Question from a European to an American.

[SotosSW]

Is there ANY car in the U.S. which has an Inline engine and NOT a V? I got so confused when i was searching for some economy driving tips on a forum and people were like "I usually shift gears at 2000rpm and when there's a big uphill at ~2800"
In my struggling 1.1 Fiat Seicento a normal gear shift is like at 2800 and a big uphill shift would be like even close to the HP peak, (talking about 5000rpm).

Even in a friend's 1.4 Citroen Xara. Feels pretty powerful as an everyday-regular car, but when uphill-ing a change at like 4000 rpm might even be required.

[stephenl9000]

Many cars sold in North America have inline 4 and inline 6 engines. Granted, they are much larger than the engine in your Fiat or the engine in your friend's Citroen, but they are still inline engines. It is uncommon to see a car with less than 1.8 liter displacement, and if I had to guess an average I would say about 2.2L for an inline 4. My car has a 3L V6 with ~200BHP (Imperial). I shift at 2000 RPM sometimes but to go uphills I usually need to get to about 3000 at 50km/h. I have driven more powerful cars (one car with an automatic wouldn't go above 2000RPM in normal driving) and less powerful cars. The lowest power car I have driven had about 80BHP and wouldn't hold highway speeds up hills even if you floored it

I'm not American, so maybe I'm not fit to answer this. I do however have an American car (not my Toyota, obviously). It has a 4.7L V8 and I'm not a big fan. Big engines like that one can't rev very high and are drastically inefficient. They also tend to be unrefined. I must say though, they are quite popular, probably because you don't have to step very hard on the gas to get good acceleration. That engine will also happily climb hills under 2500RPM.

In summary, there are many cars in the US that have an inline engine, they just aren't as popular as they are in Europe where gas prices are higher.

[Slim Jim]

Inline engine? What's that? Economy driving? Never heard of it... Seriously though, my first two cars had inline 4-cylinder engines. Both 2.3-liters, both turbocharged. So yea, I guess we ARE spoiled when it comes to engine choice in the US.

In my green car, with the torque converter locked and the transmission in 3rd gear, I can still accelerate up hill from 30 mph at 1,200 rpm...

...right to the next gas station.

[zandor95]

You cant forgot those inline 5s made by GM and Ford.

[WildKarrde]

I've owned I4's, I5's and I6's in America, lol. Both the I5's and I6's were German though.

As far as economy driving, I find that most of my vehicles get the best tolerable fuel mileage accelerating fairly quickly to the speed limit then cruising in the top gear. My 325e *can* get up to 30MPG city and 40MPG highway, but it's such a bore, and pretty stressful as you must accelerate as fast as legally possible (and maybe just a teensy bit more) when going down hill, then get the gas pedal at juuuuust the right spot so that you're losing speed, but don't lose more than 20MPH by the time you get to the top of that next hill. Since I decided after 3 days of driving like this that I didn't like it at all, I get about 27MPG about a 60/40 split of driving in city and highway.

But if I'm stuck creeping along from 0-60 MPH in about 45 seconds (or longer, people around here have no urgancy)... my fuel mileage is almost as bad as driving WOT all the time would be.

[07CobaltGirl]

American made, Chevrolet Cobalt. 2.2L I4 (~140hp), FWD, 5 speed, 2980 lbs. Ok, technically, the engine was probably assembled in Mexico. The car was assembled in Lordstown, Ohio, however. This one (mine) probably weighs in closer to 3200 lbs, as it has a lot of modifications and very few are truly performance oriented (18" wheels, full body kit, etc).

[sansa93]

Off topic: That Cobalt is sick! Did you lower it at all?


On topic: There are plenty of inline engines here in the States. Almost all of them are gasoline powered, though. Hardly any diesels. The only inline diesels I can think of are in the VW Jetta and more recently the Chevy Cruze. Kind of a shame that diesels still have a negative aura about them.

[WildKarrde]

It's also a shame that diesel, I bi-product of gasoline is taxed at such a higher rate than gasoline, despite the fact that there are plenty of zero-emissions diesel cars out there now, some of which can rival the fuel mileage of hybrids without the immensely harmful process of producing and disposing such a large amount of the finite lithium resources we have available. Our country is so screwed up on how to manage energy an emissions that it's almost hopeless.

[07CobaltGirl]

Off topic: That Cobalt is sick! Did you lower it at all?

Off topic Response: Yes, dropped 2" front, 2.5" rear. It also gets 37mpg, and can pull a hill with no issues (unless you're in 5th or under 1500rpm). Very strong engine and decent transmission as well.

Back on topic: We used to have a lot of 4 cylinder motors in American cars. Heck, I remember in the 80's, the base motor for the Gen3 Camaro/Firebird was a 4 banger, 2.5L with like 90hp. Ford Mustangs(2nd/3rd Gen) used to have a 2.3L 4 cylinder and the Pinto started out with a tiny little 1.6L. Most of this was back in the 70s and 80s, however. Even straight 6's are rare these days, except maybe some base model pickups and SUVs. Jeep was huge on the I6 for the Wranglers, but I think they finally quit making them (not a big Jeep follower). Aren't some of the heavy duty truck diesel engines based on an I6 configuration?

[WildKarrde]

I think diesel trucks are about the only place you'll find American made I6's anymore. I don't follow Jeep very closely either, but I do know for a fact they don't make I6's anymore. It's a shame too.

I4's aren't really very rare over here though, most base model cars still have them, and even some of the nicer cars too. I'm not a fan of I4's, but they are great engines. BMW makes a FANTASTIC twin-turbo I4. I'm only disappointed in it by the fact that it's gonna cannibalize I6 sales from BMW. The (hypothetical?) day BMW stops making I6's will be a very dark day indeed for me.

[Daffyflyer]

Of course we still have this excellent specimen of an Inline 6, at least for the next few years

[WildKarrde]

That's not in the Miata... is it?

[07CobaltGirl]

It's a Ford Falcon engine from Australia.

[WildKarrde]

I know it's not a stock Miata engine... but if he transplanted it, my god. That would be effing sweet!

Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but the engine bay shown in the picture is the same color as his Miata, lol.

[sansa93]

I think diesel trucks are about the only place you'll find American made I6's anymore. I don't follow Jeep very closely either, but I do know for a fact they don't make I6's anymore. It's a shame too.

I know GM had a inline 5 in the Chevrolet Colorado. And I thought most, if not all, American diesels were V8s. I could be wrong though.

I know it's not a stock Miata engine... but if he transplanted it, my god. That would be effing sweet!

That would be amazing!

Off Topic

Off topic Response: Yes, dropped 2" front, 2.5" rear. It also gets 37mpg, and can pull a hill with no issues (unless you're in 5th or under 1500rpm). Very strong engine and decent transmission as well.

It looks great! I need to lower mine. My Pontiac G5 with the same L61 Ecotec. It's seems to be pretty durable. 118k miles and I haven't had any problems at all with it. I can't stand the 4 speed auto, though. It's still a fun car to drive and the fuel economy is pretty good too.