The Subaru EG33 engine was introduced in 1989, but quickly fell out of production when the SVX was discontinued. However, the engine was so well received by its customers that some say Subaru should have continued manufacturing it. Find out why Subaru made this decision and how it has affected their sales since then.
The EG33 is a six-cylinder engine that should have been.
You might be thinking, “What? How can a six-cylinder engine be ‘should have been?’ That’s like saying an apple is a banana.” And to that I would say: you’re right! But if you know about Subaru’s history, and especially if you were around in the 90s, then you probably remember the Alcyone SVX.
It was a beautiful sedan with great styling, but it had one major problem—it came with a four-cylinder engine. We’ve already talked about how Subaru has always made their cars with four cylinders, so this was a huge departure for them.
But what if the Alcyone SVX had come with something different? What if it had come with a six-cylinder engine? What if it could have been just as powerful and efficient as the four-cylinder EJ22 that came standard in other models at the time?
Well, we’re here to tell you: there was such an engine! It was called the EG33, and it shared bore and stroke dimensions with its contemporary counterpart: the EJ22. And guess what else? It wasn’t.
Subaru’s EG33 engine was a six-cylinder version of their EJ22 four-cylinder engine, with the same bore and stroke dimensions. This combination meant that it shared many parts with its smaller counterpart.
The EG33 was only fitted to the Alcyone SVX, where it was paired with the 4EAT automatic transmission in both front-wheel and all-wheel drive configurations.
After the SVX was discontinued, Subaru did not offer a six-cylinder engine until they developed the EZ30 for use in their Outback models.
Subaru EG33 Engine Specifications
The Subaru EG33 engine was a 3.3 L flat-6 petrol engine produced by Subaru from 1991 to 1996. It was used in the Impreza WRX and Legacy RS, among other vehicles.
The EG33 was redesigned during its production run, going from two valves per cylinder to three valves per cylinder in 1992 and adopting DOHC valvetrain in 1993. The block material changed from aluminium to cast iron cylinder liners in 1995, which increased the weight of the engine but also increased the durability of its components. A turbocharged version of this engine was also produced for use in rally cars.
The Subaru EG33 is a flat-6 petrol engine that was produced from 1991 to 1996. It has a 3.3L capacity and produces 179 kW (240 hp; 243 PS) at 6000 RPM, with 309 N⋅m (228 lb⋅ft) of torque at 4000 RPM.
The engine has aluminum cylinder liners and an aluminum head, and it is block-mounted in the engine compartment. The valvetrain is DOHC and uses 12 valves, with 4 valves per cylinder. It has a compression ratio of 10:1 and burns gasoline/petrol fuel.
The EG33 was designed to be a high-performance engine, and it was the largest naturally-aspirated engine that Subaru had ever made at that time. Unlike the SOHC EJ22 it shared some dimensions with, the EG33 featured dual overhead cams; both engines used four valves per cylinder. The EG33 used a single toothed timing belt which drove the exhaust camshafts on each bank in addition to the water pump (mounted on the right bank); the intake camshaft on each cylinder bank was driven in turn by a set of helical gears via the belt-driven exhaust camshaft.
At the time, this design was considered innovative and cutting-edge; however, as technology has advanced over time, there are now many other manufacturers who have developed similar systems for their own engines.