KITT222 -
Quote:
Originally Posted by KITT222
Didnt know that. Why havent smaller motors been in previous cars then? Something with being underpowered? Too 'noticeable'? Help me with that. I guess the Ecotec series is reliable enough, so why fix whats not broken?
|
Go to European car websites and you will usually see maybe 5 engine options for one car. Here in the USA we have far fewer because of the lack of diesel options and the expectation that a car must have fast 0-60 times. We are about to get the Ford Fiesta, but there are even smaller cars in the EU like the Ford Ka. Microcars make more sense in the narrow streets of "Medieval" EU cities.
Regarding more noticeable, remember that the driver doesn't start the engine, the ECU/PCM decides when to start the engine. GM wanted this to be transparent to the driver. They determined that the 3-banger was too noticeable, especially when they added a turbo. Here is my source :
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...der-12005.html
Quote:
... why GM went with the 1.4 L non-turbo 4 cylinder engine and found out some other interesting things.
For one thing, per Nitz, "the 1.4L NA four has better brake-specific fuel consumption than the 1.0L turbo when used in steady state mode, as it will be in the Volt application."
Also Nitz claims the four cylinder engine will provide for a smoother transition from EV to range extension saying "the objective is to keep the engine off and when the engine comes on, you don’t want to know it’s on. You want it really smooth and four cylinder is smoother than a three."
Nitz also noted that the four cylinder has a lower cost and that when the turbocharging architecture is added to the 3-cylinder engine, the non-turbo four cylinder engine setup is actually lighter.
|
CarloSW2