Does Subaru use a Toyota engine?
Yes. Subaru does use Toyota-developed powertrain technology in specific models, most notably the jointly engineered 2.4-liter boxer engine that powers both the Subaru BRZ and Toyota GR86. For the rest of its lineup, Subaru mostly relies on its own in-house boxer engines.
Joint engine development for BRZ and GR86
The BRZ and GR86 sports cars stand as the clearest example of a collaborative engine program between Subaru and Toyota. The partners co-developed a 2.4-liter horizontally opposed (boxer) engine that launched in the early 2020s and is used in both vehicles, delivering competitive performance in a lightweight, balanced package designed for rear-drive dynamics. The collaboration extends beyond a single engine, with shared calibration and engineering goals to ensure similar driving characteristics and reliability across both models.
Key points about the powertrain collaboration:
- Joint development produced a 2.4-liter boxer engine used across the two models, enabling parallel tuning and performance goals for BRZ and GR86.
- Subaru and Toyota shared engineering responsibilities, with each company contributing to different aspects of the engine’s design, calibration, and integration into their respective platforms.
- Production and supply arrangements were coordinated to align parts availability and support, while preserving distinctive branding and tuning for each market.
In practice, this engine is the most visible public face of Toyota–Subaru collaboration, illustrating how the brands work together on performance-focused powertrains while maintaining separate product lines.
Other collaboration and engine sourcing
Beyond the BRZ/GR86 program, Toyota and Subaru pursue broader collaboration that includes technology sharing, joint development projects, and cross-ownership dynamics. The two companies have a long-standing relationship that supports mutual access to engineering expertise and supply-chain efficiencies, even as Subaru continues to build the majority of its engines in-house for most of its mainstream models.
- The BRZ/GR86 engine program remains the principal, publicly acknowledged example of direct engine collaboration between Subaru and Toyota.
- Subaru’s core engine families (such as the traditional boxer engines found in the Outback, Forester, Legacy, and Impreza) are designed and manufactured largely within Subaru’s own facilities.
- Beyond engines, the partnership encompasses broader platform and technology collaboration, with cross-shareholding and joint projects that influence future development, including electrification studies and shared platforms.
These arrangements show a blended approach: targeted co-development for specific high-profile models, alongside continued independent engineering for the bulk of Subaru’s lineup.
Summary
Subaru does use Toyota engineering in select cases, most notably the jointly developed 2.4-liter boxer engine used in the BRZ and GR86. However, the majority of Subaru’s powertrains remain homegrown boxer engines designed and built by Subaru. The partnership with Toyota demonstrates a strategic collaboration that complements Subaru’s in-house engineering rather than replacing it across the entire brand.
