Boxer engines get their name from the way that the pistons move. The pistons move horizontally, in an opposing manner sort of like two boxers punching at each other. Over the years, this unique design has been used on a lot of vehicles. Boxer engines are an elegant engine design and offer natural advantages for automotive design engineers.
It’s all a matter of balance
As the technicians at Reedmantollsubaru.com put it, it’s all a matter of physics. When you get pistons, rods and crankshafts spinning away in an internal combustion engine, you get a lot of vibration. With standard V-shaped engines, these vibrations are difficult to remove because there is no natural way to cancel them out. With boxer-type engines, however, it’s easier. The opposing pistons balance the internal engine motions out due to the opposing movements of the pistons and crankshaft. When one piston is heading “out”, an opposing piston is headed “in”. The result is that the two forces cancel out each other out and the engine essentially runs vibration free.
Benz was the first
Karl Benz developed the first internal combustion engine with horizontally opposed pistons in 1896. He called it the Kontra engine because the action of the opposing sides of pistons cancelled out engine vibrations. Various cars have used boxer-type engines over the years. Perhaps one of the earliest and most prolific uses was the VW air cooled flat four, which became the standard engine of the Volkswagen Beetle and remained in production for almost 70 years.
Today the largest manufacturer using a boxer engine design is Subaru. Subaru has been using boxers for over 45 years now and uses them in all their models today. You could say that the boxer engine is part of the Subaru DNA, today.
Low center of gravity
A horizontally-designed engine can sit low in the engine bay because it simply isn’t as tall as other upright engines. This directly contributes to a vehicle’s low center of gravity since the center of gravity on an opposed engine is much lower to the ground compared to other “upright” engines. The benefits to handling are enormous; better turning/cornering capability, decreased roll, and better grip of the roadway all come natural to the flat engine.
Engine dismounting
In the unfortunate event of a front end collision, a boxer engine can easily be designed to “dive” underneath the passenger compartment. Consider how safe that scenario is compared to a bulkier, V-type engine design that cannot be easily designed to dive under a vehicle. In a bad collision with a large V-6 or V-8, the engine will be pushed right into the engine compartment causing considerable injury.
Source: Reedman Toll Subaru
