Goodbye Subaru 6-Cylinder

I've heard it dozens of times at car shows.  "There's no replacement for displacement."  The bigger the better, right?  It turns out the Environmental Protection Agency disagrees and, as evidenced by so many auto manufacturers recently, the bigger engines are starting to disappear.  While Subaru has never really had anything like a V8 or a "big block" engine, there is a horizontally-opposed masterpiece that will soon fall victim to this recent industry trend.  The 3.6 Liter 6-Cylinder Boxer Engine is on it's way out.

Oddly enough, the signs that Subaru's H6 would leave us were brought about by the debut of their largest vehicle to date: the 2019 Subaru Ascent.  One would imagine that whatever powers the new leviathan of the 3rd-Row SUV segment would have to be just as big, but this is not the case.  Powered by an all-new Direct-Injected Turbocharged 2.4 liter Boxer 4-Cylinder, the Ascent will still be capable of besting the 3.6 Boxer 6 in the power department.  At 256 Horsepower, Subaru's H6 will fall short of the 260 estimated Horsepower of the new Turbo 2.4.  Subaru, and many other manufacturers, have been managing to make more power with fewer cylinders for awhile now.  But this isn't the only telltale sign of the H6's departure.

The next is an old favorite of mine.  The "Subaru Prominence 2020" plan has been in full swing for several years and it has outlined their progress as each year passes.  Every new design, advancement, and goal of the company in terms of growth and development have been checking boxes for the Prominence 2020 Plan.  With the clock ticking down on these plans, 2020 will mark a point for the company when the Subaru Global Platform will be at the core of every vehicle built.  This is the same platform that the 2017 Impreza, 2018 Crosstrek, and 2019 Ascent will share.  Further on down the line, the 2019 Forester, 2020 Legacy/Outback, and 2020 WRX/STI will all eventually share the same modular platform design.  The plan also outlines that every Subaru will have Direct Injection in their Boxer Engines.  With the 3.6 Boxer 6 using Port Injection and no signs of any advancement with the H6 platform (we would've seen it already in the upcoming 2019 Ascent), this where the H6 will leave us.  Turbocharged Legacies and Outbacks will act as the higher-output options, replacing the Legacy 3.6R and Outback 3.6R options.

It's a shame to see things like this becoming more commonplace for auto manufacturers to do.  Fewer Cylinders with similar fuel economy and improved emissions continue to drive the industry forward.  The last offerings of the current generation Legacy and Outback will be available for another model year before the redesigned models take on the Subaru Global Platform and the new direct-injected boxer engine.  So if the Turbocharged route isn't for you, find a 6-cylinder Subaru before it's a thing of the past!