Autoblog

click above for high-res gallery of the Subaru Legacy Diesels

Next month in Geneva, Subaru will officially pull the wraps off the Legacy 2.0D and Outback 2.0D, which, of course, are the first vehicles to be powered by Subaru's new 2.0L Boxer Diesel. Visually, the cars look just like their gasoline-engined counterparts, with the only giveaway being the D-shaped "Boxer Diesel" badge affixed to their rear ends.

As for the new 2.0 CRD boxer, it's just as wide as a 2.0L gasoline version, but is shorter overall, making for a neat, compact package that produces 147 horsepower (110 kw, 150 PS) at 3,600 rpm and 258 lb-ft (350 Nm) at 1,800 rpm. It's also Euro 4 compliant, emitting 148 g/km of CO² in the Legacy sedan. That's great and all, but we're most curious to hear what the oil-burning boxer sounds like. We'll have plenty more next month when we see the cars in person.

[Source: Subaru]

The folks over at the North American Subaru Impreza Owner's Club (NASIOC) were kind enough to post a translated article from Yahoo! News that outlines the future use of CVTs by Subaru.

According to the article, Subaru is currently developing a CVT to be used in conjunction with their new boxer diesel on models sporting two-liter engines, including the upcoming Forester and Legacy models. Both models are expected to bow sometime in 2008, at which point other CVT-equipped vehicles will follow.

Since CVTs are said to offer a 10-percent boost in fuel economy, it's probably a smart move to equip Subaru's upcoming diesels with the gear-less tranny. As for the rest of the Subaru lineup, we're not entirely convinced.

[Source: NASIOC via Straightline]