On day 2 of our alpine ski adventure in Meribel France we caught wind of an inbound storm. Excitement ran through the group with hopes of colder weather and more importantly, fresh snow! Well, what unfolded was anything but the expected. A high pressure front settled in, forcing the Meribel lift network to close due to extreme wind conditions. I've encountered some pretty bad situations, but this was absolutely dangerous. People were being blown around the slopes like rag dolls. Feeling utterly defeated, a few of us decided to walk through the town and take in the local French scenery. Then, out of the blustery gloom, this brilliant white Subaru Impreza Turbo Diesel (TD) emerged! I did an immediate double take before running over to snap these photos. To say the Subaru brand is rare in France, or Europe for that matter, is an understatement! 

Why are there so few European Subarus compared to North America?

There are a multitude of economic reasons, but we’d like to guess at just one, cost. Consider the following: the most basic TD models start life around 25,000 EURO. After options, taxes, and so forth, you are looking at an out the door price upwards of 30,000-33,000 EURO. Convert that into USD, and you’ll figure this French bound Impreza TD cost pretty close to $39,000-43,000 USD! Needless to say, you’ll be hard pressed to find a WRX STi lurking on the streets. After all, it’s base price starts at roughly 38,650 EURO! Gale force winds may have dashed our ski adventures, but a lonely Subaru gave way to a whole new story and a pleasurable end to a rather dismal day.

Engine: Horizontally-opposed, 4-cylinder, Turbocharged, DOHC 16-valve diesel
Capacity: 1,998 cc
Max Output: 110 kW (150 PS) / 3,600 rpm
Max Torque: 350 Nm (35.7 kgfm) / 1,600-2,400 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual transmission, AWD