2008 Subaru Legacy Sports Tourer and Outback – world’s first Boxer Diesel passenger car

It’s here. The world’s first boxer diesel engined-passenger car has arrived, offering outstanding refinement, throttle response and fuel economy coupled with ultra-low emissions and exceptional handling thanks to the light weight and low centre-of-gravity of its horizontally-opposed powerplant. On sale from February 2008, the Subaru Legacy Sports Tourer and Outback crossover mid-sized estates are priced from just £19,995 on-the-road for the Legacy 2.0TD R model. Saloon versions may follow once supplies become more plentiful.

This is Subaru’s first diesel engine – developed in-house using over 40 years’ expertise in ‘boxer’ engine technology coupled with turbocharging know-how gleaned from the fierce World Rally Championship arena. The Japanese manufacturer’s Boxer Diesel engine will initially only be fitted to European-market cars, with the yet-to-be introduced new Forester receiving the engine in September and new Impreza three months later.

Class-Leading Figures
The 150 PS Boxer Diesel Legacy and Outback not only have the best fuel efficiency in the 4WD passenger car class but beat all main 2.0 litre two-wheel drive rivals including the new Ford Mondeo TD and VW Passat – both in lower-powered 140 PS formats.

The Legacy Sports Tourer 2.0TD R, for example, returns 49.6 mpg on the Combined Cycle with 151 g/km of CO2.

Its 2WD Ford Mondeo estate equivalent returns 47.9 mpg with 156 g/km, while the VW Passat 2.0 TDI estate gives 47.1 mpg and 158 g/km.

Comparing the new Legacy Sports Tourer with the 4WD version of the Passat – called the 2.0 TDI 4Motion – shows the Subaru to be 8.7 mpg better on the Combined Cycle with emissions down by 31 g/km compared to the VW.

Nor are these figures achieved at the expense of performance. The Legacy Sports Tourer has a 126 mph top speed and 0-60 mph time of 8.5 seconds while the Outback is only slightly behind at 124 mph and 8.8 seconds for the 0-60 mph dash.

© Source: automotoportal
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