Next-generation Subaru boxer engine coming by the end of 2010

2009 Subaru Forester

In what will be the first major overhaul of Subaru’s trademark boxer engine in 20 years, the automaker plans to introduce a next-generation, horizontally opposed engine by the end of the year. The model will first debut in the Forester crossover and then make its way into other Subaru models, according to a report by Japan”s Nikkei Sangyo business daily.

The new powerplant will make its way into the Legacy sedan, Impreza and Exiga, a minivan sold only in Japan. Sources say that the new boxer engine will get 10 percent better mileage than the outgoing one. Nikkei Sangyo says that the engine will be a 4-cylinder, horizontally opposed ‘boxer’ ranging between 2.0 and 2.5 liters.

A spokesman for Fuji Heavy Industries, the company that owns Subaru, said that the company would introduce a new engine by year end, however, he declined to give specifications.

– By: Omar Rana

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)