Why not invest in a hybrid technology? Maybe it wouldn’t fit due to the drive train. I am glad to see Subaru move in this direction, because the only thing keeping me from considering a Subaru is the lack of decent gas mileage. A clean diesel or FWD drive train would help that out significantly. Also since they have a partnership with GM, they might be able to bring over the hybrid technology as well.

Turbo, AWD, boxer = reasons I bought a Subaru

Would someone please explain to me why boxer engines have any more issues with emissions and fuel economy than any other piston driven internal combustion engine?

I love Subaru, its good that they are offering a 2wd option because not everyone wants full time AWD. But Subaru builds the best and most reliable AWD systems that can handle loads of power and abuse. Any automaker that can build a 4cyl that can do 0-60 4.8 seconds is an automaker that I respect. 0-60 in 4 seconds flat with only $5000 in mods makes me respect it even more.

Get rid of the pig ugly Impreza

Suibaru is on the brink of becoming another manufacturer in the crowd. a Diesel option would be better than losing the AWD. They built their business around AWD. Boxter engine? meh. It’s cool that only Porsche and Subaru use Boxters but the engine won’t keep the emission pirates at bay.

Subaru will soon make non-AWD and non-boxer powered models, and will continue to make their cars so bland/ugly that a redesign is necessitated two years out.

This would hurt Subaru, as other people have said. It really is their “core” technology. People love their AWD Subis.

Yea, Suburu as a niche vehicle is a tough competitor. Suburu as anything else? I don’t see it.

BTW, Hybrid development is expensive, and maybe Suburu is too small to do that on its own? I don’t think size is the issue.

johnnycanuck….it shouldn’t. Not sure where that idea came from, but I agree, it doesn’t make sense. All of our US models are LEV II spec, and most of the naturally aspirated models can be ordered in PZEV spec.

livelyjay….GM sold back their 20% stake in FHI about a year and half ago. Toyota purchased about 9%, FHI retained the rest. I know Subaru is currently working with Toyota on hybrid technology, but it’s an expensive undertaking, and frankly Subaru doesn’t have the resources like GM, Toyota, Ford etc. to really push forward with hybrids right now. Our product people and the staff I know at SOA’s emission lab in Ann Arbor say we’ll see a diesel well before any form of a hybrid in the US.

I agree with those who say this would be a mistake for Subaru. AWD/Boxer Engine IS our core technology, and I don’t see them swaying from that. They’ve built this brand around those two main features, I can’t see them pissing it away. AWD adds weight, cost, and consumes more fuel, but they’re going to have to deal with the issues at hand another way. I don’t see them going the FWD route anytime soon.

I believe that Subaru is mimmicing Toyota….in styling and soon FWD

Well, if they made attractive vehicles and didn’t copy Acura’s pathetic, multi-guillotine grill … they might sell enough ’standard equipment’ models to lower emissions.

A Boxer layout should have no effect on emissions. If anything, it lets you have a lower hoodline which reduces aerodynamic drag. The real problem is the weight, complexity, and frictional loses of AWD. Unless you live in snow country or are pushing +250 HP, there’s no real reason for this technology. A FWD non-turbo boxer would be competitive in more markets. However, this should augment, not replace the traditional Subaru setup

cd5 is an asspacking child molestor.

The boxer powerplant is wonderful from a performance perspective… breathes well, responds well to increases in pressure, and sounds beautiful at full throttle. If subies weren’t so ugly, I’d be driving one.

tino…I agree, it’s pretty sad from our end of things. The new Impreza is bland looking, IMO, but it’s been selling pretty well overall. The WRX lineup however has gone over like a lead balloon. Awful, just awful in our market (SE Michigan).

global… well put and I agree with most of what you said. It’s odd though, Subaru does very well in some markets you’d never think they would. They’re strong in some of the SunBelt states, where winters are really mild compared to the rest of the country.

I currently own two Subarus (1996 Impreza L and a 2007 Impreza 2.5i) as daily drivers and always respected them for building quite possibly the most reliable and practical vehicles on the road. Not to mention, once you’re interested in performance, they offer great bang for the buck in the form of the WRX, STI, Legacy GT, etc.
I really think a FWD Non-Boxer engine Subaru would simply dissolve into the sea of all the other bland, uninspired small to mid-size imports. I’d hope that it would be released and go basically unnoticed, similar to the FWD variant of the Audi A4. Sure, it exists but an Audi without the Quattro system is nothing special. I foresee something similar happening if Subaru releases a FWD variant of their vehicles.

CONSIDERING not conCidering. You guys have the most spelling errors.

A Subie w/out a boxer and AWD is like PAM Anderson with out her giant fake t**s, pointless.

i have always liked subarus, my parents had a few over the years, but my favorite was the brat, we used to sit in those rear seats and go offroading with my dad, it was just too much fun. so every since i have always had a soft spot for subies.

Apple Cider beats Con Cider any day.

subaru is my fav brand because of their engineering, but I guess it does help them needing a basic car w/o a boxer and awd.

Ricardo, you ****ing inbred American hick, how dare you insult the awesomeness of Con Cider??

DON’T DO IT!

DON’T DO IT!

DON’T DO IT!

If you go that route you’ll never come back!

What the **** is Con Cider?

Getting away from Boxers is fine. There are more workable engine options with “I” and “V” blocks, so a really hot SVX (One of my favorite imports of all time) successor could be possible.

But ditching AWD bites at me deeply. I guess leaning on RWD would be okay, but AWD really IS Subaru’s identity. They can’t or they seriously risk losing their market identity.

Subaru already has fuel efficient FWD cars in Japan but they’re only 800cc. Nice looking car though that they should bring over to go against Smart.

Subaru has a market identity and cult following because of the two components that they want to relegate to the options list. I agree with a lot of you; without these components, Subaru doesn’t really have anything that makes them stand out from the crowd. I agree with Blakkarr about AWD; Subaru has successfully marketed AWD as standard equipment for so long that it really has become an iconic factor for Subaru in the auto market. I really can’t believe they would reverse that strategy now. Without it, the vehicles themselves are really not that extraordinary; the products may be pleasant and reliable (and sometimes exciting: WRX), but not really anything more than that. Subaru will really need to step up the “Wow Factor” in styling or technology to retain the interest of the buying public.

Stupid Toyota! You leave Subie alone! Your design sucks and won’t help Subie, and pushing Hybrid or plain Jane inline-4 won’t help Subie, and you recent track record about quality certainly won’t help. SO leave Subie ALONE! Subaru has a loyal enough customer base and stop raping the poor company already!

Sure in 2007, AWD and Boxer will be an option. In 2010, they will be history, so you are not fooling anyone! Look, even Ford and Pontiac offer AWD now and Porche has Boxer but also a much heftier price tag too. This really is a move to kill brand identity (and NO, that whatever aviation inspired front end of the 06 Tribeca and Impreza don’t count!).

I used to own a Subaru Impreza FWD back in 1993. It was an underpowered pile of junk. It even got stuck in the snow. That doesn’t happen often to FWD cars. It was also a gas pig, getting only about 19 mpg in suburban driving. It only got 25 mpg on teh highway at around 70-75 mph.

That said, I like Subarus current products, but agree that AWD is kind of wasteful.

As a compromise, maybe they should give the owner a choice of switching between FWD, RWD and AWD. I think that could make sense. You could run FWD on the freeway and in urban environments and run RWD when you want to play. If in the snow, you could switch to AWD. I am sure it could be handled with a switch hardwired to the ECU and software controls to switch between the three modes.

It would be great to get a diesel engine option, but I’m afraid by the time we get that, gas will be 8 bucks a gallon. Thats still too long to hold my breath.

itll be a shame if they ruin their super badass AWD image. I do like your idea swamprat, though that they should make an AWD system that you can choose what you want and somehow get better mileage out of it, without making it like the 4WD systems that are simply no good for performance. We have the technology, and a system like that would surely put them miles ahead of the competition and make them the envy of the industry.

It’s what makes a subaru, a subaru.

l-jay: Hybrid would tie in with their ads on the “Green” Indiana plant

future0: I could tell 2 tough-Subaru stories, but I won’t unless asked.

CTS: I, too have a soft spot for Subarus.

i like my 08 legacy, just because it is a subaru awd
if they put awd as an option, the quality would have dropped
i live in toronto, go to weather network and check, i need this technology no doubt for days like this
and, what’s the point of getting a subaru if they put that as option, why wouldn’t it become something like audi’s A4?? no i don’t like them to change, keep it as is, subie, and stop producing ugly car, i get legacy instead of impreza because it is getting too ugly in recent years, damn it, please don’t change it to corolla like subaru, i know you probably mainly likely own by toyota

sry, i didn’t pass my English class

this could turn out better for the company