CAR engines is reduced without compromising performance

Paul A. Eisenstein, NBC News contribution
Passengers have a habit of packing some unusual things in the luggage, but if a Ford engineer passed his bag through the security checkpoint recently, it took the TSA clearly surprised X-ray technician. There was no gun, knife or illegal drugs, but a large steel sheet. More specifically, it was the most important piece of a new 1, 2.0-liter engine that Ford Fiesta next year will begin offering on its small car.

With gasoline prices surges to near levels and many experts predict a steady rise in in the next few years record consumers look for ways to reduce their heating costs. There is a clear trend towards downsizing with compact and subcompact cars increase their market share significantly.

But the Americans always believers who is better, and despite the expectations, has still no demand for SUVs and CUVs reduced. If anything, pickups are sales, pick up now, again. These vehicles are always far more mileage than ever and reduction to get also the loan - but, if you reached its climax under the hood, you may not notice.

Take the Ford F-150. The full-sized pickup has traditionally a range has been driven by large, larger and really enormous V 8s. But in the last year, about half F-series pickups, which were roles in Ford's show rooms equipped with small V-6s.

"The old adage:" there is no replacement for displacement "now obsolete," said Bob Fascetti, Director of operations of global engine for Ford.

Downsizing trend
Not the only one is the Detroit automakers to discard this old saying which. Hyundai delivered a quite shock, a couple of years when they the latest generation Sonata line, the mid-sized sedan are introduced only with a four-cylinder engine instead of the traditionally required V-6 option. A growing number of competitors copied have since this approach.


"Downsizing trend, of the change in the automotive industry captured switching to four-cylinder engines," said Jim Farley, Ford's global marketing Czar.

It is not the first time automakers powertrains have shrunk. They tried this strategy in the 1970s and 1980s, according to the two Mideast oil shocks. But came the machinery they were using to it bluntly, incapable of the job. Motorists steered largely clear mockingly known as "stone ponies."

A very different breed, but are today's downsizing engines thanks to sophisticated technologies such as Advanced turbocharging, direct fuel injection and variable valve timing.

"We have a long way in relation to the performance of small engines, have come", said Dave Sullivan, auto analyst at AutoPacific, Inc. And while "we have reached the point where bigger cars of fuel consumption of smaller cars can get" without performance penalty much - if any.

You look at Ford's new 1, 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine, which caused a stir when the block was made by X-ray. 3-Cylinder engines on only the most cost-effective Econoboxes were found over the last few decades. They were rough, slow and generally unpleasant to drive. The new Turbo Ford Powertrain, developed torque than the current 1.6-liter engine in the Fiesta found but actually much more power and wheel-spinning.

Automotive Engineers like to talk about "specific issue", the amount of energy from a given displacement. The new 2.0 liter EcoBoost has 123 HP per liter. Compare that with the great Lamborghini Aventador, its 6,5 liter V-12, "only" 108 BHP per litre.

A new era
The trend towards downsizing engines not with mainstream and economy cars. Even luxury manufacturers shift gear, many shoppers more environmentally friendly technology demand, even if they can afford the bills for gas. Bentley has a new V-8, which is a virtual match for the fulfilment of its classic V-8 recently.


These new technologies like direct injection, Porsche helped deliver more performance - also if it bumped 911 sports car by a significant 16 per cent on the fuel consumption of the latest generation.

Of course other breakthroughs also help such as improved aerodynamic designs and advanced 7-8-and even 9-speed transmission, which will ensure that operated the motor always on the most efficient RPM speeds.

"We are a new age, input," said Ford's Farley, where the latest gasoline-powered drive efficiency now deliver "fuel economy in the range of the hybrid called off."

And so, while advanced drives like the EcoBoost could carry a relatively low price of traditional gas engines, they are always much cheaper than hybrids. This is one reason, said Ford marketing Chief, why sales of hybrids and battery cars can not as fast as expected in spite of this year's run-up in fuel prices is growing. In fact, he notes industry studies that show some current hybrid buyer "would go back to conventionally-powered vehicles".

That said, not to write off Farley and other executives, ready battery-based vehicles. As well as getting the latest gas engines, warn some experts that technology can hit the wall soon. And with the recently adopted federal corporate average fuel economy standard 54.5 mpg by 2025 asked, can the industry be even forced, more hybrids and battery cars - and impetus for further vehicle reduction take over.

But as the latest 1, 2.0-litre EcoBoost shows, the gas engine shows much more life than many expected - and this is clearly good news for American motorists who still like their large sedans, pickups, and SUVs.