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Thread: [WRC] News & Rumours 2018
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6th November 2018, 22:58 #2311
The weight distribution is probably the biggest issue that would prevent them being competitive (and they won't enter if they don't expect to be competitive).
A transverse engine can take advantage of the rules to be moved from its production positionfor better weight distribution and c.o.m in a way that can't be done with the longitudinal boxer layout. IIRC (hopefully someone with more knowledge can confirm or correct me) WRC rules say the crankshaft has to stay in the same position but the rest of the engine can be rotated around that - so a transverse inline engine can be more or less lying down behind the the crank in a place that would never be practical for a production car, but if you rotate a boxer engine around its crank you just end up with a vertical boxer instead of horizontal.
So unless they revise those rules to be fairer for different engine layouts (or Subaru make a new small hatch which isn't a boxer engine) I don't think we'll see Subaru come back.
ETA: Thinking about it some more, if they are developing a new small hatch as rumoured then it might not be a boxer anyway due to packaging for that size of car. Still not counting any chickens at this stage though...Last edited by GravelBen; 7th November 2018 at 00:00.
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7th November 2018, 00:38 #2312
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7th November 2018, 00:56 #2313
John would say that about a Volvo 240, though.
And the older I get the more I think he may be right.
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7th November 2018, 07:25 #2314
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I saw an article somewhere about a new Subaru small hatchback for the European market coming.... I can't recall where tho.
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7th November 2018, 08:33 #2315
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Boxer engine sound is so essential part of Subaru brand that losing boxer engine from rally Subaru, would be then something else than Subaru. Otherwise rally should suit perfectly to brand that is outdoorsy and has been 4wd pioneers in car markets.
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7th November 2018, 09:20 #2316
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7th November 2018, 09:24 #2317
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7th November 2018, 15:20 #2318
I agree on the engine as a defining design feature but the sound came from the exhaust manifold arrangement. New Subarus sound like anything else these days. I'm surprised there's not more demand for an exhaust that will recreate the sound; maybe the enthusiast market isn't what it was fifteen years ago.
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7th November 2018, 15:37 #2319
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Well, they are big N/A familycars too...mostly. They sound like a boxer, but they`re civilized.
Last edited by Tarmop; 7th November 2018 at 15:39.
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7th November 2018, 19:02 #2320
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Would love to see Subaru back. The brand has completely lost its identity - at least in the UK.
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- Likes: er88 (8th November 2018),the sniper (8th November 2018),TyPat107 (8th November 2018)
Any videos of Mikkelsen testing?
Hyundai WRT