Any vehicles with a V6 still being made?!
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Karla's Ford Fusion recently passed the 200K mark. It is a 2012 and even though she has taken immaculate care of it and wants to put work into it to get it to 300K, I think it's time to retire the car. She needs AC work that will cost $1500, plus, at this age I think we should have the engine and transmission mounts replaced, the seals checked, and countless other little things. If everything went perfect, it's still going to be at least $3,000 and I'm sure that we will find other issues.
I've started researching her picks for a new vehicle if this does need replaced. Her first choice is a Subaru Outback (her real first choice is a Mustang, but she doesn't think it's a good car for an 18-month toddler). I started looking over the specs and noticed it only comes in a 4.5 liter 4 or 4.4 "turbo" 4. I'm sorry, but you can "turbo" the hell out of a 4 cylinder and it's still a 4 cylinder. So I started searching for other wagon/crossover SUVS. They are all 4 cylinder. Apparently my 2013 Terrain was the last 6 they built. I can't find a 6 until going all the way up to Ford Explorer, and at that weight the engine should be a frigging V8...
Yeah, yeah, yeah... I've heard all the crap about a 4 cylinder being as powerful as a 6, and that's exactly what it is, crap. I can't tell you how many 4 cylinders I blow past in my Terrain. But all the people with their weak little 4 cylinder vehicles tell themselves that to make them feel better.
So, any suggestions for a decent newish crossover with a big enough engine that it's not going to blow out trying to climb the hills of Western PA and MD? Or do I need to consider bumping her up to a truck?
The Brad
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Karla's Ford Fusion recently passed the 200K mark. It is a 2012 and even though she has taken immaculate care of it and wants to put work into it to get it to 300K, I think it's time to retire the car. She needs AC work that will cost $1500, plus, at this age I think we should have the engine and transmission mounts replaced, the seals checked, and countless other little things. If everything went perfect, it's still going to be at least $3,000 and I'm sure that we will find other issues.
I've started researching her picks for a new vehicle if this does need replaced. Her first choice is a Subaru Outback (her real first choice is a Mustang, but she doesn't think it's a good car for an 18-month toddler). I started looking over the specs and noticed it only comes in a 4.5 liter 4 or 4.4 "turbo" 4. I'm sorry, but you can "turbo" the hell out of a 4 cylinder and it's still a 4 cylinder. So I started searching for other wagon/crossover SUVS. They are all 4 cylinder. Apparently my 2013 Terrain was the last 6 they built. I can't find a 6 until going all the way up to Ford Explorer, and at that weight the engine should be a frigging V8...
Yeah, yeah, yeah... I've heard all the crap about a 4 cylinder being as powerful as a 6, and that's exactly what it is, crap. I can't tell you how many 4 cylinders I blow past in my Terrain. But all the people with their weak little 4 cylinder vehicles tell themselves that to make them feel better.
So, any suggestions for a decent newish crossover with a big enough engine that it's not going to blow out trying to climb the hills of Western PA and MD? Or do I need to consider bumping her up to a truck?
@lufins-dad I have nothing to suggest.
However, Mrs. George had a 2011 328i with the 6 cylinder engine. It was a rocket, and it would have been a great car for her other than the ridiculously stiff suspension and steering. That said, I've had three turbocharged Audis. All have been great cars, and the oldest (a 2006 A4) went about 200K miles, iirc. And, my current A4 would easily keep pace with Mrs. George's 328.
Sorry, back to your question...
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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@copper said in Any vehicles with a V6 still being made?!:
Don't put $3,000 into it if it is worth less than $3,000 after the work is done.
It's not about the value, it's about the miles that you get out of it for the investment...
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https://www.davearbogast.com/2017-gmc-terrain-performance/
The 2017 GMC Terrain with the 3.6L V6 goes 0-60 in a more than respectable 6.7 seconds.
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@lufins-dad I have nothing to suggest.
However, Mrs. George had a 2011 328i with the 6 cylinder engine. It was a rocket, and it would have been a great car for her other than the ridiculously stiff suspension and steering. That said, I've had three turbocharged Audis. All have been great cars, and the oldest (a 2006 A4) went about 200K miles, iirc. And, my current A4 would easily keep pace with Mrs. George's 328.
Sorry, back to your question...
@george-k said in Any vehicles with a V6 still being made?!:
@lufins-dad I have nothing to suggest.
That said, I've had three turbocharged Audis. All have been great cars, and the oldest (a 2006 A4) went about 200K miles, iirc. And, my current A4 would easily keep pace with Mrs. George's 328.
Sorry, back to your question...
Keep telling yourself that
I wouldn't worry about the 4 cylinders as much, except she's going to be putting a lot of miles over some hilly territory over the next couple of years and I've driven multiple 4 cylinder vehicles through that area over the last 10 years, and they've all struggled to some extent.
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We had a 2017 Terrain 4-banger. MFR's company car. It couldn't get out of it's own way hardly.
@mik said in Any vehicles with a V6 still being made?!:
We had a 2017 Terrain 4-banger. MFR's company car. It couldn't get out of it's own way hardly.
US News said the acceleration was "leisurely" and the transmission was "slow." The V6 goes 0-60 in about 7 seconds. Not as fast as my 4-banger, but, respectable.
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We did buy it and give it to The Princess. then we took back the 2010 Camry as a second car. We thought we would buy MFR a new car, but it turns out we almost never need the second car so we just kept the Camry. I doubt we put 500 miles on it this year. We have to drive it every three weeks or so just to keep the battery up. Still, had I known i would have kept the 2006 Odyssey, which offered more capacity. My Murano Platinum has a 6 and plenty of power. 8.1 seconds.
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@lufins-dad said in Any vehicles with a V6 still being made?!:
er being as powerful as a 6, and that's exactly what it is, crap. I can't tell you how many 4 cylinders I blow past in my Terrain. But all the people with their weak little 4 cylinder vehicles tell themselves that to make them feel better.
It's not your grandfather's 4-cyl. (there was some car commercial about a car not being your grandfather's. I think it was Oldsmobile. And they went feet-up. So they lied: they died just like grandpa).
My Audi Q5 TDI is a V-6 diesel. It has 428 ft/lbs. of torque, which means it is 0-60 as fast or faster than my A5 (4 cyl. turbo) or my wife's A3 4-cyl. turbo (same-same as the A5), and can pull out tree stumps at the same time. I love it. On the freeway with cruise, it gets nearly 40 mpg. And as for any hills, they don't exist with that much torque. That being said, a lot of people don't like diesels. But the Germans have perfected the technology, in that you can't tell it's a diesel as there is absolutely no clattering or smell or anything that would otherwise identify it as diesel.
I specifically wanted the turbo diesel, it took me a long time to find because of dieselgate, finally found one that met my specs at a dealership in Beverly Hills. Imagine, me. . . and Beverly Hills. They wouldn't ever let me into their neighborhoods, but they were more than happy to take Rainman's money. And because like fine booze, it's an acquired taste, I confess it did cost a bit and I had to come up with some pretty damn clever arguments to my wife in support of getting it.Those Subaru's are nice. I know people that have them and rave about them, especially women. Not sure why the connection to females, kinda like Volvo and women, it's just there. Maybe it's the vanity mirrors all over the place. A friend of mine (male) has a Volvo, it's damn fast. So much for my theory.
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There's been a broad adoption of turbos across carmakers.
From the high-end down the to low end.
For example - the performance BMW and Mercedes models moved from a V8 to a turbocharged V6 over the last gen. (they even pumped in engine sound through the speakers because the V6 was much quieter).
In regular cars, there's been a broad substitution of 4-cylinder turbos from V6.
In terms of power and torque - a modern turbo 4 can be a lot better than a 90's/early 2000's v6 (not sure in terms of reliability).
My Golf had 225hp and 260ftlb of torque... thing kicked ass on our v6 honda sedan from back in the day in terms of performance.
(The new Golf R has 310Hp and 315ftlb of torque (!!!!) - just checked. )
But you're right - the new engines are not across-the-board better than the old v6s. Many suck. But they are more efficient across the board.
EDIT: as to why this is happening. With new transmission tech and software - you can get to yesteryear V6 performance with a 4-banger. You could apply the same techniques to a V6 as well - but you start getting into ridiculous performance territory then.
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Rav4 prime is one to consider maybe.
Again - not a V6, but it's a toyota hybrid, which is pretty reliable.
It's a plug in hybrid. Combined HP is 310 and 40+ mpg (0-60 of 5.4 seconds)
It's a little pricey though.
V6s are slim pickings in the compact SUV market.
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Well, this entire helpful discussion could be tossed, if we go back to man's man V-8's. All 4's and most 6's sound dorky, doesn't matter what kind of exhaust system.
When classic 60's cars pull up with a growl, it means. . . The V-8's have arrived, dorks. Make way you little farts. -
@LuFins-Dad So I had a 2008 Ford Fusion V6 for eight years (2008-2016) but the maintenance was also building up and not worth pursuing. So I switched to a 2016 Honda Accord EX-L and love it. 4 cylinders, but it is speedy, handles great, has a great tech package (two screens, carplay, etc) and obviously can handle toddlers with room. I recommend it if she wants something similar to the fusion. Forget the 4 vs 6 and take it for a test drive.
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There's been a broad adoption of turbos across carmakers.
From the high-end down the to low end.
For example - the performance BMW and Mercedes models moved from a V8 to a turbocharged V6 over the last gen. (they even pumped in engine sound through the speakers because the V6 was much quieter).
In regular cars, there's been a broad substitution of 4-cylinder turbos from V6.
In terms of power and torque - a modern turbo 4 can be a lot better than a 90's/early 2000's v6 (not sure in terms of reliability).
My Golf had 225hp and 260ftlb of torque... thing kicked ass on our v6 honda sedan from back in the day in terms of performance.
(The new Golf R has 310Hp and 315ftlb of torque (!!!!) - just checked. )
But you're right - the new engines are not across-the-board better than the old v6s. Many suck. But they are more efficient across the board.
EDIT: as to why this is happening. With new transmission tech and software - you can get to yesteryear V6 performance with a 4-banger. You could apply the same techniques to a V6 as well - but you start getting into ridiculous performance territory then.
@xenon said in Any vehicles with a V6 still being made?!:
There's been a broad adoption of turbos across carmakers.
From the high-end down the to low end.
For example - the performance BMW and Mercedes models moved from a V8 to a turbocharged V6 over the last gen. (they even pumped in engine sound through the speakers because the V6 was much quieter).
In regular cars, there's been a broad substitution of 4-cylinder turbos from V6.
In terms of power and torque - a modern turbo 4 can be a lot better than a 90's/early 2000's v6 (not sure in terms of reliability).
My Golf had 225hp and 260ftlb of torque... thing kicked ass on our v6 honda sedan from back in the day in terms of performance.
(The new Golf R has 310Hp and 315ftlb of torque (!!!!) - just checked. )
But you're right - the new engines are not across-the-board better than the old v6s. Many suck. But they are more efficient across the board.
EDIT: as to why this is happening. With new transmission tech and software - you can get to yesteryear V6 performance with a 4-banger. You could apply the same techniques to a V6 as well - but you start getting into ridiculous performance territory then.
No, why this is happening is because of mandatory fuel efficiency standards being pushed through Congress.
On paper, maybe they show the same performance. On the 4 mile long 10-14 percent incline going into Somerset in Pennsylvania, you’ll see all those nice turbo 4’s barely managing 20 miles per hour and getting passed like they were standing still by 20-30 year old vans and sedans. I’ve test driven a lot of cars and I keep hearing about how good the new 4 cylinders are, and they do fine on flat level roads (uninspiring, but fine) but on an incline?
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Karla's Ford Fusion recently passed the 200K mark. It is a 2012 and even though she has taken immaculate care of it and wants to put work into it to get it to 300K, I think it's time to retire the car. She needs AC work that will cost $1500, plus, at this age I think we should have the engine and transmission mounts replaced, the seals checked, and countless other little things. If everything went perfect, it's still going to be at least $3,000 and I'm sure that we will find other issues.
I've started researching her picks for a new vehicle if this does need replaced. Her first choice is a Subaru Outback (her real first choice is a Mustang, but she doesn't think it's a good car for an 18-month toddler). I started looking over the specs and noticed it only comes in a 4.5 liter 4 or 4.4 "turbo" 4. I'm sorry, but you can "turbo" the hell out of a 4 cylinder and it's still a 4 cylinder. So I started searching for other wagon/crossover SUVS. They are all 4 cylinder. Apparently my 2013 Terrain was the last 6 they built. I can't find a 6 until going all the way up to Ford Explorer, and at that weight the engine should be a frigging V8...
Yeah, yeah, yeah... I've heard all the crap about a 4 cylinder being as powerful as a 6, and that's exactly what it is, crap. I can't tell you how many 4 cylinders I blow past in my Terrain. But all the people with their weak little 4 cylinder vehicles tell themselves that to make them feel better.
So, any suggestions for a decent newish crossover with a big enough engine that it's not going to blow out trying to climb the hills of Western PA and MD? Or do I need to consider bumping her up to a truck?
@lufins-dad said in Any vehicles with a V6 still being made?!:
Yeah, yeah, yeah... I've heard all the crap about a 4 cylinder being as powerful as a 6, and that's exactly what it is, crap. I can't tell you how many 4 cylinders I blow past in my Terrain. But all the people with their weak little 4 cylinder vehicles tell themselves that to make them feel better.
Do you have any real data to back up that claim? Maybe it’s you who tells himself something to make himself feel better?
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This spring I’ll probably buy a Mazda CX-5 with a 4 cyl turbo that makes 250HP and does 0-60 in 6.1s.
You know what comes in a 6? The entry level mustang.
Here are some SUVs, but they’re all quite big and on the pricey side.
"You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from."
-Cormac McCarthy -
@lufins-dad said in Any vehicles with a V6 still being made?!:
Yeah, yeah, yeah... I've heard all the crap about a 4 cylinder being as powerful as a 6, and that's exactly what it is, crap. I can't tell you how many 4 cylinders I blow past in my Terrain. But all the people with their weak little 4 cylinder vehicles tell themselves that to make them feel better.
Do you have any real data to back up that claim? Maybe it’s you who tells himself something to make himself feel better?
@klaus said in Any vehicles with a V6 still being made?!:
@lufins-dad said in Any vehicles with a V6 still being made?!:
Yeah, yeah, yeah... I've heard all the crap about a 4 cylinder being as powerful as a 6, and that's exactly what it is, crap. I can't tell you how many 4 cylinders I blow past in my Terrain. But all the people with their weak little 4 cylinder vehicles tell themselves that to make them feel better.
Do you have any real data to back up that claim? Maybe it’s you who tells himself something to make himself feel better?
You can definitely feel a smaller engine let you know it’s making a lot of effort.
