When another batch of spy photos of the upcoming Subaru Exiga surfaced yesterday, we didn't give it much thought. We pretty much know the styling direction and dimensions of Subaru's new people mover, but one portion of AutoExpress' article caught our attention. In addition to the Exiga joining a new Legacy sedan and Outback wagon in 2009, Subaru's future drivetrain plans include dropping the 3.0-liter boxer and reworking the 2.0- and 2.5-liter engines to increase efficiency and power. The naturally aspirated 2.0-liter will supposedly produce 200 hp, while the current turbocharged 2.5-liter will exceed 300 hp. While neither of which is huge news, AE also mentions that a Legacy STI is on the way with a turbo'd 3.7-liter producing close to 450 hp. Whether or not such a beast will actually come about is open to debate, but when it does, we hope that Subaru has the foresight to make it available in the U.S.
Subaru is taunting us again with yet another limited-edition model that we'll likely never see Stateside. The Legacy STI S402 will be limited to (appropriately) 402 units in both sedan and wagon trim, featuring the STI's turbocharged, 2.5-liter flat-four. Unlike some of the other "special" Subies, the S402 Legacy means business. To begin with, the front fenders have been widened by 20mm, the steering ratio has been reduced to 13:1 and Bilstein shocks are fitted at all four corners, along with 18-inch BBS wheels wrapped in Bridgestone Potenza RE050A rubber. The brakes have been upgraded to units from Brembo, with six-piston calipers up front and two-pot calipers in the rear gripping upgraded rotors. Aside from all the required badging, Subaru has fitted new gauges to the IP, along with a MOMO steering wheel and aluminum shift knob.
Sales begin in Japan on June 27th, with prices starting ¥5,491,500 for the wagon and ¥5,355,000 for the sedan. We'll take one of each, thank you very much.
The Subaru WRX STI has the speed and agility to be a track star, but on dirt, few machines on earth can keep up with the sprightly little screamer. The impressive little Scooby can scoot just like the last-gen model, but now it does it with a refinement the old model lacked. For fans and foes of the AWD pocket rocket, team Subie made a one-minute video tribute to the coolness that is STI. Hit the jump to view some seriously amazing jumps, flips, spin-outs, crashes, and power slides featuring the old car that concludes with the '08 ride tearing up the tarmac. If you don't want to go drive an STI after watching this clip, you may be dead.
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JL sent us over an email from Subaru of America that's instructed dealers to immediate cease sales of all Subaru models equipped with the turbocharged, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. The directive effects some 2008 and 2009 models built in January and February, including the Forester, Legacy 2.5GT, LTD, 2.5GTB and Impreza sedan and wagon.
The issue involves reports of an "engine knocking noise" that's been affecting vehicles outside the U.S. market, and an initial investigation has found that there is some kind of internal wear that may be causing the noise.
Currently, no U.S. vehicles have been affected, and a Subaru spokesperson told us that the stop sale has been issued as a temporary measure to nip it in the proverbial bud and that once the issue is addressed sales will begin again. You can read the full directive and see the exact production dates of the affected models after the jump.
Next month in Geneva, Subaru will officially pull the wraps off the Legacy 2.0D and Outback 2.0D, which, of course, are the first vehicles to be powered by Subaru's new 2.0L Boxer Diesel. Visually, the cars look just like their gasoline-engined counterparts, with the only giveaway being the D-shaped "Boxer Diesel" badge affixed to their rear ends.
As for the new 2.0 CRD boxer, it's just as wide as a 2.0L gasoline version, but is shorter overall, making for a neat, compact package that produces 147 horsepower (110 kw, 150 PS) at 3,600 rpm and 258 lb-ft (350 Nm) at 1,800 rpm. It's also Euro 4 compliant, emitting 148 g/km of CO² in the Legacy sedan. That's great and all, but we're most curious to hear what the oil-burning boxer sounds like. We'll have plenty more next month when we see the cars in person.
