Australia gets 2015 Outback diesel and huge price drop but not in the U.S.

Subaru Australia launched the same redesigned 2015 Subaru Outback that U.S. buyers get, but they get a turbo diesel variant, 6-speed manual and a huge price drop. The Aussies get the 2.0-liter turbo-diesel Outback that features excellent towing capabilities, achieves very good fuel efficiency and it’s much cheaper than the outgoing model.

Outback gets big price drop

The new 2015 Subaru Outback just made its dealer launch down under and it’s coming with a huge price drop. The base 2.0-liter diesel manual model opens the Outback range $5,000 cheaper than before and the 3.6R flagship comes in $10,000 less than the outgoing model. The reason for the huge price drop is due to the very favorable exchange rate with the Japanese Yen. Subaru Australia Managing Director, Nick Senior says, "Currency is always going to have the biggest impact on imported goods. It is clear that the Yen-Australian dollar equation has moved into a more favorable range for us."

Australia features the 2.0-liter turbo diesel

The Australians gets the base 2015 Subaru Outback with a fuel-sipping 2.0-liter turbocharged horizontally-opposed Boxer diesel engine. The diesel can be ordered with the Lineartronic CVT with manual mode or a 6-speed manual gearbox that U.S. buyers don’t get. The 2.0-liter diesel has a power output of 110kW (147 hp) and 350Nm (258 lb. ft of torque). The diesel has lots of torque for pulling and would be ideal for those who use the Outback for recreation like pulling a boat, snow machines or a small camper.

The diesel gets excellent fuel mileage

In addition to torque, the Subaru Boxer diesel gets excellent fuel mileage. The fuel-sipping 2.0-liter turbo diesel gets 5.7 l/100km combined (MT) (41.27 mpg) / 6.3 l/100km (CVT) (37.3 mpg). The 2.5-liter U.S. model achieves an EPA estimated 29 mpg combined, the 3.6-liter model gets 23.5 mpg combined fuel mileage. And the extra torque of the diesel surpasses the U.S. gasoline engines and makes it a popular choice for recreation. The U.S. 2.5-liter Boxer engine comes with 175 hp and 174 lb. ft of torque. The U.S. 3.6-liter engine comes with 256 hp and 247 lb. ft of torque.

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Why won’t U.S. buyers see a 2015 Subaru Outback diesel offered in the U.S.? Especially now, with the price of gasoline dropping in the U.S., most American SUV buyers aren't willing to pay extra for that Outback diesel. It’s hard to convince consumers to pay thousands more for a diesel vehicle, and then ask them to pay more at the pump for diesel fuel. And it’s very costly for Subaru to get their 2.0-liter diesel certified here in the U.S. It's a very good time to be buying a 2015 Subaru Outback in Australia.