In a surprise move, Subaru ’s iconic Impreza WRX is pegged to get a diesel engine in UK models in the near future. This would mark a first in the model’s 18-year history, and would also make it the least powerful WRX ever. The UK arm of Subaru seems to be stuck between a rock and a hard place, as a diesel WRX is unheard of, but sales of gas-fueled versions will slow due to the UK’s upcoming carbon-dioxide-based taxation. Current WRX models are at the top of that list, hence Subaru UK is pushing Japan to develop a high-output version of its new turbo diesel engine with around 200 horsepower for its performance flagship.
Subaru ’s first diesel engine, the newly-developed turbocharged boxer, was launched in the UK in the Legacy recently, and makes 148 horsepower at 3,600 rpm along with 258 lb-ft of torque at 1,800 rpm in the larger car. That version of the motor is expected to make it into the country’s Impreza line-up as well as the Forester by the end of 2008, according to the UK’s Autocar magazine. North American Legacys should get the engine sometime this year.
The 2.0 liter diesel is the first horizontally-opposed diesel engine in mass production, developed by Subaru to bolt right up to and work with its signature symmetrical all-wheel drive system.
