Fit for turbo diesel

By Ewan Kennedy
SUBARU Australia has finally been able to lay its hands on the turbo-diesel engine it has been hankering after for some time.
Until now the European market, for which the engine was specifically developed, has demanded all the engines for itself.
This diesel powerplant is now offered as a $2500 option in the new Subaru Outback 2.0D.
The engine is fascinating in that it sticks to Subaru’s flat boxer design and is said to be the first diesel engine of this type ever fitted into a passenger car.
Torque has long been a strong feature of all Subaru engines and, of course, one of the big advantages of any turbocharged engine is high levels of torque spread over a good part of its rev range, hence we have been eagerly awaiting the launch of this engine in Australia.
The new engine’s capacity of 2.0 litres is typical of the midrange Euro engines offered by most marques in that area.
It has two camshafts over each cylinder bank. Peak power is a useful 110 kW, but it’s the torque that counts.
In the Subaru engine 300 Newton metres of torque is there when the engine reaches just 1600 rpm.
It rises to a maximum of 350 Nm when it gets to 1800 revs and remains at that peak until 2400.
After that it tapers off more than we would have anticipated but, it has to be said, few drivers will ever use more than about 2400 in real driving conditions.
The official fuel consumption as measured to Australian regulations is just 6.4 litres per 100 kilometres. The turbo-diesel emits 168 grams of carbon dioxide (C02) per kilometre.
Subaru again follows the European way in only specifying the new diesel engine with a manual gearbox (with six forward ratios).
The lack of an automatic option is likely to hinder sales in Australia but at this stage there are no plans in Japan for a self-shifting transmission.
Note that the Europeans like manuals as they see them as a further way of reducing fuel consumption. However, the best of the modern automatic transmissions are almost as good as manuals in this respect.
Though the management of Subaru Australia was reluctant to say so, they are obviously disappointed in not being able to offer the auto option.
On the road we found the new Subaru Outback 2.0D to feel much the same as the conventional diesels built by the best of the European manufactures.
There’s the seemingly inevitable diesel-engine ‘clatter’ at idle, particularly when the engine is cold.
This is really only noticeable from outside the car but once on the move the engine is virtually indistinguishable aurally from a petrol engine.
There’s some turbo lag but clever design has reduced this to a minimum.
An advantage of having a manual gearbox is that the driver can anticipate the need for extra performance and change down a gear to get around potential lag problems.
The new diesel engine weighs 78 kg more than the petrol unit. This does give the Outback 2.0D a little more understeer in corners but this is only going to occur when you are going relatively hard.
Subaru diesels come in three models. The $40,490 Subaru Outback 2.0D has dual-zone air conditioning, an audio system with MP3 and WMA capability, a leather bound steering wheel with inbuilt audio controls.
Then there’s the safety of all-wheel drive, ESP (Electronic Stability Program), ABS brakes, and seven airbags including one for the driver’s knees.
To this the Subaru Outback 2.0D Premium model adds an electric sunroof, leather trim and rear seat air vents as part of the air conditioning. Its recommended retail price is $43,990.
Finally, the Subaru Outback 2.0D Premium With Sat Nav also has a DVD player and Bluetooth, it comes with a tag of $46,490.
On-road costs by dealers and governments have to be added to the above recommended prices.
Inquire at Subaru Fountain Gate, 1 Prestige Place, Narre Warren. Phone 9771 4500.