| Boxer engine punches above its weight |
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| Wednesday, 24 September 2008 | |
 Much is being made of Subaru's diesel engine and rightly so as this is the first-ever one to be fitted in a passenger car.I don't normally get into much technical detail about what's under the bonnet, because I'm not really an expert in that department. But this time I had to have a look at this famous two litre Boxer engine. An obliging car salesman pointed out the difference between the standard 'V shaped' format and the flat Boxer. To put it simply, instead of the pistons in the engine going up and down they move from side to side in the Boxer engine and they are located low down in the engine which provides a low centre of gravity. Subaru has chosen Legacy for the first Boxer and they also plan to put diesel engines in the next versions of their Forester and Impreza. Black never goes out of fashion and I think it can add 10 per cent looks wise to a new motor. So it was fitting that the test Legacy was a black model. Externally it looked very well and parked alongside the neighbours' Mercedes it didn't look out of place. It's very quiet when you switch on, but by the time you reach third gear there is no doubt that you are in a diesel. Still you wouldn't call it noisy. It was black externally and unfortunately black was also the dominant colour internally apart from the odd touch of silver on the dials etc. Many new cars nowadays are predominantly black inside, but that's not to say that it's the right colour. Interestingly the brochure for the Legacy featured a car with cream seats which gave the interior a much needed lift. But of course cream would be difficult to keep clean. There is ample room for five adults and the controls were simple enough and easy to use, with slave controls for everything including cruise control on the steering wheel. I would have preferred a decent sized knob to select the radio stations, but then I have a thing about the radio controls in cars. Looking at the pedals they seemed far enough apart, yet I found myself kicking myself if I had to hit the clutch and brake together. They definitely are a bit tight. It was a really comfortable drive and I can see the car being popular with taxi drivers around the country. My last Subaru, the massive petrol Tribeca, was very thirsty. This time the fuel gauge was one of the slowest moving items in the car. In the saloon model you get 17 inch alloys, six disc CD player, MP3 player all-wheel drive, heated and electric power seats, front fog lamps and lots more as standard. Also when the doors are open the pillar-free windows give the car a sporty look to it. All those extras and the car still costs only e29,995. Even better news is that this diesel is rated as Band C for road tax, which is only e290. You also get a three-year or 160,00 kilometres warranty. With nearly nine months of the year gone most of the motoring journalists will by now have tested all the new models available. Among the late comers for 2008 are Opel's Insignia and the Ford Fiesta. I will be surprised if the Legacy doesn't make it on to the short list for the Semperit Irish Car of the Year in November. It really is that good. |
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Developed by Kevin Flynn