Diesel do nicely for families

Published on Saturday 15 March 2008 13:35

WITH our roads and weather, the ideal Scottish family car is probably an estate car with four-wheel drive and, given the higher fuel prices outside the Central Belt, preferably a diesel engine.

Until now the choice has basically boiled down to either the Skoda Fabia Scout or, for badge snobs, the latest Audi A4 Avant, which for an extra seven grand offers a marginal improvement in performance and economy but will impress the neighbours no end.

But that's all about to change thanks to Subaru, which now has a diesel engine that adds economy to its traditional strengths of all-weather performance and, so long as you change the oil and filters, near invincibility.

The tiny Japanese company had avoided building a diesel because there is no demand for it in its most important markets at home and in the US, but finally relented to save sales in Europe where we've all got more sense.

Instead of merely forging an alliance with a rival, which most manufacturers do these days, they developed an oil-burning version of their legendary flat-four petrol engine.

The compact dimensions of this engine and the fact that it is laid out flat, means that it can be mounted lower in the car to keep the centre of gravity down where it is best for cornering and handling.

There are two sets of figures that matter for the engine: Subaru's own, and the ones I recorded on the 500-mile trip to Geneva in the prototype Legacy Sports Tourer, which will go on sale in a few weeks.

Subaru claims 150bhp from the two-litre diesel and 258ft lbs of torque – enough mid-range punch, in other words, to make a five-speed gearbox preferable to the more fashionable six. On the road, this translates into 0-60mph in 8.5 seconds, a top speed of 126mph and 50mpg overall.

On the trip from Calais to Geneva, I averaged 80mph and just over 40mpg – confirming that 50mpg should be no problem at UK speeds.

But it wasn't all fuel-friendly motorway cruising. The last 100km was a third, fourth, fifth-gear slog up and over the Alps, with the occasional second-gear hairpin thrown in.

It was on this part of the trip I really appreciated the fruity exhaust note which gave the oil-burning Subaru a decidedly sporty voice. There's the merest hint of diesel rattle on start-up, but it soon quietens down and when cruising at speed this is a remarkably quiet car.

Unlike the Subaru, only the Skoda's front two wheels receive power under most conditions, with the all-wheel drive triggered automatically if needed. I couldn't find any way to lock up the transmission for deep-mud plugging, but the car doesn't have the ground clearance for this sort of behaviour.

It is probably at its best over typical Scottish B-roads in typical Scottish weather, and I experienced plenty of both during my time with the test car.

You don't get any more grip with a four-wheel-drive car, which, of course, has the same amount of rubber in contact with the road as a two-wheel-drive machine. What you do get is the capability to deliver drive through all or any of the tyres depending on grip, and it is this added capability that could prove a lifesaver.

Of course, you'll always get the smart Alec who will abuse the system to gain higher performance, especially under hard cornering. I plead guilty as charged, but it does seem silly not to use both cars' capabilities.

The heart of the Scout is a state-of-the-art two-litre diesel engine pushing out a very respectable 140bhp and so much low-down torque that wheel spin can become tiresome in two-wheel-drive variants.

There's enough power and traction to get it to 60mph from rest in just under 10 seconds and onto just over 120mph, but the best bit is a near-50mpg capability with care. I only managed 45mpg, but I was really caning it.

Subaru Legacy Diesel

Price 19,995

Top speed 126mph

0-60mph 8.5 seconds

Fuel 48mpg

Skoda Fabia Scout

Price 19,690

Top speed 120mph

0-60mph 10 seconds

Fuel 45mpg