Subaru EZ30

Was at Subaru HQ in Shinjuku yesterday and spotted this EZ30 on display on my way out.  This is Subaru’s silky smooth 3-liter flat-6 lump, mated to the company’s 5-speed automatic.  This is the engine I have in my Legacy Wagon and it’s a real gem.  Could do with a bit more midrange torque but who cares, just rev it more and enjoy that Porsche-like sound!  Fuel consumption wise it will give you a heart attack driving aggressively in Tokyo traffic (think GT-R figures!!)  but get out on the highway and I’ve seen as much as 13 km/L on a long 600+ Km round trip.  Averaging city & highway I usually get around 10 km/L out of every tank which is just great.  Although with the price of hi-oku in Japan nudging the 200 ¥/L mark I will no doubt be looking for something slightly more economical as my next work car!

You can see where the driveshafts for the front wheels pop-out from on this picture.  Explains why Subaru’s engines sit so far ahead in the engine bay, just like in Audi’s.