After shoehorning an industry-first boxer diesel engine in its Legacy and Outbook models in Europe, Subaru now plans to show a Forester and an Impreza with the same powertrain at the 2008 Paris auto show, according to Car and Driver. Unfortunately, it may be a few more years before we see that powertrain here.

The report said that the powertrain is a horizontally opposed diesel engine with Subaru's symmetrical all-wheel-drive system, reserved for vehicles with tight space requirements. "Compared with the 2.0-liter gasoline-fired four in Subaru's stable—but not available in the U.S.—the diesel has a decreased bore and an increased stroke, and the turbo has been mounted under the engine directly to the catalytic converters. Everything is beefed up to withstand the higher pressures of direct-injection diesel power."

Subaru is developing a special automatic transmission for use over here in the states, since they don't plan to offer the 5-speed manual transmission as an option. Why is anybody's guess, because that would be the instant enthusiastic pick.