The future is .............................. now?

[Number 3]

It just dawned on me that with Mrs. Number 3's new Cruze LTZ in the garage, I now have two 4 cylinder turbos in the stable. Both are great fun to drive but I'm not sure I could have imagined the day when a 1.4 L (nearly 1/4 of an LS3) Turbo was the commuting mobile and the FUN car is a 2.0 L SIDI Turbo making 290 HP with a little help from GMPP.

So is this a sign of the apocalypse ...................... a sign of the times ...................or our automotive future?

[TOMS1SS]

Bad Future. As much as I like my four banger Fiesta as a DD, I'm glad I have an SS to have some fun with like we were all meant to. I've been hearing more and more rumors of I4 Camaros and small displacement Corvettes coming are way in the next couple years. For good or bad this is all being driven by fuel prices and CAFE going through the roof. We need to invent a flux capacitor for a 5th Gen Camaro so we can go back and get the 2015 with flying cars and the skyway, this future is edging on sucking hard without displacement and V8 power.

[JoeP@TeamBeckyD]

Originally Posted by Number 3

It just dawned on me that with Mrs. Number 3's new Cruze LTZ in the garage, I now have two 4 cylinder turbos in the stable. Both are great fun to drive but I'm not sure I could have imagined the day when a 1.4 L (nearly 1/4 of an LS3) Turbo was the commuting mobile and the FUN car is a 2.0 L SIDI Turbo making 290 HP with a little help from GMPP.

So is this a sign of the apocalypse ...................... a sign of the times ...................or our automotive future?

The future is ...now.....and coming FAST....

Originally Posted by TOMS1SS

Bad Future. As much as I like my four banger Fiesta as a DD, I'm glad I have an SS to have some fun with like we were all meant to. I've been hearing more and more rumors of I4 Camaros and small displacement Corvettes coming are way in the next couple years. For good or bad this is all being driven by fuel prices and CAFE going through the roof. We need to invent a flux capacitor for a 5th Gen Camaro so we can go back and get the 2015 with flying cars and the skyway, this future is edging on sucking hard without displacement and V8 power.

displacement and size will have nothing to do with performance...

You can't look back and compare....

because the future is going to be....

(in the not too distant future)

Amazing!!

Hold on tight, .....

the ride the has just begun!!

Becky

[TOMS1SS]

Originally Posted by BeckyD@RodgersChevrolet

The future is ...now.....and coming FAST....




displacement and size will have nothing to do with performance...

You can't look back and compare....

because the future is going to be....

(in the not too distant future)

Amazing!!

Hold on tight, .....

the ride the has just begun!!

Becky

The ironic thing is when the 6th Gen comes out it will be time to replace the DD. Whatever the base model is whether it be 4 or 6 cylinders will likely be the front runner going in. Maybe by then Mr. Fusion will be powering these things; imagine the horsepower and torque generated from cold fusion reactions.

[derklug]

Expect to see 2.0 liter engines replaced by 1.0L DI Turbos, V-6's replaced by 4s and V-8's by 6's. The V-8 cars in the near future will be 450BHP and above(and priced out of the reach of the masses).What the EPA couldn't achieve with emissions standards, they will get with CO2 standards, namely the elimination of big displacement engines. Congrats go out to the engineers who have foiled the enemies of horsepower.

[DevilsReject97]

I don't really think it matters at this point....

The Buick/GM 3.8L V6 was one of the most reliable and power capable motors in recent memory. Could handle crazy amounts of boost/power and it was just a V6. Forced induction with proven performance is a guaranteed way to go.....and if it can be done with the reliability of say the LS motors, I'll take it...

As long as I can still get RWD and 400+hp.... I dont really care if it's a V6 or V8...I'd miss the V8 sound....but I'm pretty sure no one here would be complaining if they had a Grand National in the driveway...

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by derklug

Expect to see 2.0 liter engines replaced by 1.0L DI Turbos, V-6's replaced by 4s and V-8's by 6's. The V-8 cars in the near future will be 450BHP and above(and priced out of the reach of the masses).What the EPA couldn't achieve with emissions standards, they will get with CO2 standards, namely the elimination of big displacement engines. Congrats go out to the engineers who have foiled the enemies of horsepower.

Except that there are big V8 engines achieving the fuel economy of some small turbo'd 4 bangers (while making 1/3 more power too ... ). I'm thinking we'll see the death of the Evo & STi before V8 Camaros go away (or become unattainable). Keep in mind that CAFE is an average, so 30k Camaro SS's may sound like a lot but if you have a V6 with a CAFE score into the low 30's (or possibly low 50's depending on if the E85 loophole is still open) the net impact by Camaros is somewhat low. And ~90k Camaros isn't a whole lot next to a fleet volume of 2,500,000

I don't expect to see V8's disappear from too many more segments in the near future. They'll be in trucks, SUV's, performance cars, and luxury sedans. Perhaps V8 market share in those segments will continue to whittle away as it has, but in all of those segments a V8 is simply a better way to suit the needs of a significant portion of the buyers.

The two places where I think they'll get squeezed out of is in regular (that is, non-luxury) full size sedans like the Charger and midsize trucks (Dakota, Canyon & Colorado). Its already pretty much gone from the full size sedan now anyway (name 2 such cars which can be bought with a V8 for less than $35k). And mid size trucks will either mostly disappear from the US market, or they'll be given a sizable cost & fuel economy advantage over their half ton brethren, and that means smaller & lighter, which in turn means they probably won't be designed to accommodate a V8 under their hood.

[Number 3]

Originally Posted by DevilsReject97

I don't really think it matters at this point....

The Buick/GM 3.8L V6 was one of the most reliable and power capable motors in recent memory. Could handle crazy amounts of boost/power and it was just a V6. Forced induction with proven performance is a guaranteed way to go.....and if it can be done with the reliability of say the LS motors, I'll take it...

As long as I can still get RWD and 400+hp.... I dont really care if it's a V6 or V8...I'd miss the V8 sound....but I'm pretty sure no one here would be complaining if they had a Grand National in the driveway...

Ahhh, Grand National.....mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

1987 Buick Grand National 3.8 L, rated at 260 as I recall. More like 300 I was told, AND YES, I broke the little strip that says "if broken warranty is void" and put an actual "chip" in it. The guy from GM Powertrain that provid said chip said stage 1 bumped the boost, stage two took out the speed limiter and stage 3 required aviation fuel. I got stage 1. T-tops

But I think there was an article on Autoblog.com stating Ford was going to have a 1.0 L Turbo 3 cylinder making the same power as their 1.6 NA engine.

But the Cruze is not hurting and a pretty decent performer, and the Sky will keep up with an SS Oh wait there is no way I could know that.

I remember my first 4 cyclinder and my first new car. A 1984 Chevrolet Chevette. 72 HP as I recall with the HO exhaust, and if I didn't break 55 mph I could actually get 30 MPG on the highway.:(

[LOWDOWN]

Stage 3-type chip, with then-Cam2, on 255/50 X 16 Gatorbacks were good for easy mid-12s back in the day... I still have my Silver-on-Gray '87 T-Type Turbo, bought new. Retro-fitted with the '86 adjustable wastegate...

To answer your original questions: Yes...Yes...and Yes...

[8cd03gro]

Originally Posted by DGthe3

Except that there are big V8 engines achieving the fuel economy of some small turbo'd 4 bangers (while making 1/3 more power too ... ). I'm thinking we'll see the death of the Evo & STi before V8 Camaros go away (or become unattainable). Keep in mind that CAFE is an average, so 30k Camaro SS's may sound like a lot but if you have a V6 with a CAFE score into the low 30's (or possibly low 50's depending on if the E85 loophole is still open) the net impact by Camaros is somewhat low. And ~90k Camaros isn't a whole lot next to a fleet volume of 2,500,000

I don't expect to see V8's disappear from too many more segments in the near future. They'll be in trucks, SUV's, performance cars, and luxury sedans. Perhaps V8 market share in those segments will continue to whittle away as it has, but in all of those segments a V8 is simply a better way to suit the needs of a significant portion of the buyers.

The two places where I think they'll get squeezed out of is in regular (that is, non-luxury) full size sedans like the Charger and midsize trucks (Dakota, Canyon & Colorado). Its already pretty much gone from the full size sedan now anyway (name 2 such cars which can be bought with a V8 for less than $35k). And mid size trucks will either mostly disappear from the US market, or they'll be given a sizable cost & fuel economy advantage over their half ton brethren, and that means smaller & lighter, which in turn means they probably won't be designed to accommodate a V8 under their hood.

The evo is already gone, but the sti drivetrain refresh is supposedly slated for 2013 MY, so it will likely stick around for a while. We'll see v8s in smaller, lighter vehicles before we see them disappear imo.

[ShnOmac]

Originally Posted by Number 3

It just dawned on me that with Mrs. Number 3's new Cruze LTZ in the garage, I now have two 4 cylinder turbos in the stable. Both are great fun to drive but I'm not sure I could have imagined the day when a 1.4 L (nearly 1/4 of an LS3) Turbo was the commuting mobile and the FUN car is a 2.0 L SIDI Turbo making 290 HP with a little help from GMPP.

So is this a sign of the apocalypse ...................... a sign of the times ...................or our automotive future?

Hmmmm Sonic Z-spec....... could be a interesting little car

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by Number 3

I remember my first 4 cyclinder and my first new car. A 1984 Chevrolet Chevette. 72 HP as I recall with the HO exhaust, and if I didn't break 55 mph I could actually get 30 MPG on the highway.:(

Bahaha. My dad had a Chevette for his daily driver in the 80s to early 90s. We still have the engine block in the barn.

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by ShnOmac

Hmmmm Sonic Z-spec....... could be a interesting little car

no no no ... it has to be an SS: Super Sonic

[SleepWarz]

but only available in gold