V6 vs. 4 Cylinder: Does it matter anymore?

[themightyquinn]

Just a general question for those with more knowledge of these things than me.

To make a long story short: My beloved 2009 Ford Escape V6 is coming to the end of it's shelf life. Never had a problem with it. Now I see that Ford Escapes no longer offer the V6 and are all 4 Cylinders now.

From recent reviews I see comments like "a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder and 245-horsepower" engine or "turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder".

I'm not concerned about fuel conservation as I don't put enough mileage on it to make a major difference but fuel conservation is one of the selling points of the new engine.

Am I just old fashioned to think that there will be a noticeable difference in power and that moving from a 6 Cylinder to a mandatory 4 Cylinder would be downgrading if I choose to remain within the Ford Escape family?

Does this "turbocharged" 4 cylinder adequately compensate for the loss of power in the size of the engine? Has technology advanced to the point where the power of a turbocharged 4 cylinder is the same as an 8 year old V6 engine?

I see that V6's still exist in Chevy Equinox, Toyota RAV4, Hyundai Santa Fe, Honda Pilot and Kia Sorrento in the compact/mid-size SUV category so I am kind of disappointed that Ford went down this road.

Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated.

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[rynryn]

i'm not an expert, but engine tech being what it is and the focus on environment, going green, fossil fuel engines are getting more efficient converting fuel to power. you can only do so much of course. my biggest complaint is the lag turbos have before they get the engine up to it's full rated power.

I just bought an s3...it's the same engine as the VW Golf R. 2008 i was looking at a VW r32. That had a v6. This is at least a second faster 0-60 and has a higher top speed, and better mileage. It doesn't sound anywhere near as sexy, but it's far, far superior in everything else. It's all about the turbos.

again, no expert. maybe if you plan on towing stuff get a v6 of some sort though.

 

[Winger98]

You're a little old fashioned, yeah.

I don't have any numbers, but my driving impression is that the V6 has more pull at the low end, but once you're moving it doesn't really matter. The Escape doesn't seem to be something that will do any heavy towing (small camper or trailer is the max is my guess) so it's not a big concern there.

If you like everything else about the Escape, I wouldn't let it having a 4 turn you off from it. Go, test drive it a few times, see how you like that. Also, ask your mechanic if they have any impressions about it. If they see them in the shop all of the time for the same problem, that's a good thing to know.

My main question is this, though. If you've never had a problem with the Escape you're driving...why not just keep driving it? It's always nice to get a new one, but if you can keep the old one going with routine maintenance, it's not necessarily a bad way to go.

 

[Albatros]

As far as the specs go, the 2.0 I4 turbo has more power and torque than the old 3.0 V6, the 1.5 a bit less but for sure entirely adequate. I'd take either over the V6 anytime.

 

[RichWVU]

Drove a couple Escapes with my sister a couple months ago when she was looking for a small 4x4 (ended up going with a Mitsubishi Outlander, mostly due to price).

The 2.0L felt just fine, couldn't really forsee any issues with driving it day to day, even through the WV mountains. It'll pull as well (probably better, really) than your current V6 Escape.

The 1.5L seemed like we were always stressing it out, especially climbing any sort of grade at all. This made it pretty noisy and a lot less comfortable.

With near enough 70hp / 100tq difference between them, it's definitely worth testing each out and seeing what you think. The 2.0L is, unquestionably, the better choice, it's just a matter or whether it's worth the extra cost or not.

edit: I guess for the original question of V6 vs 4 cyl, no, it really doesn't matter any longer. Most of these turbo 4s are putting out more power and torque than the 5.0L V8 in my old Ford pickup. Folks who are more in tune with an automobile will certainly be able to tell a difference, but if you're the kind of person that needs to ask "Does it matter?" then no, it does not

 

[Bjorn Le]

Yep, it doesn't matter. A 2.0T today is more powerful than a V6 five years ago, and much much more powerful than a V6 10/15/20+ years ago.

Outside of American cars you don't really even see naturally aspirated V8's anymore either, and only a handful of non-American manufacturers will continue to make naturally aspirated V6's. The only use for V6's and V8's moving forward is in performance vehicles where they slap a turbo or two on them. I4 turbo output has increased substantially but they can't get to V6 twin-turbo levels because you can only put one turbo on an I4.

 

[DrFeelgood]

One thing to keep in mind, a NA engine will have more low end torque and a more linear power band than a turbocharged one. You usually have to hit the higher RPMs for the turbo to kick in to really feel the added horsepower. If you're just using it as a daily driver to commute and haul kids/small everyday items, there probably won't be much of a difference but if you're using it for towing and other heavy duty related things like that, i'd go with the NA larger engine.

 

[RichWVU]

@DrFeelgood That certainly used to be the case, but not any longer. Gone are the days of large, single, turbochargers that need time to spool up. Now they're all twin scroll, have variable vanes, or some other form of (for lack of a better term in this context) anti-lag technology. If anything, the opposite is true now. Where NA engines can, and often do, continue to build power towards the redline, these small, quick spooling turbos run out of breath up top.

For example, let's stay in the Ford family but move slightly up-market from OP's Escape to the slightly larger Explorer. The base engine is a 3.5L, N/A V6 making 290hp @ 6500rpm and 255lbft @ 4000rpm. The optional, 2.3L 4-cyl sits at 280hp @5600rpm and 310lbft @ 3000rpm. The V6 takes another thousand revs to reach it's peak torque and is still down 55 lb ft on the four banger.

 

[DrFeelgood]

@DrFeelgood That certainly used to be the case, but not any longer. Gone are the days of large, single, turbochargers that need time to spool up. Now they're all twin scroll, have variable vanes, or some other form of (for lack of a better term in this context) anti-lag technology. If anything, the opposite is true now. Where NA engines can, and often do, continue to build power towards the redline, these small, quick spooling turbos run out of breath up top.

For example, let's stay in the Ford family but move slightly up-market from OP's Escape to the slightly larger Explorer. The base engine is a 3.5L, N/A V6 making 290hp @ 6500rpm and 255lbft @ 4000rpm. The optional, 2.3L 4-cyl sits at 280hp @5600rpm and 310lbft @ 3000rpm. The V6 takes another thousand revs to reach it's peak torque and is still down 55 lb ft on the four banger.

Any idea if there are charts handy for those power numbers? I'd be interested in seeing how linear the power band is for each of those rather than their peak numbers.

IMO a more linear power band is better for heavy duty work like towing or hauling large items. For daily driving and kid transport it doesn't really matter though.

 

[themightyquinn]

Thank you to each and every poster who replied.

As mentioned above, I have had no problems with it and was going to ride out one more Toronto winter with it. I have kept it in good shape but I also know that it will be a 10 year old car next year and figured I'd start doing my homework now.

That was when I saw that the Escape's 6 cylinders have been replaced by 4 cylinder "turbocharged" engines and didn't know what to make of it?

There is a boat in the family but I've never been asked to tow it....yet.... so it is only a recreational vehicle to get the family around town, go to work and back to the hockey rink/golf course and back, etc. Just daily life really.

Lots to think about now including the 2.0 vs. the 1.5 test drive or moving in a different direction completely.

Thanks to you all.

Cheers!

 

[RichWVU]

Any idea if there are charts handy for those power numbers? ...

I didn't have any luck in about 30 seconds of searching, don't figure there are many people out there dyno'ing stock Explorers

 

[DrFeelgood]

I didn't have any luck in about 30 seconds of searching, don't figure there are many people out there dyno'ing stock Explorers

You mean there aren't any Explorer enthusiasts out there?

 

[Plural]

Today's 4 cylinder turbo engines are more than adequate and probably compare favorably to v6 engines of 10 years age.

We just upgraded from 2.0 4 cylinder BMW engine to 3.0 6 cylinder straight BMW engine and the difference is monumental though. The twin turbo gives you great power on practically any rpm's. It doesn't seem to have any weak spots.

 

[Bjorn Le]

Today's 4 cylinder turbo engines are more than adequate and probably compare favorably to v6 engines of 10 years age.

We just upgraded from 2.0 4 cylinder BMW engine to 3.0 6 cylinder straight BMW engine and the difference is monumental though. The twin turbo gives you great power on practically any rpm's. It doesn't seem to have any weak spots.

That's because it's a biturbo. If you upgraded to a 3 litre naturally aspirated it would likely feel worse.

 

[tacogeoff]

V8! V8! V8!


Sorry. just had to get my inner Mad Max out of me in a random post about 4s and 6s,

 

[rynryn]

V8! V8! V8!


Sorry. just had to get my inner Mad Max out of me in a random post about 4s and 6s,

oi man just when i was reading about that sweet biturbo V8 the AMGs have.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

V8! V8! V8!


Sorry. just had to get my inner Mad Max out of me in a random post about 4s and 6s,

That's so weird. I was just thinking about watching that again just now.

In fact, I think I will.

And maybe it's just me, but it's now once again the death of the past: The V6 used to fill a hole in the lineup for dull people. It managed to avoid both V8 excitement and 4 cylinder economy.

 

[Warden of the North]

My 2012 Ford F150 Ecoboost V6 trailers better then any V8 in that size range Ive used (I trailer a lot for work, with trucks by all three major domestic manufactures)

It wouldnt surprise me if the turbo V4 does just fine, as long as you're within the recommended weight class.

 

[HansonBro]

Food for thought. My first idea that came to mind wasn't about power, but more the reliability. And to that point I'm not saying either is more reliable, but if say a coil pack went out, plug went bad or a wire burned up/corroded, I'd feel safer limping home on 4 cyl over say 2. Just a different point of view

 

[DaJackal]

Why not go and test drive one? Since this "how it feels like to drive" is very subjective, that would give you a better idea than message board opinions.

When it comes to reliability, I'd say that modern 4-cylinder engines are rather tough and will do fine if you just stay out of those smallest ones (well, the 1.0 Ecoboost is actually a 3-cylinder if I remember correct).

As a Mitsubishi enthusiast I'd advise you to test drive the Outlander too. It's a great car.

On a side note, I daily drive a 4.2 V8 myself, but that's just because I wanted a powerful car that would NOT tempt me to modify it. Had I bought a twin turbo V6 it would have gone straight to a chiptuner, only to hear about only slightly more expensive stage 2 and 3 upgrades -> reliability shot to hell.

 

[Albatros]

My 2012 Ford F150 Ecoboost V6 trailers better then any V8 in that size range Ive used (I trailer a lot for work, with trucks by all three major domestic manufactures)

It wouldnt surprise me if the turbo V4 does just fine, as long as you're within the recommended weight class.

I guess you mean inline 4, but V4 (albeit naturally aspirated) is a motorbike thing very rarely used in cars. A turbocharged motorbike would probably be tough to insure.

 

[Bjorn Le]

I guess you mean inline 4, but V4 (albeit naturally aspirated) is a motorbike thing very rarely used in cars. A turbocharged motorbike would probably be tough to insure.

It's an interesting engine configuration actually. Porsche used it in their 919 Le Mans hybrid. Combined with a hybrid system, they have some pretty amazing power potential (above that of an I4). Here's an article that takes about it.

 

[tacogeoff]

My 2012 Ford F150 Ecoboost V6 trailers better then any V8 in that size range Ive used (I trailer a lot for work, with trucks by all three major domestic manufactures)

It wouldnt surprise me if the turbo V4 does just fine, as long as you're within the recommended weight class.

I heard they pull quite well.

I almost went with the 2.7 TT V6 on my truck. I took one for a test drive and they are quite peppy. Due to my location and how far a dealership is from me I ended up going with the Coytoe 5.0 V8 as my last one was so darn reliable, I don't know enough about the turbos to make that commitment yet.

 

[rynryn]

one annoying byproduct of going from 8's and 6's to 4Ts is the artificial engine noise thing. Thank christ you can turn it off (on my car at least--maybe not on some). The fact that sports cars do this leads me to believe manufacturers researched this and found that the sound of the bigger engine improved the driving experience for a lot of people. Evolution? Have we evolved to seek a more robust engine note? The piped in noise in my car sounds pretty good TBH but I know what it is so it puts me off.

 

[Bjorn Le]

one annoying byproduct of going from 8's and 6's to 4Ts is the artificial engine noise thing. Thank christ you can turn it off (on my car at least--maybe not on some). The fact that sports cars do this leads me to believe manufacturers researched this and found that the sound of the bigger engine improved the driving experience for a lot of people. Evolution? Have we evolved to seek a more robust engine note? The piped in noise in my car sounds pretty good TBH but I know what it is so it puts me off.

Yeah there's evidence behind it. The effect of sound on your mindset is pretty substantial. Crunchy potato chips is another one.