So V8 performance in America is dead. Well, there's a reason for that--the V6es of this era are putting out the kind of power that V8s did only 10 years ago! Let's take the Chevy Camaro, just for example. With a base price of around $23,000 you get a 6-speed manual transmission (yes, a REAL manual), 18 inch wheels and 325 horsepower. That's the BASE MODEL engine--a 3.6L DOHC V6. The result is a car that'll run the quarter in just a tick under 14 seconds and make some rather amusing noises while doing it. The Mustang across the way is much the same. It packs a 300+HP V6 and a proper manual for a reasonable price. Need I remind you that in 2005, the Mustang GT--the one with the V8--only managed 300 horsepower out of its 4.6L unit? And the GT was significantly more expensive than this car. Even the CHALLENGER's base V6 makes over 300 horsepower, and yes--can be had with a stick.
Then there's the Taurus you maligned up there. That's 365 ground-pounding horsepower in that car, making for one blasted quick four-door. No you can't have a manual and that is both bogus and sad, but I almost can't fault Ford for not bothering to include the option when almost nobody in the country knows how to drive stick anyway.
I know you don't like it but look at it this way--gas isn't getting any cheaper. When you look at a car with a 300+ horsepower engine that STILL gets near to 30 MPG (or better, in the case of the Mustang) you have to look at yourself and ask "So what do I need with a V8 again?" A car isn't much good if you can't drive it because you can't fill the tank.
I wasn't going to go off into pony cars, but since you went there, okay. I do not dispute that modern sixers in pony cars are much less anemic than they were ten years ago, so much so that the new hairdressers and secretary models are almost a legitimate street threat to a stock 15 year old V-8 Camaro... That's neat, but it's not what I want.
ReplyDeleteWhat I don't like is that you can't get a base model Camaro with a high performance V-8. You don't even have that option. In order to spec a V-8 and manual trans in ANY of the pony cars, you've got to have the full-bore luxury frippery as well which makes them not only prohibitively expensive but heavier than they need to be for performance driving to boot. And, oh, by the way, finding the V-8 models as they stand with a stick is like finding a needle in a haystack. Finding a V-6 Challenger with a stick is like finding a needle in the Oort cloud.
Yknow what else is blasted quick, besides the Taurus? Email. Coach section on a 767. Japanese bullet trains. Doesn't make any of them of them enjoyable to drive. I'd have the Aussie Falcon V8 (or even the turbo sixer) with a stick and rear wheel drive any day of the week.
Why a V-8? Because it sounds right. Because with the DOHC 6 cylinder, you're in over $1000 on a cam change (ask the DOHC Mustang Cobra guys) versus $200 on an LSx engine. Because the powerband starts off idle instead of right before redline. Because I'd give up two miles per gallon for the multimedia experience that comes with booting a proper cross-plane crank motor hooked to a row-your-own transmission. And while we're on the gas mileage problem, having a high-test V-8 doesn't mean you're stuck with a 12 mpg pig. The 505 HP Vette gets 26 on the freeway. The Pontiac G8 routinely got around 30 in real world driving.
And to the point, the fact that that the only choices you're making these days buying a new car is what color it is and whether or not it has sat-nav is kind of sad. Sure, most people would be happy with the six, but you have to remember several decades ago you had a choice. Lots of choices, really. Pretty much any car the manufacturers sold could be spec'd out any way the customer chose; big block, small block, 6 cylinder, automagic, manual, bells and whistles, poverty special... You could really have it your way. Imagine a world in which a 2011 Malibu wagon could be ordered with the 6.2L LS3 from the Corvette and a 6 speed stick, or the base Camaro could be ordered with the 5.3L displacement on demand V-8 that did 30 mpg in the Impala SS. Imagine, for a minute, a world in which the Taurus could be ordered with the Mustang's 5.0L V8, or the 6.2L from the Raptor, or the Dodge Avenger could picked up from the dealership with a 5.7L Hemi.
Your boring aunt will never buy one, nor will she ever understand why anyone would, but in a world that had options like this the US might start to care about new cars again, and more importantly about buying American cars again.
Here's my point though: We're talking about driving enthusiasts. There's other legitimate reasons for picking a v-6 over a v-8. Weight and weight distribution for example, fuel economy for another.
ReplyDeleteEnthusiasts have great options out there, whether it's v-6 or v-v8
hmm... that gives me an idea... what if you had a dealership that specialized in this sort of thing... basically all the cars on the lot would be empty shells. The sales process would begin by chousing a make/model, then before anything else the customer can option out how they want it... (performance-luxury-economy), then the customer could watch as all the final pieces are bolted on... (engine gets mounted, exaust gets installed, wheels, turbo, other performance parts, etc)... once the vehicle is done you would have a customer who would have exactly the car they were looking for...
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