Subaru's all-new 3-litre horizontally-opposed 6-cylinder engine will turn up in a pair of new Outback models later this year -- the H6-3.0 and the more upscale H6-3.0 VDC.
The H6-3.0 engine produces 212 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 210 pound-feet of torque at 4,400 rpm, but at 2,200 rpm the engine is already generating 174 pound-feet of torque, which is meant to deliver quick response at lower speeds.
Technical highlights of the engine would include an aluminum crankcase, double overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder, and a direct ignition system that uses an individual ignition coil for each cylinder, which eliminates the need for a distributor and for sparkplug wires.
The H6-3.0 engine produces nearly 30 per cent more horsepower and torque than the 165 horsepower 2.5 liters H-4 in the Outback Limited, yet is only 20 millimeters longer and runs on regular fuel like the rest of Subaru's lineup.
Both Outback H6-3.0 models will come with the 4EAT electronic 4-speed automatic transmission, but each will get a different version of the Japanese company's all-wheel-drive system.
Outback H6-3.0 VDC will come with Variable Torque Distribution (VTD) all-wheel drive, which Joe Anwyll, vice-president of sales for Subaru Canada, calls ''the most advanced system that Subaru has ever offered in North America, with Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC), an advanced stability system."