Green Car Congress reports that GM will offer two new engines in 2009, based on its global Ecotec four-cylinder architecture. The 1.4-liter direct-injection turbocharged four-banger and 1.6-liter Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) turbocharged four-cylinder will debut in "Europe and other regions." The uro 5 compliant 1.4-liter four will offer between 120 and 140 hp and eight percent better fuel consumption than a higher displacement naturally-aspirated engine with similar output. Direct injection and independently-variable camshafts account for much of the improved efficiency, and provide a platform onto which GM's HCCI technology can be transferred. The 1.6-liter CNG mill should pump out about 150 hp and 155 lb/ft of torque. This announcement cements the trend towards smaller engines with forced induction, as championed by Ford's forthcoming Ecoboost line of turbocharged mills. Although we're not holding our breath to see GM launch a sub-two liter engine in the U.S., the 1.4-liter engine would likely make the Cobalt or the Aveo a force to be reckoned with-- at least in terms of fuel economy.User comment: By: KixStartOldsmoboi, Perhaps mel23 explains why people report good fuel economy with their Cobalts; the computer is lying to them.
User comment: By: mel23I drove a rental Cobalt from West of Dayton, OH to Cleveland and back with just a couple of miles of that in Cleveland; 99%+ on the interstate. The speed limit is 65, so I tried to keep it at 68. I got 33mpg as measured by miles on the odometer and fuel from the pump. The onboard readout was 37. I'd see no reason to buy a Cobalt compared to a Civic with better airbag configuration and much better trade in value and maybe better mpg.
User comment: By: AxelSo GM is developing nicer, small-displacement gas engines with turbos. And HCCI. And "Belt-assist" hybrids. And "two-mode" hybrids. And plug-in hybrids. And a small(er) diesel engine... For f***'s sake, GM, pick one thing and throw your massive weight into it! To save itself, GM needs something world-changing and unique, something the rest of the market can't beat. High-quality, peppy, domestic compacts with tiny turbo-blown gas engines would kill in the NA market right now. HCCI has all the benefits of diesel with very few of the drawbacks. If GM corners and perfects this tech, it would also be a game changer. But they don't have the time and resources to do it all. If I were in charge, I'd bet the company on HCCI, because, quite frankly, the company's not going to be around in another 5 years if someone doesn't start taking big risks.
User comment: By: JoshvarI'm not sure how you come to the conclusion that Honda will be better at delivering EPA rating than Chevy. Historically, the opposite has been true. Not sure where you've seen this, but I've been first/third-hand witness to Hondas beating their EPA ratings (I've had 3 that all went beyond their ratings regularly, with a young right foot driving them). But I will say, Honda drivers are usually more willing to use their full RPM band than other economy car drivers :)
User comment: By: StingrayMan, the 1.6lt CNG powerplant is specially interesting. Do you have more information on it? I agree, if installed in the Cobalt and Aveo they will be a fuel economy force. Now I just imagine what can be expected on those puppies with a reflash, CAI, downpipe and maybe some cams. This engines will be the performance bargain of the decade... or not And comparing a 1.7-1.8lts car against a 2.2-2.4 lts car in terms of fuel economy is to me like comparing apples to pears. It's obvious the bigger engine will take more fuel. But believe it or not, a bigger engine actually uses less fuel than a smaller one in a similar weight car: higher torque helps to use less throttle to get the vehicle moving, or to keep it moving
User comment: By: mennoI heard that GM is going to put this 1.4 turbo gas direct injection engine into the US MALIBU to replace the 2.4 engine. Slap a 6 speed automatic on the end of it (which it'll absolutely need - since the power band will be too small/suck) and it'd probably be okay.
User comment: By: crcIt's good to see GM putting some effort into their Ecotec. Even when it doesn't get the headlines and hype that the Volt does.
User comment: By: OldsmoboiThe Cobalt regularly beats it's EPA numbers in both automatic and manual trim with 36-37mpg highway being frequently reported. How is this "poor" mileage? I'm not sure how you come to the conclusion that Honda will be better at delivering EPA rating than Chevy. Historically, the opposite has been true.
User comment: By: harryc>Although we're not holding our breath to see GM launch a sub-two liter engine in the U.S... Granted it's a niche player right now, but the Astra launched with a 1.8L Ecotec. That seems to be the natural destination for this 1.4L engine, moving the Astra up in powertrain quality and mileage.
User comment: By: KixStartOldsmoboi, XFE treatment is only available on Cobalts with a stickshift. Automatic Cobalts still get poor fuel economy for that class. And I understand the stick is being phased out of the sedan cobalt, too. So, all Cobalt sedans will get poor fuel economy and automatic coupes will get poor fuel economy. "Good" fuel economy in a Cobalt will be limited to coupes with sticks. What percentage of Cobalts will that be? 25%? Less? I also figure that the Honda has a better chance of delivering the goods to real owners under a wide variety of circumstances. Cobalt owners will only get something like the EPA numbers if they spend their days re-creating the EPA test cycle. You can't escape physics, the Cobalt weighs more and will take more energy to move.
Visit here to subscribe to these commentsUser comment: By: OldsmoboiThe Cobalt is already a force to be reckoned with in terms of fuel economy. In the non-hybrid compact class the Cobalt XFE ties with the Civic.
Sent using SendMeRss.com.
Visit here to unsubscribe from The Truth About Cars.
Recommended Feeds/Actions
No comments:
Post a Comment