Subaru Legacy that spent 3 months at bottom of Finnish lake starts on first try

Dan Roth — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 09:30:00 EST

"Ja, that ice'll hold ya." Until it didn't, and suddenly a man's 1996 Legacy wagon was at the bottom of a shallow lake in Finland. Three months later, the Subaru wagon was dragged from its freshwater slumber, and while most people would just write the car off or at most turn it into a parts donor, curiosity got the better of the rescue squad.

Would it run? Just how bad was the damage? Before plunging below the surface, the owner did have time to shut the engine down and get his dogs out, so the boxer four didn't aspirate any water and electrons weren't coursing through the various circuits, two details that likely saved a bunch of damage. After removing a live fish from the engine bay, draining a lot of water from the fuel tank and crankcase, and a fresh fill of fluids and spark plugs, lo and behold, the SCUBA-ru chugged to life on the first try.

It's not perfect; until the residual water works its way through the fuel system it's going to feel a little low on power, and oxidation may start to fiercely assert itself. The smell is probably epic, too, but this is one funkbox with a great story.

Subaru Legacy that spent 3 months at bottom of Finnish lake starts on first try originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Jun 2012 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2010 Subaru Legacy Wagon debuts in Britain. No, Yankee, it's not for you.

Jonny Lieberman — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:59:00 EST

Filed under: Wagon, Japan, Subaru, UK, Diesel

2010 Subaru Legacy Tourer 2.0D - click above image for high-res gallery

Led Zeppelin said it best, "The song remains the same." Especially if you're an American fan of good old station wagons. You're looking at the just-released-to-our-shepherd's-pie-eating-brethren 2010 Subaru Legacy Wagon and we (yet again) can't have it. Wah.

Based entirely on the fifth-generation Legacy (built right in Indiana) the Tourer comes standard with a 2.0-liter diesel boxer mill mated to a six-speed manual transmission. That particular car, the Legacy Tourer 2.0D, can hustle itself to 60 mph in 9.5 seconds, go 120 mph and get around 38 mpg. Not bad. You can also go for the Tourer 2.5i which has a 2.5-liter gasoline boxer engine and a new "Lineartronic" CVT, notable because it's longitudinally mounted behind the boxer engine, which sounds highly efficient. The petrol-powered car is about a second slower to 60 mph and surely costs more while getting worse mileage.

We would like to remind Subaru that they are selling us Americans the Outback (which is a jacked up Legacy Wagon with plastic cladding and a name derived from Paul Hogan), the Forester (another high-riding Legacy derivative with a tall roof that looks exactly like a station wagon) and the Tribeca (the less said here, the better). Oh, and the Impreza/WRX also come as five doors. Hey, the STI is wagon-only. In fact, the only car Subaru sells in the U.S. without a rear hatch is... the Legacy. Hey Subie, you know how you made all-wheel drive standard on every car and that helped to differentiate you from the competition? Why not go all wagon, all the time and see how that sets you apart? Just a suggestion. Full press release after the jump.

Gallery: 2010 Subaru Legacy Wagon

[Source: Subaru]

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2010 Subaru Legacy Wagon debuts in Britain. No, Yankee, it's not for you. originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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