Why Did Subaru Discontinue The EJ Engine?
The Subaru EJ horizontally opposed boxer engine has been around in some flavor or another since 1989 when it was developed to be the end all and be all for Subaru powerplants. It was available as both naturally aspirated and turbocharged powerplants in a variety of displacements and sub-designations, and listing every Subaru that was graced with an EJ of any shape or size would take some time. The two most notable EJs — the EJ20 and EJ25 — served as the source of power for Subaru greats like the WRX STI and its numerous special editions.
In modernity, the end of the 2.0-liter EJ20 was marked by the aptly named WRX STI EJ20 Final Edition. Just 555 were offered for sale to the Japanese market in 2019, and produced 303 horsepower from the aging EJ20. The 2.5-liter EJ25 would live on for a little while longer. At its most powerful, the EJ25 made 341 horsepower in the also-limited WRX STI S209. 2021 would mark the final year of the EJ25, where it made 310 horsepower in the WRX STI.
Subaru focused on EV cars in the future
Subaru ended the EJ line when it decided to end the previous generation WRX entirely. Additionally, Subaru's newfound push towards electrified vehicles didn't help matters much — the brand promises to have eight EV models by 2028. However, that doesn't mean the car brand wants to give up on its iconic boxer engines altogether. Subaru President and CEO Atushi Osaki envisions a new powertrain layout in its hybrid vehicles, retaining a horizontally opposed engine and all-wheel drive system that uses an ICE (internal combustion engine) to power it. It would also have a similarly sized fuel tank but would use a carbon-neutral fuel instead of petroleum.
To show the brand's commitment to an electric-focused future, Subaru has also discontinued the Legacy, one of its longest-running and most popular vehicles in the United States. The (sort of underwhelming) 2025 Subaru Legacy is the last, paving the way for newer EV models like the Solterra, which debuted in 2023. In 2022, Subaru also announced that it was looking to electrify the Subaru WRX STI, rumored to be coming in 2028. This would be the first performance-oriented WRX STI without a trusty EJ under the hood.