[reddoak]

I don't see the turbo or the 2.0 coming anytime soon to the Outback.

Regarding the turbo:
1. They already had it. And dropped it.
2. Most people that buy Outbacks aren't looking for "sporty" so the turbo name has zero cachet.
3. 93 octane gas requirements suck. The turbo motors need premium... or they knock. 91 works (most of the time) but 87 ain't gonna happen.

Regarding the n/a 2.0:
1. 140 hp. Drive a lighter Impreza with the 2.0 and see how it accelerates... about equal to a 2.5i Outback. No one, not even me, wants a slower Outback. Most prospective Outback buyers don't want a smaller one, either. So it's not going to shed a bunch of weight.
2. Redesigned 2.5 engine is already in place. In both the Outback (now) and the Forester (since the last redesign.) It works, people generally are OK with it, no reason to go smaller.

Here's my take on the Subaru line:
So in the Impreza line, yes, the 2.5 is gone. No need in the super econobox.

In the Forester line, looks a choice between the 2.5 or the 2.0t for that. The 3.6 would be pretty nice... but wouldn't fit very well. The 2.0 likely drops right in with room to spare. The 2.5 make decent power, and the CVT is an improvement.

For the Crosstrek XV... Drove one... Really could use a bigger motor. Or a turbo. Not WRX level, but **** is it pokey. My slow 2.5 Outback never bothers me, but the Impreza platform is lighter and can handle a bit better power to weight ratio.

For the Tribeca: who cares. No one buys Tribecas anyways,

For the BRZ, they're going to turbocharge it... after Scion releases a supercharged FR-S that blows its doors off and embarrasses it. I think they are waiting because they don't want to compete with the WRX.

WRX and STI: Hopefully a shift to the newer Impreza platform rather than just dropping them. I would guess a 2.0T, especially they already have one to stuff into Forester XTs. I think the 2.5T, while it was good, has run it's course.

 

[reddoak]

Premium in the new (2014) Forester 2.0T is only recommended, not required.

Any current production turbo vehicle from any manufacturer can easily be made to run any grade of fuel*. All engines have knock sensors, and these will change the engine parameters so that they'll run 87 RON fuel fine, even if the manufacturer recommends premium, albeit at some lower performance level. In our car (see sig), we've never run anything but 89 RON midgrade (have drive it 115K so far, 137K total, everything is running fine), although the manual recommends 93 RON gas. Neither of us can tell the difference in performance.

*It is true that not all vehicle are set up to do this; some manufacturers set up engines to perform so that running grades of fuel other than premium is a no-no, but these will state "premium required."

I can tell you from experience from my 2 STIs that you can run sub-premium fuel... but stay out of boost entirely. My '07 in particular would ping and knock in high gears in boost, even on 93 octane, when it was bone stock. And knock sensors are there, it's true. And the ECU will pull timing, that's true also... but the car will knock and ping its way right into a broken ring landing despite that. Relying on a knock sensor is like relying on a low oil pressure idiot light, by the time it does something, it's too late anyways. Perhaps (and hopefully) the 2.0T will be more forgiving, but running less than premium in turbo 2.5 was an expensive way to save money.

Some cars and engines are more forgiving than others. The engine in the STI... not very forgiving at all.