In praise of smaller power plants
For those who follow automotive engine technology, the annual release of Ward’s AutoWorld’s top 10 list is eagerly awaited.
Though not the only reason to select -- or reject -- a vehicle, knowing how the technophiles rate an engine can be helpful for motorists when shopping time rolls around.
For its best-of-2003 list, Ward’s has picked four newcomers and six repeat choices, including a precedent-setting ninth consecutive appearance by Nissan Motor Co.’s 3.5-liter V-6 (the one that’s in the Altima, the Maxima, the Murano, the 350Z, the Infiniti G35 and several other models).
Other regulars on the list are the BMW 3.0- and 3.2-liter inline-6 engines, which have rarely missed a year since Ward’s started doing this; General Motors Corp.’s 4.2-liter Vortec inline-6; Honda Motor Co.’s 2-liter dual-overhead-camshaft four-cylinder engine; and Volkswagen’s 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine.
The Ward’s picks for the 2003 model year show a move in the industry toward smaller but more powerful engines. There are just two V-8 engines in the top 10 this year, whereas muscle-car and truck motors have sometimes dominated past lists.
“This year, there are three outstanding four-cylinder engines, which actually outnumbered the winning V-8s,” said Bill Visnic, senior technical editor for the publishing company’s flagship AutoWorld and editor of Ward’s Engine & Vehicle Technology Update.
And all five of the six-cylinder engines on the list make as much horsepower and torque as did many of yesterday’s V-8s, he said.
“This really is the golden age of engine performance,” Visnic said. The best engines today provide “outstanding performance and drivability with the lowest emissions ever achieved.”
Ward’s tested engines from 30 cars, pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles over a two-month period, evaluating them for power, torque, use of new technologies and a trio collectively referred to as NVH: noise, vibration and harshness.
Unfortunately, Ward’s does not score for dependability. Many times the engines are new, and there’s no reliability record to go by.
But each year AutoWorldpicks two of the top 10 engines and tests them on the road for both long-term reliability and the cost of servicing, about 40,000 miles with a variety of drivers and uses, Visnic said.
So there’s an implied durability and reliability in engines that make Ward’s list for several years in a row.
All of the engines tested for the 2003 model year were in vehicles with a base manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $52,500 or less.
Engines in higher-priced luxury vehicles were omitted because they should be outstanding in any case and because Ward’s wants to compile a list relevant to the typical driver, Visnic said.
Here’s the complete list in alphabetical order (Ward’s does not rank them, except as a group):
* BMW 3.0-liter dual-overhead-cam inline-6 (used on the 330i sedan).
* BMW 3.2-liter DOHC inline-6 (M3 coupe).
* DaimlerChrysler 5.7-liter overhead-valve Hemi Magnum V-8 (Dodge Ram Heavy Duty pickup).
* Ford Motor Co. 6.0-liter overhead-valve Power Stroke Turbodiesel V-8 (F-Series Super Duty pickup).
* General Motors 4.2-liter DOHC inline-6 (Chevrolet TrailBlazer SUV).
* Honda Motor 2-liter DOHC inline-4 (Acura RSX Type S coupe).
* Honda Motor 3-liter single-overhead-cam V-6 (Accord EX).
* Mini 1.6-liter supercharged DOHC inline-4 (Mini Cooper S two-door hatchback).
* Nissan Motor 3.5-liter DOHC V-6 (Infiniti G35 coupe).
* Volkswagen 1.8-liter DOHC turbocharged inline-4 (Golf GTI 1.8T two-door hatchback).
More information will be posted at www.wardsauto.com on Jan. 5, Visnic said.
J.D. Power cranks ‘em out
Automotive marketing consultant J.D. Power & Associates is churning out studies and reports at a frantic pace as the end of the year approaches.
Many are linked to the company’s ever-expanding customer satisfaction ratings -- Power rates not only automakers and their individual models but also components such as audio systems, navigation systems and replacement tires.
The companies that get top ratings and want to brag about them pay Power for permission to use the marketing firm’s rankings in their ads, a system that spokesman Michael Greywitt says ensures the company’s ability to remain independent.
Power, based in Westlake Village, funds the studies internally, then recoups its costs -- and turns a profit -- selling the finished reports and licensing the use of its name in those ads.
It sometimes seems as if J.D. Power has become a report mill, but if you disallow the product endorsement potential and concentrate on the survey findings, you can turn up some significant, sometimes scary, stuff.
For example, a just-issued Power rating of customer satisfaction with navigation systems in cars turned up this stunner: “Less than 3% of owners believe their navigation system creates dangerous driving situations.”
The study also found that a majority of those surveyed who have navigation systems believe they should be allowed to enter destinations and otherwise fiddle with their systems while they are driving and are frustrated by those that have the audacity to require them to stop their cars first.
Safety advocates, start your engines!
Getting used-car lowdown
Another new J.D. Power study released this month could be helpful for people looking to buy a used car.
The company surveyed 10,000 buyers of late-model used vehicles and found that that 47% of those who made a purchase this year went online at some point, up from 26% in 1999.
About 43% of buyers said they used a car dealer’s Web site for research and often found the best selections and most current inventory data that way.
But 92% said they went to at least one independent site, such as Kelley Blue Book -- at www .kbb.com -- or AutoTrader.com.
Kelley, which has its owns used-car buying service and links to others, was favored by those looking for pricing information. AutoTrader, which has a large classified section, was favored by those interested in finding and buying a used vehicle.
Other online used-car sites, for those in the market, include Cars.com, CarsDirect.com, Edmunds.com and UsedCars.com. Tribune Co., which owns the Los Angeles Times, holds a stake in Cars.com.
