How long, O Lord, how long?
Usually you’ll find me pining away for things that only Europeans get of the Ferrari/race-car/WRC-car vein, but in this case, my pining turns towards the more practical.
This case, happens to to be Subaru’s UK versions of the Impreza and Forester that feature diesel engines. Originally, Subaru’s 2.0L oil burner was seen in European Legacys and Outbacks, with the now standard everywhere 5 speed gearbox (BTW, did you know that in Europe, only 5% of the cars have automatics and 95% have manuals, the exact reverse of transmission demographics in America?), but the new Impreza and Forester get an an all new 6-speed manual gearbox.
Supposedly, Sube will bring their diesel line to the states, they’ve been promising it, and rumors have been flying around the world wide car web for months, and also supposedly, they will bring in the 6-speed tranny AND a CVT option.
Other rumors include Subaru considering a Prodrive version of the diesel Impreza, a company spokesman saying, “It is fairly obvious that it’s something worth looking at.” No definite plans yet, dammit.
The potential downside is if the costs of the UK Impreza are translated over to our side of the pond. In the UK, the diesel Impreza will cost £22,495, which translates into round about 40 thousand dollars … I know, cars, and especially non-Euro cars, are heavily taxed, so the diesel variant should cost considerably less in the US.
Source: Edmunds
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