Archive for Subaru

Subaru’s UK distributor IM Group is expecting the availability of Subaru’s new boxer turbodiesel engine to double UK Subaru sales from 7,000 units in 2007 to about 15,000 cars annually by 2010. It’s target for 2008 is 8,500 units.

The first oil burning Subarus to arrive on UK shores is the Legacy and the Outback, and this will be followed by diesel version of the Subaru Forester in September 2008, and the Subaru Impreza before the year ends.

While doubling sales by 2010 sounds impressive, IM Group says this is about as far as Subaru can go in the UK with its current model line-up, with no higher sales expected unless Subaru expands its model line-up into other segments.

Related Posts:
Subaru turbodiesel boxer to make debut at Geneva 2008
Subaru turbodiesel to debut in Legacy and Outback
Subaru turbodiesel boxer produces 110kW (147 horsepower)

Oil burner versions of the Subaru Legacy and the Subaru Outback will be unveiled at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, and it will feature Subaru’s new turbodiesel boxer, which has so far been displayed as an engine with specifications released.

The aluminium alloy inline-4 boxer common rail turbodiesel puts out 150 PS at 3,600rpm and 350Nm of torque at 1,800rpm, with relatively lag-free operation thanks to a Variable nozzle turbocharger (what other manufacturers call VGT or VTG). Installed in the Subaru Legacy, it produces 148 g/km of CO2 emissions.

The new turbodiesel boxer is one of the smoothest diesels around thanks to the horizontally opposed design, as the right and left pistons negate each other’s inertia. In the Legacy and the Outback, it is matched with a new electric power steering system and a symmetrical all-wheel drive system.

The all new Subaru Forester was launched recently in Japan, in its third generation since it was first launched in 1997. There are three variants offered in Japan, the 2.0X, the 2.0XS and the 2.0XT, ranging from basic, midrange to premium. The 2.0XT model also has better off-road capability, with a 225mm ground clearance compared to the 2.0X and the 2.0XS’s 215mm clearance.

The Subaru Forester uses a double-wishbone rear suspension and the usually strut-tyep front suspension. The new Forester uses an advanced form of Subarus proprietary Ring-Shaped Reinforcement Frame Body Structure. Through streamlined body construction and the extensive use of high-tensile steel, including 590 MPa–level steel for key structural body frames, the new model achieves higher body rigidity, improved straight-line driving stability, and riding comfort. Despite its larger body and platform, compared to the predecessor, the vehicle weight increases only minimally.

The 2.0X and 2.0XS uses a 2.0 liter normally aspirated DOHC boxer engine putting out 148 PS and 191Nm. The engine also has AVCS, or active valve control system, essentially a continuously variable valve timing system. This improves low to mid-range torque. The 2.0XT uses a 2.0 liter turbocharged boxer engine, putting out 230 PS and 319Nm. It uses a resin-based intake manifold which ha smooth inner walls which are less resistant to the intake flow. The weight is also reduced by 30% compared to the earlier manifold.

The manual and auto transmissions use different AWD systems. The automatic models get an Active Torque Split AWD, while the manual models use a centre differential AWD system with viscous LSD (limited slip differential). All models come standard with Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC), a form of stability control.

More photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of New 2009 Subaru Forester 2.0X, 2.0XS and 2.0XT

7Tune has got a hold of the latest Best Car magazine and the Japanese magazine has some juicy details on the upcoming spiritual successor to the iconic Toyota AE86, set to be positioned as a very fun car on a budget and one of the few new “soulful” cars that come from the Japanese marque.

Best Car reports that test mules have been spotted being tested and sources have informed that these mules are built on a shortened Subaru Legacy chassis. This is only temporary apparently – subsequent test mules and the final product will use a shortened version of the latest Subaru Impreza chassis. This chassis is built for all-wheel drive so it should be easily adapted to rear wheel drive.

The test mule uses the normally aspirated 2.0 liter boxer engine from the Impreza and has had it’s all-wheel drive drivetrain’s front driveshafts removed to convert it to rear wheel drive. The final product is expected to use Subaru’s 1.5 liter boxer engine, a DOHC motor which puts out 110 horsepower at 6,400rpm and 143Nm of torque at 3,200rpm. This is supposed to push along a car that weighs 1,100kg. Won’t exactly be scorching but enough to feel zippy.

Source: 7Tune

Related Posts:
Possible revival of the Toyota AE86 in 2010

Subaru’s new turbodiesel boxer was displayed at the 2007 Frankfurt International Motor Show, so let’s have a look at some specifications. The new engine is the world’s first horizontally-opposed diesel, or boxer engine as it’s more commonly referred to.

We finally have some stats on the engine although it’s still very vague at the moment. The engine is 2.0 liter in size and puts out 147 horsepower – quoted as 110kW, incidentally the same amount as it’s 2.0 liter normally aspirated petrol sibling – and 350Nm of torque. CO2 emissions level is rated at 150g/km.

Subaru’s Executive Vice President Mat Nagato says the new turbodiesel engine will make it’s production car debut in the beginning of 2008. Let’s hope more stats on the engine will be revealed at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. We still don’t have any idea of how the torque curve of the engine looks like.

Watch a video of the new turbodiesel boxer engine after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Subaru’s 2.0L turbodiesel boxer – 110kW/147hp

The Daihatsu Boon, the Toyota Passo and the Perodua Myvi triplets have a new sibling now in the form of the Subaru Justy. This is expected since Toyota has some stakeholding in Subaru now. The new Subaru Justy was unveiled at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show and is positioned as an entry-level model in Subaru’s line-up.

The Subaru Justy is only available with a 3-cylinder 1.0 liter DOHC engine making 68 horsepower at 6,000rpm and 94Nm of torque at 3,600rpm, slightly higher than what we get in the 1 liter version of our Myvi – 57hp at 6,000rpm and 88Nm at 3,600rpm. This is because the Justy uses the 1KR-FE 1.0 liter engine from the Passo, Boon and Aygo instead of our Myvi’s EJ-VE. This engine is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission with no automatic option currently.

Two trim levels are available – the “sporty” 1.0S and the basic 1.0E, which to me actually look very similiar other than the wheels put on the car. The 1.0S gets 14 inch aluminium alloy wheels with 175/65/R14 tyres while the 1.0E gets 13 inch steel wheels with full wheel caps wrapped with 155/80R13 tyres.

On the inside, the 1.0S gets more airbags then the 1.0E – 6 versus 4, with the additional 2 being curtain airbags for the front and rear on both sides. Other 1.0S exclusive options are a chrome accented gear knob and a manual seat lifter for the driver’s seat. Safety features include usual ABS and EBD for both models.

Check out more photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Subaru Justy joins the rebadged Daihatsu Boon clan

A bunch of German engineers take the new Subaru Impreza on a spin around the track and end up wishing they built it. It’s quite funny looking at serious guys in lab coats bobbing their heads to the music. Watch the video after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Subaru Impreza German Engineers Ad

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This concept called the Subaru WRC Concept will be making it’s public debut at the 2007 Frankfurt International Motor Show next month. It gives us a preview of what the Subaru Impreza STi will look like when it is released in 2008.

The Subaru WRC Concept has twin exhaust pipes on the rear – one on each side, however the production version is said to get quad tail pipes, with the twin pipe setup for rally-going versions of the car only. It will have a wider track than the standard Impreza and Impreza S-GT.

One more rear shot after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Subaru WRC Concept previews production STi

Rumours have been rife in the auto industry about the return of one particular car made legendary by a certain Japanese anime series. We’re talking about the Toyota Corolla AE86. In a scoop by Japanese magazine Best Car, they’ve reported that Toyota is indeed working on a spiritual successor to the AE86 – lightweight, great handling, and most importantly rear wheel drive. Toyota’s NZ engine family was cited as as possible powertrain, however as far as I know it is currently a FF powertrain. The FR 3SZ-FE from the Avanza sounds more probable.

A few days ago newspaper Asahi Shimbun further added fuel to the excitement, stating that Toyota and Subaru will be jointly working on this new project and Toyota could source a rear wheel drive boxer engine from Subaru for the car. A target release date is sometime in 2010. Toyota needs a replacement for the Scion tC and the Celica anyway.

Two more scans after the jump.

Source

Click here to read the rest of Possible revival of the Toyota AE86 in 2010

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Subaru has given the Australian market Subaru Impreza WRX a new nose that uses a wire mesh grille instead of the chrome-is thing that’s on the Impreza WRX in other markets including Japan. You can be pretty sure that Impreza owners in other markets will be finding ways to import this new grille so that they can give their own Rexes a more aggressive look.

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