It has been a while since Subaru went back to the drawing board to work on an updated powerplant. Well, the time has come and the auto maker is ready to introduce an all new engine. The new Subaru  Boxer engine will make its world debut in the next Forester model.

Subaru has developed the third-generation of its 2.0 liter Boxer 4-cylinder engine, which will be fitted into several other future Subaru models.

The newly developed version of the horizontally-opposed engine features updated bore and stroke dimensions (84 x 90 mm compared to the previous 92 x 75 mm) for improved combustion. The best part is Subaru's new engine achieves a 10% improvement in fuel efficiency. That's compared to its predecessor.

Even while being more efficient, the 2.0 liter Boxer still produces 146 horsepower, and gets more torque - now 196 Nm versus 191 Nm for the earlier generation.

So what is the deal with a horizontally-opposed engine? Many cars use a "V-shaped or inline" configuration - a horizontally-opposed engine can sit lower in the engine bay, thus producing a lower center of gravity for the vehicle, improving safety and performance.

Horizontally-opposed engines also balance vibrations from pistons on each side of the motor, canceling one another out and reducing noisy vibrations.