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Originally Posted by shaffe
That is a good question. Only thing I can think of is maybe it has something to do with the modular design vs pushrod? Hopefully someone smarter chimes in lol
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Well it is easier to make a 4 valve motor meet emissions standards than a 2 valve, but I don't think that is the main reason. If you look around the industry, there are fewer and fewer high performance N/A motors. I believe the Ford 5.2L motor will be a compromise on several fronts. It is almost certainly more expensive than a forced induction engine at the same power level. Even for a DOHC motor, that 8200 rpm redline means expensive parts to make it live. It will also be a compromise down low, with mediocre low end power that many people aren't accustomed to. Personally, it sounds like it is shaping up to be a badass track engine, I am just not sure people will like it in traffic.
I believe GM didn't feel they could meet the desired power number so they gave up quickly on a DI 427 motor. Maybe they wanted 600 and when they could only get 550 they decided to go a different route. I know they said it made less power but I call BS on that, they weren't specific on what it made. The Z06 is a very important halo car to GM though, so if there are significant shortcomings (like it can't beat a viper) I believe GM will fix these issues. People do push these cars and expect them to meet the claimed performance.