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March 25, 2010
New Engines
New Technologies by the Three North-American Auto Manufacturers
Though the latest fad seems to be hybrid and electric vehicles, conventional internal combustion engines are here to stay for quite a while still. Indeed, automotive specialists predict that about 20% of the cars on the market ten years from now could very well be of the hybrid electric or full electric configuration. Consequently, there will still be 80% of cars and trucks still running with internal combustion engines. But, by that time, their fuel consumption and their emissions will have surely decreased. Proof positive is the arrival of such new engines.
Ford EcoBoost
One of the engines that will be making a big splash on our market is the Ford EcoBoost V6. This 3.5-litre engine will be offered first in bigger cars such as the Ford Taurus SHO, Ford Flex Limited, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT. Ford claims drivers will get V8 performance with V6 fuel economy.
The new EcoBoost V6 is only the first of many EcoBoost engines. Among its main features are the twin turbochargers and mostly direct fuel injection, the latest technical discovery for gasoline powered engines. Among the other EcoBoost engines coming up is a four-cylinder powerplant that should debut in one of Ford’s newest compact cars such as the Fiesta or Focus. According to Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president of Global Product Development, “Compared with the current cost of diesel and hybrid technologies, customers should recoup their initial investment in a 4-cylinder EcoBoost through fuel savings in about 30 months. It would take an average of seven and one-half years for the owner of a diesel powered vehicle to recoup the same investment and 12 years for an hybrid.”
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GM’s 2.4L I4 Ecotec DOHC
General Motors is back on track and is already offering one of its first “new” engines, the 2.4L Ecotec DOHC four-cylinder powerplant. Just like Ford, GM chose the newest engineering technology, direct fuel injection, to make its four-banger more economical.
Among other benefits are a 3% gain in fuel efficiency, a 25% reduction of cold start emissions, and a 5 to 8% horsepower and torque improvement through improved air/fuel mixture effi ciency, better combustion, and increased compression ratio made possible by charge cooling effect. According to GM, consumers who drive a 2.4L-equipped Equinox 20,000 kilometres per year might save from 100 to 400 litres of fuel per year or about $100 to $300 annually. Note that GM has also introduced a new 3.0L Direct Injection V6 for the new Equinox and other vehicles.
Chrysler’s Pentastar 3.6L V6
Chrysler is also back in business. But before it took a break last spring, the American manufacturer had the time to introduce a totally new V6 engine, the 3.6L Pentastar VVT, an engine that should debut with the upcoming 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. This 60 degree-V6 will dual overhead cam will feature VVT (Variable Valve Timing) and Flexible Fuel technology. It should develop some 280 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque and, according to the manufacturer, it should deliver a 11% fuel economy improvement compared to last year’s V6 offered in the same Jeep with 33% more horsepower and 11% more torque. The Pentastar V6 should also fi nd its way under the hood of a few other upcoming Chrysler products.
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Éric Descarries
