Summary
- Toyota, Mazda, and Subaru embrace various carbon-neutral technologies, not just EVs, aiming for flexibility and reliability over time.
- Subaru dedicates to hybrid tech to keep its boxer engine relevant, improving fuel economy in its Symmetrical AWD system for future models.
- Subaru collaborates with Toyota for next-gen hybrid drivetrain, focusing on improved efficiency and driving performance in upcoming Forester.
The automotive industry continues its slow and fragmented path to electrification. With some automakers more aggressive towards electric vehicles (EVs) than others, there are three Japanese companies that are more open to other technologies as opposed to committing fully towards full EVs. These would be Toyota, Mazda, and Subaru, since all three companies recently held a press conference called the “Mutlipathway Workshop”.
The reason why these three brands came together is that they all share a common mindset that the path towards carbon neutrality shouldn't just be through EVs. Instead, it should include all forms of carbon-neutral technologies, which, unsurprisingly, still include the internal combustion engine (ICE). The shift towards full EVs, in particular, is challenging for Subaru. That's because its identity is tied to the boxer engine and its legendary Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive (AWD) system. Take those two away--most especially the boxer engine, and what is Subaru in the electrified age?
Thankfully, the boxer engine will still have a lease on life in the electrified age, thanks to hybrid technology. But wait a minute, didn't Subaru already make a hybridized boxer engine before? Why yes, they did offer an electrified Subaru before in the United States, but you probably forgot it existed. Now, though, they're taking the electrification game much more seriously, and it's one that's finally worth bringing to the North American market.
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In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from various manufacturer websites and other authoritative sources, including Toyota, Subaru, and Automotive News.
Subaru's Electrification History
To understand where we're coming from, we have to take a look at Subaru's electrification history. Unlike Toyota, who has been making hybrids since 1997, Subaru's electrification efforts are much more modest, and to some degree, even just for the sake of compliance. Subaru took two paths for its hybrids, which were implemented in various ways, depending on the market.
Subaru's First Hybrid Foray
Two generations of the Subaru Crosstrek in the United States got hybrid power. The first-generation Crosstrek, initially called the XV Crosstrek, combined a 2.0-liter four-cylinder boxer engine that's augmented by an electric motor mounted right at its Lineartronic CVT. The system output is 160 horsepower and 163 pound-feet of torque versus the non-hybrid's 148 horsepower and 145 pound-feet. It was also more efficient, with the hybrid averaging a combined 31 MPG while the non-hybrid had a combined 28 MPG figure.
In the real world, however, the tiny 0.55 kWh nickel metal hybrid (NiMH) battery meant it was difficult to achieve those claimed figures while traveling in pure electric mode. You would need to be extraordinarily gingerly with your right foot for the boxer engine not to kick in.
If you think this sounds like a modest implementation of a hybrid, that's because it mostly was. It only marginally improved fuel economy and performance in the real world, which meant its price premium was hard to justify. Outside North America, Europe, and Japan, the world got its first hybrid taste with the e-Boxer technology of Subaru.
The e-Boxer drivetrain is also a parallel hybrid system like in the XV Crosstrek Hybrid, but the implementation was likewise lukewarm at best. The fuel economy and performance gains were minor, though eventually, the e-Boxer became the standard drivetrain for most (not all) Subarus in Japan.
America Also Got A Crosstrek PHEV
When the second-generation Crosstrek came out, it ditched the XV name and got a series-parallel plug-in hybrid (PHEV) drivetrain that it inherited from the Prius Prime. It was called the StarDrive hybrid drivetrain, which I hope I didn't hear because it makes me cringe so badly. Surprisingly, however, the Crosstrek PHEV had less power than the previous XV Crosstrek Hybrid at 148 horsepower, while it had a combined fuel economy figure of 35 MPG--higher than the 31 MPG of the previous model. It had an all-electric range of 17 miles.
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Unfortunately, both of these generations of the electrified Crosstrek--as well as other Subaru models, had smaller fuel tanks to make room for the power control unit (PCU)--offsetting any potential range gains from its improved fuel efficiency. Furthermore, the Crosstrek PHEV was more of a compliance car, having only been sold in certain states.
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Finally, A New-Generation Boxer Hybrid
Clearly, Subaru's electrification efforts in the past were good but did hardly improve the driving experience. Now, though, with the announcement of Subaru's next-generation boxer hybrid drivetrain, the Japanese automaker is putting more effort into keeping the boxer engine alive, and by doing so, should finally result in a hybrid that's worthy of consideration.
A Hybrid Worth Your Consideration
Whereas previous hybridization efforts by Subaru had minimal benefits and a high price difference, the next-generation boxer hybrid system promises to be better than ever. Unlike the current e-Boxer drivetrain, which is a parallel hybrid system, the next-generation hybrid system will be similar to Toyota's in which it will be a series-parallel hybrid system. In fact, the new generation Forester is confirmed to be one of the first Subarus to receive this new hybrid boxer powertrain.
The new boxer hybrid drivetrain promises to maintain the typical qualities of the Subaru drivetrain. This includes the symmetrical layout that its entire drivetrain architecture has been known for, which should preserve the outstanding handling characteristics of these new-generation Subaru hybrids.
Furthermore, unlike the previous hybrid systems where the PCU reduced the fuel tank's size, the PCU is now located in the engine bay, enabling better vehicle packaging. Finally, this new hybrid drivetrain should allow a higher percentage of pure electric drivetrain, as well as a bigger improvement in driving performance.
And We Have Toyota To Help Subaru
Automotive News also reports that Subaru of America's COO Jeff Walters confirmed that the next-generation hybrid drivetrain, which will debut in the new Forester, will use the Toyota hybrid system as a basis to leverage the partnership between the two brands. The move is unsurprising since Toyota has a stake in both Subaru and Mazda, plus all three brands share the same multi-path approach to carbon neutrality. For Subaru's part, their boxer engines will not only be highly flexible for various electrification technologies, but they will also be flexible for various carbon-neutral fuel sources, such as synthetic fuels or hydrogen fuel.
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How The Subaru Boxer Will Remain Relevant
Thanks to this electrification strategy, Subaru will be able to keep the boxer engine relevant in the coming years, even as emissions regulations get stricter. Subaru's hope for the hybrid drivetrain is that it will also address one of the weakest points of its hybrid drivetrain--fuel efficiency.
Boxer Engines With Excellent Fuel Economy
Owning a Subaru with a Symmetrical AWD and that boxer engine often means a thirstier car. The fuel economy of Subarus is pretty okay, but it's more of the fact that it's okay “considering it has AWD”. With this new hybrid drivetrain, however, Subaru's CTO Tetsuo Fujiniki aims to make its boxer engines and the accompanying Symmetrical AWD a system that offers no compromise in fuel economy. Fuel economy, in fact, was seen as a weakness for Subaru's current crop of boxer engines and Symmetrical AWD systems, which Fujiniki-san acknowledged during the Multi Pathway Workshop presentation:
To resonate strongly with those who back Subaru, and to improve our current weakness in fuel efficiency.
Fujiniki-san also acknowledges that from a fuel economy standpoint, a boxer engine isn't even outright the best solution, but it's a technology that they believe in. Furthermore, they are convinced to take on the challenge to improve the engine for the coming decades. The only other brand that uses boxer engines is Porsche for their sports cars, but unlike Subaru, Porsche is not a mass-market volume-driven brand. Therefore, they have more room to preserve the boxer engines of their sports cars, since it has a range of pure EVs and a host of other models with a V-engine configuration.
And Production Will Start This Fall
How soon can we expect this hybrid boxer engine? You can see them probably in a 2025 model year Subaru Forester at the very least because the production of this electrified boxer drivetrain is set to commence this fall. Subaru even built a new manufacturing plant specific to the hybrid system's manufacturing process, which is located in Kitamoto, Saitama in Japan. Combined with a fuel tank size that will be the same as with its non-hybrid models, you can expect Subaru's models to be able to travel further between fill-ups as a result of the improved efficiency of these next-generation hybrid drivetrains.
