Subaru has been working on a diesel version of their beloved boxer engine, and will be displaying it at the Geneva motor show in two new models.
The Legacy sedan and Outback wagon will be available with the world's first boxer diesel powerplant in Europe, before going on sale in 'other' parts of the world. Subaru says that the engine architecture allows for a lowered centre of gravity and nimble handling that's uncharacteristically agile for a diesel vehicle. Engineers have even gone so far as to mount the turbocharger beneath the block, further lowering the centre of gravity in the name of handling.
The horizontally opposed pistons cancel out each other's vibrations, meaning that the harshness commonly associated with the diesel engine is largely absent.
The diesel engine is promised to set a standard in all-wheel-drive fuel efficiency- enhanced by a power steering pump that is run by electricity as opposed to an engine-driven setup. The diesel boxer engine complies with Euro 4 emissions standards as well.
The two-liter common-rail engine delivers 158 horsepower and 258 lb.-ft of torque. No word on whether or not it will come to Canada just yet.
