Why Did Subaru Discontinue The EJ Engine?

Brandon Woyshnis/Shutterstock

Subaru’s flagship EJ engine was around for over 30 years, first appearing in the Subaru Legacy in 1989 and ending its run with the Subaru WRX STI in 2021. It was a 2.0-liter four-cylinder boxer engine that had a flat layout with a streamlined power flow that gave it great fuel economy (before modification) and peppy handling.

The EJ had four generations over its lifetime, with the last producing 140 horsepower at 5,600 rpms. When turbocharged, it went up to 341 horsepower. There have even been cases of an EJ engine reaching 1,000 horsepower with enough modifications, proving just how versatile and powerful this engine could truly be in the right hands.

During that time, the EJ engine became very popular in kit cars, rally cars, and other customs, with its reliability and build appealing to anyone wanting to tune an engine. This has left a lot of gearheads wondering why the EJ engine line was discontinued — but this has more to do with Subaru’s vision of the future than the engine’s performance.

Subaru focused on EV cars in the future

Tramino/Getty Images

Subaru likely discontinued the EJ engine line due to its dedication to increasing its electric vehicle line in the future — 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 WRX without an EJ engine, marking a big change for Subaru.