Subaru's Diesel Running Hot
The Age
Wednesday February 13, 2008
JAPANESE car maker Subaru may introduce a diesel-powered version of its WRX hot hatch.
Subaru's first diesel engine, a boxer, has just gone on sale in its Liberty medium car in Europe and has won rave reviews. Britain's respected motoring weekly Autocar went so far as to say it may be the best diesel it has ever driven.At last week's Australian launch of the high-performance version of the WRX, the Subaru STI, Subaru's executives said they, too, were considering a diesel version of the Liberty and that the engine could appear in a performance model similar to the WRX."We are very keen to evaluate diesel-powered models locally, although there is no clear time line as to when they may reach our shores for sale," Subaru Australia spokesman David Rowley said. "But we are certainly very interested in getting (the Liberty diesel) here, especially considering the early reception it has received overseas."The performance of the 2.0-litre Subaru turbo-diesel in the Liberty prompted the British motoring press to speculate whether Subaru would use the engine in a diesel version of its famous hot hatch. Volkswagen already has a high-performance diesel hatch to sell alongside its popular GTI.When Drive asked about a diesel WRX, Mr Rowley said: "The engine could have applications in a number of models in the range and we'd never say never to considering any of them. First, we need to do our homework and determine the level of customer interest."Subaru's Australian managing director Nick Senior has said the most obvious choice for the diesel in Australia is the Outback wagon (pictured). -- JOSHUA DOWLING
© 2008 The Age
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