Subaru 2.5-litre Turbo Boxer Engine wins 2006 Engine of the Year

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario — Subaru’s turbo-charged 2.5-litre, horizontally opposed boxer engine has won the International Engine of the Year award in the 2- to 2.5-litre engine class.  The announcement award ceremony took place recently at the Engine Expo in Stuttgart, Germany.

“Subaru’s mighty-mite of a turbo flat-four is as much fun to drive as many performance powerplants with twice the number of cylinders,” said judge Van Tune on the competition’s website.

The engine, with which Subaru Impreza, Legacy, Outback and Forester models are equipped, is the first horizontally-opposed engine ever to win this prestigious annual award.  Other competitors in the class included BMW, Honda, Mazda and Toyota.

“It is particularly exciting to win this award as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Subaru’s horizontally-opposed engine,” said Katsuhiro Yokoyama, president, chairman and CEO of Subaru Canada, Inc.  “Subaru is committed to this ‘boxer’ configuration for its balance and compactness, and to win for qualities that include both powerful performance and fuel economy is a testament to how far we’ve brought these engines in the last four decades.”

The International Engine of the Year competition is judged by a panel of 61 renowned journalists from 29 countries.  The judges scored the vehicle’s performance on drivability, ease of handling, fuel economy, and refinement. The International Engine of the Year competition is organized by UKIP Media & Events – Automotive Magazines Division, Britain’s largest group of auto-technology magazines, including Engine Technology International and Automotive Testing Technology International.