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I have just never been a 8-cylinder. Er. It probably has ta do that my Dad's rigs were a '72 Ford pickup truck with a 6-cyl engine I believe, a '73 Plymouth Gold Duster with a slant 6 engine, a '66 VW Fastback with the small 4-cyl VW engine and...wait a minute...Dad bought a '68 Buick LeSabre for Mom that had a 350 V8 Buick engine in it. And man, would that thing take off on a tick's notice! I used to gun that thing all over Seattle as a kid.
But you'll notice that the majority of Dad's cars were smaller engines. I am used to smaller engines. Here's a list of my cars:
'65 Ford Mustang 200 c.i. 6 cyl.
1970 Chevy Suburban 350 V8
'66 Ford Fairlane 200 cu in (3.3 L) I6
'73 Plymouth Gold Duster 200 c.i. Slant 6
1986 Mercury Lynx 1.6 l (98 cu in) CVH I4
1994 Ford Escort SW 88-hp, 1.9-liter I-4
1997 Ford Escort sedan 110-hp, 2.0-liter I-4 (took a big hp jump, eh)
1999 Kia Sephia sedan 125-hp, 1.8-liter I-4 (gettin' bigger and better all the time)
2001 Kia Sportage 4X4 130-hp, 2.0 L FE DOHC I4
2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS 152-hp, 2.0 Liter 4-cyl
2011 Kia Soul base 122-hp, 1.6 liter 4-cyl
In all, I've owned 7 4-cyl cars, 3 6-cyl cars and only one V8. I am definitely not addicted to power. What's more, I'm fine with that.
I have had anything from 4 to 8 cylinders on all sorts of cars and trucks.
One thing I will say, for a transverse mount engine and transmission, in FWD, most V-6 setups are miserable to change at least the 3 spark plugs in back. Most 4-bangers, at least older ones, spark plug change is very easy.
Outside of that one case, I don't think there is any "better" number of cylinders, depends on the car, how you will use it, turbo or not, all sorts of stuff.
My E30 M3 puts the lie to the idea that a 4-pot is a boring, utilitarian motor.
I’ve had everything from a 1.1L rotary to a 5L V8 and the last 4 vehicles I have owned were 6-cylinder (straight or V6). Plenty of power mixed in with economy on the highway. Whenever I get a rental with a 4-banger I find my fuel economy isn’t great as I tend to have a heavy foot.
Subarus are the rule here - my last WRX, and my last DSM, got 18 MPG and made over 240 hp
Subarus are notorious for poor gas mileage. Between the turbos and AWD it doesn't surprise me.
My mazdaspeed 3 used to get 27mpg highway, and 23mph combined and made 350whp. The efficiency went up as people upgraded to larger laggier turbos because it was easier to stay out of boost cruising around. On the downside, it was way less responsive in traffic and in city driving.
Subarus are the rule here - my last WRX, and my last DSM, got 18 MPG and made over 240 hp
Ouch. I can do better than that in my Jeep with the 5.7L V8. 360hp and I get between 16 and 18 tooling around. Mid 20's out on the highway. That said, I've also gotten 10 right after getting gas and nothing but around town driving. That's a bit painful to look at haha.
Today, the brand ranks highest in in J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Survey for the second consecutive year with a score of 72 problems per 100 vehicles – a number that Lexus would kill to achieve – and five Kia products won their segments in the latest IQS.
Elsewhere, the car that changed consumer perception of the brand, the Kia Soul, has earned its first ever Car & Driver 10 best award. Meanwhile, the brand’s product cadence has filled showrooms with an impressive array of products, including the full-size Cadenza, sporty turbocharged Soul, the all-new Niro and the product that has enthusiasts eagerly anticipating its arrival: the rear-wheel-drive Stinger sports sedan.
But if any car proves how far Kia has come, it’s the fourth-generation Rio. Offered as a four-door sedan and five-door hatchback, it’s the brand’s best seller with more than 400,000 units worldwide and it tops the charts in Europe as well.
This is why this subcompact Kia’s significance to company fortunes looms large, which may account for the car’s cautious styling, which boasts a European presence – especially on the five-door hatchback. The new model boasts a more geometric, chiseled appearance and a longer hood capped by a new version of Kia’s trademark tiger nose grille.
The good impressions continue upon closer inspection. Switchgear lacks the cheap feel of previous Rios, while the bad seams and poorly finished pieces you’d expect to find are absent. Knobs are nicely detailed with metallic inlays and rubberized edging and are blessedly simple to use. The only negative are the hard plastic door panels that lack padded armrests, which make for a noticeably uncomfortable experience. Considering its price point, however, material quality is impressive.
Moving the front-wheel-drive Rio is Kia’s 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that’s also used in the Kia Soul. It’s mated to a six-speed automatic or manual transmission – the latter only available on the base LX. Producing 130 horsepower and 119 pound-feet of torque, the Rio is more than capable. Given its size, you’d expect the engine to get vocal when pressed, but it remains remarkably muted. In fact, the car is so lacking in road and tire noise, you’ll wonder if you’re in a Rio.
Best of all, there’s a lot more driving fun than you’d expect in an entry-level scooter, especially considering its front struts, rear torsion beam setup. Its progressive and predictable in its behavior, so much so, you might wonder when the hot hatch variant will arrive, something you would never say of a Kia Rio in past form.
It lacks the expected Korean floatiness and excessive brake dive, even at extremes. Take a corner too fast, brake hard and crank the wheel and the Rio will scrub off speed while maintaining way more grip than you’d come to expect. Credit the car’s rigid structure; the suspension pieces themselves are nothing special.
When it comes to tech, Kia has you covered with Bluetooth, a six-speaker stereo with satellite radio and a rear-view camera system, seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Standard safety features include six airbags, side-impact door beams, electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes, hill-start assist and vehicle stability management. Standard safety features include six airbags, side-impact door beams, electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes, hill-start assist and vehicle stability management.
Android Auto will be nice to have in this subcompact from Kia. Nice driving manners and the ESC, anti-lock brakes and vehicle stability management should all help in inclement weather driving, which was making me focus so much on the 2017 Subaru Impreza. But the Impreza costs $5,000 more than the 2018 Kia Rio LX hatchback with a manual transmission, which is definitely the one I would buy. The car is available in white over at George Gee Kia in Spokane Valley for only $14,975 as I type this post out.
Last edited by elkotronics; 10-17-2017 at 12:24 PM..
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