by "bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
Published 04/15/2017 at 09:05
by "bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
Published 04/15/2017 at 09:05
Tags: state of the engines
; mitsubishi
; ford
; bmw
; mini
; smart
; smart fortwo
; mirage
; i8
; hybrid
; electric
STARS: 11
Last time on State of the Engines
, I covered the singular 2-cylinder car... but if you want a 3-cylinder, there’s more options. Most of them are still from BMW, but hey.
I’m going to change up the format a bit, now that there’s more than one engine, and two of them (in various states of tune) are shared between multiple cars. We’ll go in order of base MSRP here.
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The 3A92 is used in one of the cheapest new cars available in the US market today, the Mirage. (The Nissan Versa has a lower MSRP, but I checked AutoTrader last night, and the Mirage hatch was the cheapest new car in the US that was listed with an actual price, some of them going for under $8000, brand new, model year 2017.)
It’s a 1193 cc naturally aspirated inline-3, 78 hp @ 6000 RPM, and 74 lb-ft @ 4000 RPM.
Reviewers tend to pan the Mirage for its driving dynamics, but in today’s economy, the price has a hell of a lot going for it. 78 hp doesn’t sound like a lot, but this is also, in manual hatchback form, the lightest new fully-assembled car available on the US market, at 2018 lbs... and some of us probably had worse power to weight ratios in our first cars (mine was ~2350 lbs and 52 hp). And, it’s efficient, too - EPA mileage is above 40 highway in all trims, with city mileage ranging from 33 to 37 depending on body style and transmission. For 2014-2015, the years with the most cars, Fuelly users are reporting right around 39-41 mpg average.
So, you know how we worked ourselves into a frenzy over the Buick Regal TourX, as the Second Coming Of The Station Wagon™? EcoModder was like that about this car, except it never stopped. See, a huge portion of EcoModder’s membership is motivated by cost first, rather than environmental impact first, making the Geo Metro the popular choice there - before they all rusted out, it was quite possibly the cheapest way to get from point A to point B in the US. Therefore, they see this as the second coming of the Geo Metro - a dirt cheap, efficient conveyance.
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A Renault engine, in my United States? It’s more likely than you think... at least for now. (It’ll be gone for next model year.)
This is also our first turbocharged engine in the series, and the smallest engine we’ll be talking about today. It’s an 898 cc turbocharged inline-3, producing 89 hp @ 5500 RPM, 100 lb-ft @ 2500 RPM. With a displacement that small, you know it’s going into a small car... and it’s going into the smallest fully-assembled new car you can buy in the US, the smart fortwo:
The Renault connection here is that the W/C453 smarts are sharing a platform with the Renault Twingo, and all internal combustion smarts are using a Renault engine now as a result.
This also means that the horrific single-clutch automated gearbox is gone (my dad had a W451, I’ve driven it, it was fucking awful), replaced with a dual-clutch box, and for the first time, a true manual is available.
Efficiency has never been the fortwo’s forte - EPA mileage is between 31 and 33 MPG city depending on transmission, and 38 and 39 highway depending on body style, on premium. The fortwo’s aerodynamics are the problem here - with tall packaging, frontal area is high, and without any sort of length, the tail can’t taper and drag coefficient is high.
And, ultimately, this means that the internal combustion fortwo is dead in the US market after this model year - it doesn’t make much sense here. Internal combustion makes sense for longer-range travel, but the fortwo’s high drag and short wheelbase make it less suited to longer-range travel. And, for much of the country, parking a subcompact or compact is exactly as easy as parking a smart - you find a parking space, and you park in it.
I do have concerns over the all-electric strategy for the brand in the US, though - for deep urban use, charging is a huge issue, and I don’t think they’ve satisfactorily dealt with it in the US context. The car supports 3-phase AC fast charging, but that’s not a thing in the US , and there’s no DC fast charging alternative for this car. Home charging isn’t an option for many urban dwellers, either.
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Yet another turbocharged engine, and this has the interesting twist that it’s one of the few remaining engines that is sold (at least in the Fiesta) only with a manual transmission.
It’s a 999 cc, turbocharged inline-3, making 123 hp @ 6000 RPM, 125 lb-ft @ 3500 RPM. Ford sells this engine in cars as large as the Mondeo (aka Fusion) in Europe, but here, they keep it to the Fiesta and Focus. In the Fiesta, it gets only a 5-speed manual, whereas in the Focus, it gets your choice of a 6-speed manual, or the much-maligned 6-speed PowerShift dual-clutch box.
This is the first (actually, I believe it’ll be the only one in the entire series) of these engines that I’ve actually driven - I test drove a 2015 Fiesta SE with the SFE package when they first came out, as a backup plan in case my Mk4 Golf TDI needed replacement. I hated the car’s utter lack of feedback and sensation of speed... but the engine was extremely competent. It really didn’t matter what revs you were doing, it just did what you told it to without complaint. The gearing was almost identical to my TDI, and that was fine, to be honest.
EPA mileage with a manual is 30-31 city depending on model, 40-41 highway depending on model, on regular . Yes, a Focus with the 1.0T is rated at similar mileage to the smart fortwo. It’s 27/38 for the DCT.
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So, there’s actually two states of tune that we’re going to talk about here, and they almost belong separately. In either case, we’re talking about a 1499 cc turbocharged inline-3.
The entire Mini lineup uses the lower-powered of the two tunes, the B38A15M0, as its base US-market engine. This tune produces 134 hp @ 4500-6500 RPM, and 162 lb-ft @ a shockingly low 1250 RPM.
Fuel economy on premium ranges from a best of 28 city, 38 highway, in the 2-door Mini Cooper Hardtop with a manual, to a worst of 22 city, 29 highway in the Mini Cooper Clubman ALL4. (Interestingly, the Countryman isn’t the worst - my guess is that, even though it has added height, it’s allowing more curve to the roofline, reducing drag coefficient.)
There’s also an upcoming PHEV version of the Countryman (the *takes a breath* Mini Cooper S E Countryman ALL4... or is it Mini Cooper S E ALL4 Countryman? Because Mini uses both...), using a rear electric motor combined with a FWD automatic B38 powertrain. This is based on the BMW 225xe that’s been on sale in Europe for a while now (the X1, 2-series Active Tourer, and Countryman are on the same platform), but it’s not out in the US yet, so it doesn’t actually make the list.
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And here’s Doug DeMuro reviewing the higher-powered B38, the BMW i8. It uses the B38K15T0, at 228 hp @ 5800, 236 lb-ft @ 3700 RPM, through an automatic. Combined with the front 128 hp electric motor, there’s a total system output of 358 hp. Conceptually, this is the 225xe/Countryman S E, just in reverse, and with a lot more power.
We’re still talking about smaller engines, so what the hell, fuel efficiency numbers. 28 city, 29 highway in charge sustaining mode, which, as far as 360 hp sportscars go... not terrible, but the highway mileage isn’t great. I’d say you’re not buying this for the mileage, but to be honest, you probably are if you’re buying this one... However, it’s got 14 miles of all electric range (with, of course, significantly less power than with the engine running), and another mile of charge depleting range with the engine running.
Next time, I’ll discuss the flat-4. I’ll have to figure out the format - there’s three engine families, and two of them are from the same manufacturer (but have many variations). I’ll probably combine a lot more than I did here.
"FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com" (alphaass)
04/15/2017 at 09:19, STARS: 0
Another great write up. Looking ahead, there are actually 4 flat-4 families out there unless you are combining Subaru’s FA and FB families into one. The WRX STi is still carrying on with the old EJ-series motor. So that makes 3 from Subaru and one from Porsche.
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
04/15/2017 at 09:29, STARS: 1
I wasn’t combining FA and FB, I thought STi had moved to FB. Seeing as I haven’t even written that post yet, that won’t be a hard correction to make.
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
04/15/2017 at 09:38, STARS: 0
A couple notes about the C453 (we don’t get the W453 in America):
The EPA testing has never been kind to city cars of any kind. They seem to expect near full throttle acceleration and a complete lack of efficient driving style, basically the lowest common denominators of drivers.
My C453 consistently gets 40-50+ mpg under regular driving conditions, that includes the 2,000 mile trip home from California at 80-90 mph, and me pounding on the throttle at green lights to hear the turbo spool up. How people manage to get poor fuel economy in a smart is beyond me. *Shrug*
As for the W451's tranny, I still think people are overreacting about it. Sure, it’s a little weird for a few thousand miles, but eventually most will either come to like it or forget it even exists (those who truly don’t like it tend to sell it pretty quickly). In my experience being in the smart community for 9 years, the issue seems to stem from folks who move from a typical automatic or CVT to a smart and expect the same thing.
I drive mine in Manual Mode 100% of the time (the Auto Mode’s shift points make no sense) and it feels no different than the Saturn I learned to drive Manual in. :)
Nice write-up! Sadly 3 cylinders may be on their way out as some automakers aren’t getting much gains from reducing engine size as they are from just turbocharging a decent 4 cylinder.
"awmaster10" (awmaster10)
04/15/2017 at 09:40, STARS: 0
are you really going to go through every 4 and 6 cylinder in the future? I guess brands now only have about 2 each because of all the parts sharing, but still seems like a lot I would imagine. Im thinking of starting a series going through the numbers of cylinders and detailing my favorites/the best of each from ALL time periods.
"benjrblant" (benjblant)
04/15/2017 at 09:44, STARS: 0
ooh ooh, do flat-4 and inline 6's sometime please! this is great.
"FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com" (alphaass)
04/15/2017 at 09:46, STARS: 0
Haha yeah it keeps being rumored that it’ll get a higher output version of the FA20DIT but so far it has stuck with the EJ. At this point it’ll probably be the next generation.
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
04/15/2017 at 10:08, STARS: 1
The thing is, that lowest common denominator is a huge percentage of the driving population, and the only way you’ll get efficient driving out of them is to take the controls from them when they do something inefficient. (That said, the EPA test cycle isn’t doing anywhere close to WOT to ABS - even supplemental FTP isn’t going full throttle even on a Mirage, based on how the speed versus time plots go. Still, it’ll be enough to get into boost enrichment on a H4Bt, I suspect.)
My dad’s W451 averaged 41-42 mpg when I borrowed it, for what it’s worth, in a mix of short-trip small city (so not stop-and-go per se, but lower speeds, the occasional stop, and probably not fully warming up), rural 55 mph highways, and a 70-75 mph freeway trip to Michigan to look at a TDI. I eventually got the fuzzy logic to learn my driving style a bit better, at the end of the couple weeks I had it - no, I don’t want 5th gear at ~1500ish RPM climbing a steep hill at 35 mph, thank you - but I still hated the gearbox, even in manual mode, because of how horrifically slow it was to shift. The fact that you’re not doing much during the shift didn’t help the sensation of a slow shift...
As far as 3-cylinders going out... they do have some efficiency benefits compared to a similar displacement 4-cylinder, due to lower friction, and cylinder surface area vs. volume benefits. However, as you point out, downsizing isn’t working well (although I wouldn’t say that turbocharging a decent 4-cylinder is the ideal option here - just make a decent 4-cylinder), and Americans don’t really buy the size classes of car that work well in the displacement range that a 3-cylinder works best in. (Really, the Mirage and the fortwo are the two on this list that I’d put a naturally aspirated 3-cylinder in.) There’s also NVH issues with 3-cylinders, especially as per-cylinder displacement increases - a 2.0 liter I4 is something extremely common, but a 1.5 liter I3 is much harder, with displacements around ~1.0 liter being more common for a reason.
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
04/15/2017 at 10:12, STARS: 3
Nope - inline 4s, V6s, and V8s are being skipped, I’m sticking with the uncommon ones.
For that matter, I’m leaning against even doing inline 6 (which is basically “list every BMW except for the X1, the Mini line, the i3, and the i8"). I might also circle back and do a “here’s all the diesels” post, which would pick up one of the inline 6s (outside of that engine, I’ve got no diesels in the list).
Here’s my plans right now, for what to do:
Flat-4
Flat-6
VR6
V10
V12
W12 (I might lump this in with VR6)
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
04/15/2017 at 10:13, STARS: 1
Flat-4's coming (probably not tomorrow, I haven’t written it up).
I’m leaning against doing inline 6, but... screw it, I might poll in the comments.
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
04/15/2017 at 10:15, STARS: 1
Quick poll: Who’s interested in seeing an inline-6 article? It’s not the most common configuration, being restricted to one manufacturer for MY2017 (BMW), but because it’s in like 90% of their lineup, that makes it a bit more common... And, it’s far more common in trucks (bigger ones than the scope of this series).
There will not be articles on the inline 4, or the V6 or V8.
"carcrasher88" (carcrasher88)
04/15/2017 at 10:45, STARS: 0
The best thing is that next year, the ones here that will still be offered will be joined by what will be the second best of the bunch (behind the i8, of course), a 1.5 liter version of the EcoBoost 3 in the next Fiesta ST.
"jimz" (jimz)
04/15/2017 at 10:50, STARS: 0
I drove the 1.0 Fox in non-turbo form in a Ka a couple of years ago. Definitely geared to be a city car. you basically have to treat the gas pedal like an on-off switch. Clutch out, floor it, clutch in, shift, clutch out, floor it, etc. And I think it was screaming along near 4,000 RPM at 70 mph in top gear.
but that actually contributes to getting better mpg than the sticker might indicate like Miss Mercedes says; running at wider throttle openings reduces the pumping losses through the throttle body.
though I will say, 3 cylinder engines in cars never sound very happy about their jobs.
"TheTurbochargedSquirrel" (thatsquirrel)
04/15/2017 at 11:54, STARS: 0
Don’t forget I5s.
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
04/15/2017 at 12:20, STARS: 0
I didn’t. (The last I5s sold in the US market were the MY2016 Volvo S60/V60/V60XC, XC60, and XC70. The XC70 is dead, and the remaining models are using the new VEA 2.0 now.)
(The PHEVs aren’t on this sheet of the workbook, so that’s why 2 isn’t a checkbox.)
"TheTurbochargedSquirrel" (thatsquirrel)
04/15/2017 at 12:22, STARS: 0
I believe Audi is using an I5 in some of their new cars.
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
04/15/2017 at 12:25, STARS: 0
The new RS3 and TT RS aren’t yet certified for the US market, though, so not for MY2017 (or MY2018 yet). (Also, edited my reply, I had the spreadsheet filtered wrong, and lost the V10s as a result.)
"itranthelasttimeiparkedit" (itranthelasttimeiparkedit)
04/15/2017 at 12:29, STARS: 0
Yes inline 6
"awmaster10" (awmaster10)
04/15/2017 at 13:49, STARS: 0
seems like a cool series and theres no reason to go through some of the more common configurations
"Cé hé sin" (michael-m-mouse)
04/15/2017 at 18:36, STARS: 0
This also means that the horrific single-clutch automated gearbox is gone
As I always tell people when they say that AMTs are awful - the first one I drove, back in 2004, was a Mk1 Smart and it was very good. I’ve since driven (counts on fingers) four more varieties of AMT and been driven in two more and they’ve all been perfectly acceptable.
“My” Smart - 700cc turbo triple - remains the most economical non-hybridised petrol car I’ve ever driven.
"lecrab" (superservaas)
04/17/2017 at 05:58, STARS: 0
Interesting piece. I enjoyed reading that. It is very interesting how different the US and EU market is. We have more 3cil engines over here I believe. Possibly mostly thanks to the french manufacturers, that all carry 3cil engines.
"lecrab" (superservaas)
04/17/2017 at 06:32, STARS: 1
Mileage: I can only see that people over here (europe) tend to drive fast everywhere. Which leads to lower mileage. Well, kilometerage. I drive a 1.2 3 cyl Cactus, capable of 20 km/l, which translates to 47mpg us. I hear people say it doesn’t get more than 16km/l (37mpg), but it’s just a matter of having a lead foot.
The cactus also has a semi-auto tranny, without option to use manual, however, you get flippers on the wheel to interfere when needed. It does take some time to get used to, but it actually does a pretty good job. An interesting little nugget of info is that Peugeot used this tranny in a way larger car, namely the 508 diesel hybrid, where the electric motor smoothed out the shift points ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSA_HYbrid4 ).
"Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo" (akioohtori)
04/17/2017 at 09:26, STARS: 0
I’d be interested in seeing who (if anybody) is doing 5 cylinders these days.
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
04/17/2017 at 11:09, STARS: 1
For MY2017, nobody.
Much of Volvo’s lineup had them for MY2016, but they all moved to the new 2.0 I4. And, Audi hasn’t certified the MY2018? RS3 and TT RS, which will have one.