A Subaru Outback that gets 40.6mpg? Welcome to diesel Subies!
Fans of Subarus tend to really love them. Their styling has more often than not been charitably described as quirky. But it's what's under the skin of a Subaru that makes it special. For decades, Subaru has touted the all-weather capability of their full-time all-wheel-drive system. In the past decade, Subaru has also earned something of a performance reputation with their turbocharged boxer engines that have been developed while competing in the World Rally Championship. The one thing these turbocharged traction machines haven't been able to brag about is their fuel efficiency.
No longer is that true. At the 2007 Geneva Motor Show, Subaru unveiled the first diesel-fueled boxer engine for cars. Earlier this year, diesel-powered Subies started to appear in Europe and SmartPlanet has one of the first reviews of the new diesel powered Outback wagon. In their testing, the site recorded 40.6mpg (U.S.) in all around driving for the 4x4 Outback, a pretty impressive performance. They found the engine to be smooth running quiet, and refined. In fact, their only quibble was the car itself which is nearing the end of its lifecycle and is due for replacement in the next couple of years. We'll be getting the Subaru diesel in the U.S. market in 2010, perhaps just in time for a new Legacy/Outback.
[Source: SmartPlanet, thanks to Adam for the tip!]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Snowdog 10:05AM (5/31/2008)
I would buy that in a heartbeat. As far as this being an older platform... Good! This is the only Subie that hasn't been hit by the latest fugly stick. I have seen a number of the Legacy-Outback wagons on the road and they look sharp IMO. The new Imprezas that I have seen look like some kind of Hyundai/Daewoo abortion.
I am looking for a smaller car next, but if I can get 40mpg in a Outback wagon, bring it on.
Reply
Tim 10:16AM (5/31/2008)
By 2010 diesel will be $8.00/gal. in the USA.
Reply
Snowman 10:16PM (11/09/2008)
$8.00 a gallon for diesel in 2010? Bull! Even if it is (which it won't), a diesel Subie will make even more sense.
James 4:18PM (6/29/2009)
As of June 2009, diesel is seeling for about the same price as regular unleaded $2.75/gal.
Tim 4:34PM (6/29/2009)
Why $8.00/gal. by the end of 2010?
The Cap & Trade scam + Hyperinflation when those Trillions of fiat US $Dollars Congress is borrowing from the Fed come home to roost will make everything MUCH more expensive.
YES, the diesel "Subie" should still make sense IF you could afford to import one.
Snowdog 10:31AM (5/31/2008)
It is hard to predict future pricing, but I suspect the price of gas and diesel will stay within 20% of each other.
Is there a decent AWD wagon that gets within 20% of the real world mileage of this?
Reply
stockdad 10:58PM (5/31/2008)
Oil should be $65 a barrel right now. Speculators have driven it up using 16 to 1 margin. Much like the great crash of '29, the price of oil will dump at an epic pace...soon...
Reply
Bill 12:59PM (6/01/2008)
Since diesel has more energy per gallon than petrol, and now requires extensive post-processing to remove almost all the sulfur, I'm not surprised it costs around 20% more.
The increase in miles per gallon still more than makes up for that difference (diesel cycle is more efficient than Otto cycle)
Too bad we have to wait 2 more years for this.
Reply
Richard Shores 5:11PM (6/01/2008)
I agree with Bill. it is a shame we can't get diesels here in the US in a timely manner - compared to the rest of the world.
Reply
Chris 6:14AM (6/02/2008)
While this looks nice and I live their baby pickup like car I would prefer a CR-V with a diesel to a Subaru.
Whats reliability like with Subaru? I don't see many old ones around unlike other brands.
Reply
psarhjinian 10:15AM (6/02/2008)
Remember the diesel Jetta wagon? Less power, less weight, lower fuel economy than this when was rated by the EPA.
Now, VW has been doing diesel for much longer than Subaru. That 40.6 (manufacturer-derived figure doesn't tell much, such as:
* Performance (is it fair comparison against competitors, or is a low-output engine)
* Nature of the test (how much city versus highway, what kind of acceleration and shifting was done)
* Is this a US spec car? Can it meet CARB emissions?
I want to like this car, but this really comes across as a press release. As with the diesel Accord, let's wait until it actually hits our shores and sees real testing.
*
Reply
Eideard 2:03PM (11/11/2009)
Get off your rusty dusty and Google around Europe for road tests. They've been on the road over there for a year.
Karkus 10:30AM (6/02/2008)
Subaru wagons are VERY popular around Boulder with the outdoorsy crowd. I always thought I would get a Subaru wagon as my next car, but with fuel economy in the mid 20s (even for the small Impreza), I just couldn't do it.
The Outback diesel does indeed get 40 mpg (US) on the European test cycle, so in the US EPA test it would probably be in the mid 30s. If this AWD wagon had been available, it would have made it a tough choice for me vs. the Prius.
A Subaru wagon with diesel or/and hybrid would be very popular here. There have been rumors of a hybrid, but haven't heard much about it recently.
Reply
Big Jim Slade 10:53AM (6/02/2008)
"Whats reliability like with Subaru? I don't see many old ones around unlike other brands."
Posted at 6:14AM on Jun 2nd 2008 by Chris
I guess you don't live in the mountains.
I'm pretty sure if you removed all the old Subarus from the Sierras, the mountain would raise in elevation from the massive weight loss. Reliability with Subaru is simply the best.
As Jeremy Clarkson so eloquently put it: "Subarus are probably the most reliable cars made – they make Hondas look like South American dictatorships"
I'd rather take public transportation than drive an appliance like the C-RV. Drive one back to back with a Forester XT and you'll see why Subarus are considered some of the best handling cars on the road. AWD vs FWD + torque vs no-torque = no brainer!
Great award winning boxer engines too!
I'd be more worried about an old Honda.
Reply
Karkus 5:05PM (6/02/2008)
According to the Consumer Reports surveys, Subaru reliability is above average overall (most models/years are above avg, with only a few averge ratings), but not as good as Honda/Toyota.
Reply
montoym 7:49PM (6/02/2008)
I see this car having the same fate as the new TDI Jetta. Real-World tests will prove that it can attain 40+MPG in a combination of city and highway driving, yet the EPA will slap a fuel economy sticker on it that dramatically decreases the figures.
Mark my words, that 40.6mpg combined claim will turn into 30/40/33 by the EPA much the same as the new TDI Jetta.
The EPA has even admitted that their figures for diesel vehicles may be up to 18% off, yet they won't offer any sort of correction.
Look at this comparison test done by Edmunds and take note of the tested economy of the Jetta over the 676 miles that made up the test and compare it to the EPA figures.
2005 VW Jetta TDI 5spd manual: 31/39/34 updated EPA figures
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/fueleconomy/articles/126370/article.html
That test was done with the older 100hp, less efficient TDI, not the newest 50 state-legal 140hp version.
For those too lazy to read the link, the Jetta posted city mileage of 32.6mpg compared to the 31mpg EPA figures. It then went on to post 48.9mpg on the highway compared to 39mpg from the EPA and over the 676miles, it averaged 43.81mpg compared to an EPA combined figure of 34mpg. Incredibly inaccurate figures considering how much longer the EPA has been testing diesels compared to hybrids(which is partly what caused the change in EPA testing in the first place).
Reply
macmanic 9:48AM (6/03/2008)
Subaru makes a good vehicle - I've had 2 Outbacks and loved them. However, I am greatly concerned about the price of diesel fuel as well as the extra premium cost added to the purchase price that any diesel engine vehicle will command. At this point the US public has a major hunger for higher gas mileage vehicles ensuring that, at least for the next couple of years, the more efficient vehicles will be expensive and mean a wait in line to get.
More troublesome yet is that if the price of oil continues to escalate at it's current pace, in 2 years we could very well be looking at $8/gal gas in the US which would make even 40mpg vehicles look as bad as SUVs do today... While I think diesels are great - I'm through buying any vehicle that depends entirely upon oil as a fuel... come on mass transit, super efficient hybrids and electrics!
Reply
BeanTown 1:06PM (10/31/2008)
what's the deal with Subaru coming out with the exact same model each year? I am a fan of their cars, but feel like they are just lagging behind. Plenty of automakers came out with all-wheel-drive the past couple of years, and reinvented their designs. As for horse power and handling, any Lexus, Acura or Infinity will match and overcome the Impreza and Outback. Considering the prices - if you really want a good car (by American standards), you get an Outback XT or the 3.0R with 245hp...and you're in for about 35grand. Diesel by 2010... I think they will have to do better than that to compete in the future market. I'm from New England and Subies are a huge deal around here, it would be nice to see the cars get redesigned and see a truly new product. Otherwise, I'll go get a ford or something with 10 thousand extra features.
Reply
fendertweed 10:00PM (11/11/2008)
why would one assume that a "really [...]good car (by American standards)" must have/is not possible without the hp of the XT or the 3.0R. I reject that completely.
If all you want are the doo-dads & gee-gaws and gobs of HP than I would agree, you're probably better off with a Ford or Chrysler or something else, not a Subaru (or Audi, or any number of other cars not hung up on hp as a measure of "good").
steve 6:12PM (2/23/2009)
anybody have any new info on the 2010 outbacks???
Reply