaru's association with Toyota and their battery problems, it may be a while before we get any Subaru hybrids.

[Source: Left Lane News]