Subaru: Electric boost for the Boxer 🎥
Subaru is turning its engine range upside down. For the Forester and XV, there are neither turbos nor diesels, but hybrid drive. Boxer engine, all-wheel drive and Lineartronic automatic transmission as usual. To reduce CO2 emissions, Subaru relies on assistance from an electric motor. Since CO2 emissions have to be massively reduced starting next year, the small Japanese carmaker relies on [...]
To reduce CO2 emissions, Subaru relies on assistance from an electric motor.
Since CO2 emissions will have to be massively reduced from next year, the small Japanese carmaker is now also relying on support from an electric motor on its way to a more sustainable future.
Electric machine in gearbox housing
The developers of the new e-Boxer hybrid drive integrated the electric motor into the transmission housing to save space. The e-motor boosts with up to 12.3 kW and works as a generator during deceleration. The system output is 150 hp. Subaru cites the consumption advantage of up to eleven percent as the most important plus of the new drive, and the unchanged towing capacity and luggage space are also important for customers.
Forester now with new platform
The fifth-generation Forester is now also based on the platform used in the other models. It has grown in length from 4.610 to 4.625 meters, and features a 30-millimeter longer wheelbase at 2.670 meters. New and particularly practical for vehicles that occasionally travel on poor roads are the X-Mode 4×4 management system and the rearview camera wash system. Also new is the interior camera, which detects drowsiness and inattention and warns the driver accordingly.
Facelift and more weight for the XV
The XV, which replaced the Forester at the top of the internal model rankings in 2018, weighs 110 kilograms more after the introduction of the e-Boxer. The 1550 kilograms are distributed in a 60:40 ratio between the front and rear axles, with the battery and power electronics mounted above the rear axle.
On the first test drives with the new models, the e-Boxer drive proved that Subaru has done a perfect job. Despite the rather modest additional electric power, the hybrid drive is very efficient. In EV mode, purely electric driving is also possible on the level at low speeds over short distances, and in charge mode the combustion engine charges the battery.
The XV e-Boxer will arrive at dealers in January 2020 at a price of 36,500 francs, while the Forester will arrive as early as December - with a base price of 38,150 francs.
