At the Frankfurt auto show, we chatted with Subaru about its plans to drastically increase the fuel efficiency of its cars while maintaining their current levels of dynamics. The Japanese company says it wants to improve fuel economy across its lineup by 30 percent by 2015. New engines and revised transmissions will contribute to two-thirds of the increase, while lightweight body and chassis technology will provide the rest.
1.6- and 2.0-Liter Direct-Injected Turbos
Turbocharged, lower-displacement engines are today’s new hotness for achieving improved efficiency—Ford’s EcoBoost technology is the most marketed example—but for most companies, widespread turbocharging is new. Subaru, on the other hand, has extensive forced-induction experience and intends to put that knowledge to work. The new-for-2012 Impreza sedan’s new, naturally aspirated 2.0-liter flat-four is part of a new FB engine family (click here for a dive into the new engine), as is the Forester’s current 2.5-liter flat-four. While the 2.0-liter has boosted the new Impreza’s fuel-economy numbers significantly—the Forester saw only minor gains—Subaru plans to add direct injection (which we’re told nets a two-percent reduction in fuel consumption on its own) and turbocharging to the FB mix in the near future, both to the 2.0-liter and a new 1.6-liter variant.
Turbo BRZ? Maybe, but Not Yet
Ah, you’re thinking, this means a turbo version of Subaru’s sports car, the BRZ! While that hasn’t been explicitly ruled out—and we believe one is in the works—this isn’t a confirmation either. The engine in Subaru’s forthcoming coupe actually is codenamed FA, and exactly how it differs from the FB—likely only in its use of Toyota’s port- and direct-injection heads—isn’t known at this point.
Hybrid Coming in 2013
Furthermore, we learned that the FB will form the basis for a new, Subaru-developed hybrid system that will be introduced in Japan by 2013. It’s unclear if direct-injection, turbocharging, and hybridization will be utilized simultaneously, but for those with a long memory, Subaru’s Hybrid Tourer concept from the 2009 Tokyo auto show featured a 2.0-liter boxer-four with both direct-injection and turbocharging, a front-mounted motor/generator, and a second electric motor on the rear axle. Whatever form its hybrid system takes, Subaru plans on quickly spreading it to the rest of the world.
CVT Proliferation—Yippee
Subaru is extensively revising its Lineartronic continuously variable transmission, too, and will produce different variants tailored to engine torque levels—and that means more CVTs as a general rule. One variant will be bolted to Subaru’s diesel-burning boxer engine, which tells us at least one version will be on high-output duty. Even if the diesel never appears here, this is a strong signal that automatics in torquier mainstream Subies—our recently departed long-term Legacy 3.6R, which had 247 lb-ft of torque, used a five-speed slushbox—are likely to get replaced by CVTs. (The BRZ is one definite exception, as it will offer six-speed manual and traditional automatic gearboxes.) Beyond that, Subaru also is working to reduce friction and operating losses in its CVTs and all-wheel-drive systems to help achieve its efficiency goals.
Diets, High Strength Steel, and Lower Drag
Another critical part of Subaru’s aggressive plan involves lightening bodies and chassis components across the board. Saving weight is critical for Subaru and its AWD-focused lineup (the new BRZ will be rear-drive only), and so a new, lightweight platform that makes liberal use of high-strength and ultra-high-strength steels will be adopted. In addition to shedding weight, Subaru hopes to cut fuel economy’s other mortal enemy: drag. Subaru will be focusing more attention on aerodynamics than ever before.
What about those who cringe at the thought of CVTs? Besides provoking the response “just buy a stick-shift Subaru” from us, models like the WRX, STI, and BRZ still will exist and be geared towards enthusiasts, while cutting weight and refining their drivelines should ostensibly make them even better. If those cars’ survival—and Subaru’s, too—requires more CVTs to satisfy ever-tightening fuel-economy regulations, we can live with that—so long as a three-pedal setup is offered, too.
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