Subaru’s Boxer Engine Technology Turns 50

MANILA: Internal combustion engines in automobiles have surely come a long way from where they started and come in a variety of shapes and mechanisms. One particular engine that pretty much revolutionized the industry is the boxer engine. As compared to a regular V-shaped engine, the pistons are arranged in a horizontally-opposed position that helps them cancel out each other’s inertia creating far less vibrations. This also calls for an optimal engine performance with astonishing stability.

Although these engines have appeared in various models by various automakers in the past, but none have been so iconic as the Japanese brand Fuji Heavy Industries. Their marque of luxury and touring vehicles, Subaru has been famous across the globe for constantly featuring a boxer engine powered drivetrain and is now entering its 50th year of existence in the industry. The first Subaru Boxer engine made its debut on this day in 1966 on the Subaru 1000 and is still considered as timeless as the first time people got to experience its unique technology.

Such engines are also present in various production sports car models such as the Toyota 86 and in various models of the Italian marque Porsche. But none of them have reached a status as legendary as the Japanese automakers have literally taken the responsibility to improve and enhance this technology over time. This can be seen with the special drive layout in Subaru brand cars that is suited to work in tandem with their horizontally-opposed drivetrain to provide some of the smoothest drives across the globe. Their All-wheel drive system is specially designed to work in unison with the boxer engine to create a signature driving comfort that can only be found in Subaru vehicles.

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