How Subaru AWD Works

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Here’s how Subaru’s symmetrical AWD system works!

Subaru has been known for their AWD systems for decades. It is a full time AWD system that drives all four wheels of the vehicle. There are a few variants, including having a center differential based on a viscous coupling, a multi-plate clutch pack, a planetary gearset with a clutch lockup and a limited slip differential. In this video, we teardown the center differential with a planetary gearset from a 5 speed automatic transmission out of a 2005 Subaru Outback.

Power is sent from the boxer engine to the 5 speed automatic transmission, which changes gear ratios. At the tail end, a center differential splits power between the sun gear going to the rear tail shaft, and the planet carrier, which goes through a countershaft to the front differential. Through gearing, different torque splits can be applied to each axle.

The front differential is located within the transmission bell housing, below the input shaft. This means the front has equal length axles, and combined with the symmetrically oriented boxer engine, lends to Subaru’s “symmetrical” AWD moniker. This layout limits torque steer, however it puts the heavy engine weight ahead of the front axles, unlike a longitudally mounted RWD based AWD system where the front differential is beside the oil pan, underneath the engine.

Overall the Subaru AWD system and the 5 speed automatic seems to be a very robust system, with this transmission showing very little wear after 300,000km and 17 years of use. From a maintenance perspective, this transmission does away with an external transfer case, prop shaft and differential, instead choosing to have all those functions well integrated into the transmission assembly.

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