CORE TECHNOLOGY THAT SETS US APART.

Standard across our range of vehicles, the unique Boxer engine used by Subaru underpins what we believe in as a brand – safety, capability, reliability. 

The horizontally-opposed configuration of the Boxer engine places the pistons 180 degrees apart, for a lower, flatter profile than conventional 4-cylinder V-type or transverse engines. This gives the powerplant – and therefore the whole car – a lower centre of gravity. With this more balanced weight distribution comes exceptional handling and poise. And as the opposing piston movements naturally counteract each other, they reduce engine vibration and noise – while delivering long-lasting performance. 

The Boxer engine also further enhances the safety credentials of Subaru vehicles – because it slips beneath the car in the event of a collision, stopping the engine entering the passenger compartment to protect occupants’ legs.

With our self-charging hybrid , we’ve merged Subaru’s core DNA with hybrid technology to deliver the best of both worlds. 

Our e-BOXER self-charging hybrid range is underpinned by an e-BOXER petrol engine and a battery-powered electric motor. Working together, the engine and motor automatically adjust the hybrid power to achieve the most efficient driving mode, depending on your speed and the driving conditions. 

By using both power sources, self-charging hybrid vehicles reduce CO2, NOx and particulate emissions, and make driving more efficient by using less fuel. 

Power assistance from the electric motor – Motor Assist – is automatically optimised. This means that sometimes just the electric motor powers the car, in Electric Vehicle (EV) mode; sometimes, the petrol engine alone takes over; and sometimes, both the electric motor and the petrol engine deliver power together. When the petrol engine is running, and when the car decelerates or brakes, energy is recovered and is used to recharge the battery, making it self-charging. 

With the Subaru e-BOXER range, you get all the benefits of battery power – without the need to plug in to recharge. A light and compact high-voltage battery gives the e-BOXER range an even lower centre of gravity and better-balanced vehicle weight distribution, further enhancing handling. 

With the battery-powered electric motor assisting the petrol engine, the e-BOXER range offers more responsive, instantaneous acceleration and terrain-gripping torque. This greater torque response, combined with the positioning of the e-BOXER engine, also makes Forester’s towing capacity of up to 1,870kg one of the best in its class.

Permanent Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive (SAWD) comes as standard with all Subaru models (except the Solterra). This unique system maximises handling and control, delivering exceptional traction for safer, more sure-footed driving – on road, off road and in any weather. 

The benefits of permanent All-Wheel Drive aren’t seen just when driving off road. It’s the safest and most engaging way to drive on all roads – especially if the weather is bad or the road surface is slippery. All-Wheel Drive is also invaluable when traction is important in everyday driving situations – like pulling out at junctions, for example. It ensures that power transfer is direct, for an instantaneous and reliable response that gives the driver maximum confidence. 

Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive works by continuously shifting power to the wheels that have the most traction, ensuring excellent road-holding at all times. 

We make permanent Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive the cornerstone of our vehicle design. Unlike any other all-wheel drive configuration, the engine, transmission and propshaft are positioned in a symmetrical straight-line layout, which provides a direct route for traction and delivers a maximum transfer of power to all four wheels at all times. 

The driveshafts are similar lengths, reducing torque steer and eliminating the need for additional controls or weights to be added. Combined with the Boxer engine, the symmetrical design of our all-wheel drive system is inherently stable, producing natural balance and performance for a safer ride.

Subaru’s Lineartronic Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) ensures that acceleration is responsive, instant and lag-free. It achieves this by automatically moving between a span of gear ratios to keep the engine at its optimal rev range for the conditions and the way you drive – so driving a Subaru is quieter and smoother than many other vehicles. 

Lineartronic works particularly well with Subaru’s Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system, as it preserves the momentum that’s often lost during gear changes on a manual or traditional automatic transmission. When the clutch pedal is depressed on a manual or the lock up clutch is released on a normal automatic, you break power to the wheels, causing them to slow and lose performance. 

In contrast, Lineartronic helps maintain traction by continuously providing power to the wheels at all times. Lineartronic is paired with Active Torque Split AWD, which controls torque distribution between the front and back wheels. Normal torque split is set to 60% at the front and 40% to the rear. However, sensors constantly monitor changes in grip, vehicle speed and stability of the car and these will adjust the torque to each wheel in real time, maintaining optimum grip if more demanding conditions are identified.

The Subaru Global Platform (SGP) is the underlying platform that underpins the next generation of Subaru vehicles (Forester, XV and Impreza). Enhancing all-around safety and performance, it offers a driving experience you can only find in a Subaru – for your ongoing enjoyment and lasting peace of mind. 

The SGP supports improved safety performance, as it increases the car’s body strength by 40%. In the event of a collision, the frame can absorb and safely dissipate more energy. The new frame design also improves energy dispersal, directing more energy safely beneath the seating compartment. 

The stability and handling of your Subaru is also further enhanced by this next-generation platform. By increasing the rigidity of the body, front suspension and rear subframe, vehicles built on the SGP have enhanced straight-line stability and minimal body roll. More responsive handling allows the driver to better steer the car as intended and improves hazard avoidance. 

In designing the SGP, vibrations and noise have been minimised to enhance passenger comfort. Suspension improvements and a highly rigid chassis provide a quiet, comfortable journey for all.