Mazda to go 4-cyl only.

[tom333]

There will always be a place for a V8

 

[nemesis_adrasteia]

Sad to see that mazda is discontinuing the rotary engine.

V8s will get with the times. theres still room for them. Not so sure about the current ls v8 lacking some basic tech these days (DOHC,VCT)

 

[DAKSTER]

Agree with the rotary. Might not be the most efficient engine but nothing feels quite like a rotary winding up. Mazda have stuck with it for a long time though, you never know they might make it work again.

Sure, v8's can be developed a lot more than they currently are. The point here is not that a v8 is faster, but that a 4 cyl is fast enough. In the current green world, a car which can do double the speed limit on open roads (220) has more than sufficient power. Choose any 2L family sedan.

Small engines are now becoming so powerful, large engines are no longer necessary. The quest is changing direction, moving to efficiency, not power. Power they already have.

 

[Macca86]

No great change here for Mazda. The CX9 is the only car in their range that's been running a 6cyl for the last couple of years. And it was nothing to brag about. Everything else has been 4 cyl for years (minus the Renesis rotary). The new BT-50 is a 5 cyl also just to note. So technically they wont be ALL 4 cylinders lol.
Sad to see the rotary discontinued as said above but its really been nothing to brag about in recent years either. Kind of disheartening to spend $70k on a brand new RX8 in the year 2012 and have an engine thats been essentially untouched since 2003. I believe you could count NSW Mazda RX8 sales in the last 6 months on 1 hand. Not really a market large enough to warrant continuing them for. However, Mazda have this year released the Skyactiv-G (G for Gasoline) and Skyactiv-D (D for Diesel) engines. Word has been passed down Skyactiv-R is the next step. No they have not confirmed R is for Rotary but thats the way one would be inclined to think given its been well spoken about that an RX-9 has been in the works for a while.

 

[vicarious]

Too bad they can't get the diesels right, they seem to be getting a heap of issues of oil rising & dilution on the cx5.

 

[Dr HaxZaw]

the whole reason v8's came about is that they couldnt get the power they need from a smaller engine so had to add cylinders... now technology means they can scrap cylinders and displacement without sacrificing power
also the v8 wont die... those huge american "trucks" that rednecks use would need a seriously worked 4 cylinder to remain the same and no self respecting redneck would own a 4 cylinder truck

 

[acex1138]

You really have to abuse the clutch to nail a V8 with a WRX off the line. Only so many times you can do that. Add a supercharger to that stock V8 and compare apples to apples and the WRX is left in the dust.

I laugh at this statement almost as much as when someone owns an lancer Evo and compares it to a v8.

It's just changing times guys the technology is there

 

[aaronevolution]

the whole reason v8's came about is that they couldnt get the power they need from a smaller engine so had to add cylinders... now technology means they can scrap cylinders and displacement without sacrificing power
also the v8 wont die... those huge american "trucks" that rednecks use would need a seriously worked 4 cylinder to remain the same and no self respecting redneck would own a 4 cylinder truck

Actually I think the V8 was invented first, but then they realized they needed something for the ladies to drive.

 

[MikeCuzzy]

Without letting this devolve into the Great Cylinder War of 2012.

What do people think regarding the future of 3 and more to the point 2 cylinder engines? Will we be seeing more 2 cyl engines in cars in the next 10-20 years or will we be swapping to electric and hydrogen by then?

 

[DAKSTER]

I think we will be driving quite quick electric cars, with the power provided from an onboard ICU running on Hydrogen and minimal batteries to give very long range too. I think these will be as common, in less than ten years, as the Prius is now.

Its impossible to predict what we could be driving in 20 years. Advances could be made in so many areas, its hard to say which direction they would move. If there were huge advances in battery and solar cell technology for instance, it may be possible to dispense with the ICU completely and just charge it for 10 minutes with a little solar panel every 500k lol..

I think all new cars will have electric motors on all wheels within 10-12 years. How they power them will be the interesting bit.

Its something to look forward to as well, each wheel independently driven, massive torque, awesome braking (which also helps to recharge the batteries). No gearbox or diffs saves a LOT of weight.. the list goes on. You can already buy fast electric sports cars, a supercar wont be far away either.

Want to do some mods? Change your motors Reduce your range in return for more go lol..