Pointless engine combos.

[Stroller133]

Later allegro's came with the 1.0 A+. Might only be a few bhp down on a 1098, but the torque is much lower. Couldn't believe the difference between mini 1000s and the Clubman I had.

[Robson3022]

My Passatt has got to be in this. 2.0 20v N/A. Must have been as expensive as the 1.8T with worse fuel economy and not as fast!? Why did they offer it here?

[LC Torana]

6-cylinder Volvo 240s.

 

The 4s were no slower and much more reliable.

[JohnDeere]

Any four-cylinder American car.

[fordperv]

I've driven a Ka and was pleasantly suprised, a Zetec 1800 GTi or similar would have been a right laugh as the chassis felt like it could handle a lot more. The SportKa got a 1.6 8v for some odd reason!

A mate had a 1.8 zetec in a ka and to be frank it was shit, it just wasn't exciting it didn't feel fast at all

[Faker]

S.S. Logan in Newtownabbey (now an MG Flying Bomb & Crispy Duck Concern UK dealer) had a white pov spec XJ40 2.9 in stock for 5 years. Just couldn't shift it. They have form for just putting unsold stuff away, so might be on to a winner.

 

ISTR there used to be some kind of company car tax break at £19500, and car did a test with one of these, a Rover 820e, some sort of Audi and a B** 518.

I remember before they sold off half the building that they had mint alleged, minor, and a midget in the showroom for years. Wonder where they've gone?

[Noel Tidybeard]

to be fair the A+ in a monstro was 69bhp whereas an sierra 1.6 was about 71 and about 60 for the 1.3

[rantingYoof]

The 2.4 140bhp 5 pot in the Volvo S80

 

Try a V70 with that engine. Try a fully laden V70 (i.e. rear seats down flat, luggage covering every square cm in the boot, two-up), and a 200 mile trip on motorways across undulating country-side.

 

I was changing down for hills.

 

Don't get me wrong. Wonderful noise. Soooooooo silky smooth. But just achingly slow.

 

It was getting 23mpg over a tank during winter, without any grin-inducing performance to go with it. The 250hp T5 gets around the same but has the added bonus of nomming tyres in one go and out-gunning a Porsche 911 from 30-70mph whilst carrying your shit to the tip.

 

Unfortunately at the time I needed some excitement and ended up selling it for the 9-3 Aero, which was a stupid thing to do. It was the nicest car I've owned in terms of condition, although the S60 is pretty damn good.

 

My other "great car wrong engine" purchase was the Saab 9000. Utter beast of a car, but it was one of the very few 9000s that had the naturally aspirated 2.0 16v in it, and as we all suspect, "9000" refers to kerb-weight in tons. 135hp in that thing wasn't going to pull the skin off old soup.

 

They put a naturally aspirated 2.3d in the Carlton, didn't they? That was about 75hp.

 

There's a 1.4 Skoda Octavia (the 75hp version, rather than the revvy 100hp version).

 

Didn't they also put a 1.4 in the 405?

 

I personally think the BMW 114i (with a 1.6) is about the most hateful, pointless car ever devised by a human being, and being woefully underpowered is one of the many reasons.

 

 

I like this thread.

[New POD]

I have owned 2 OFF mk3 astras with the 82 BHP 1.4i 8V engine. which is a great engine. and one with a 75 bhp 1.6 8V which wasn't a great engine.

 

MPI vs SPI

[sheffcortinacentre]

the KA was going to be fitted with the 3cyl 2 stroke & didn't get bigger eng's than the 1,6cvh as they thought it would take sales from the fiesta.

[warren t claim]

The 2.3 Cologne unit worked better in the Mk2 Granada where it was super refined, even smoother than the 2.8 carb version and not a lot slower.

 

My E30 320i was a really relaxed motorway cruiser and not too bad on fuel.

 

The 2.9 XJ40 isn't as bad as you'd think. I'm led to believe that there's good and bad examples of the baby AJ6 and the one I had was quick enough even with the J gate autobox.

 

My mum had a 1.3 Montego from new and I learnt to drive in it. It wasn't as slow as you'd think and beat a 2.0 Mk3 Cortina in a race on the M53.

[Bren]

I read a road test where a 2.3 SD1 was compared to a 2.3 granada.

 

The granada could'nt crack three figures and the rover knocked it into a cocked hat.

 

But the poor rover will be remembered for all its six cylinder foibles.

[BavarianRetro]

My E30 320i was a really relaxed motorway cruiser and not too bad on fuel.

 

 

The two litre M20 gets a bad press, but, at the time there wasn't a smoother six cylinder engine on the market.

 

I had a contemporary two litre mark 3 Granada auto, and it was a hateful engine gearbox combo constantly changing up and down between third and fourth around town.

[chaseracer]

I've driven a Ka and was pleasantly suprised, a Zetec 1800 GTi or similar would have been a right laugh as the chassis felt like it could handle a lot more...

 

And they get lighter with age, too! 

 

In other news: Ford Capri 1300.

 

[Lukas]

The worst engine I have ever driven was in the 2006 Subaru Impreza 1.5R. 

 

Had only 105 hp, absolutely no torque at all, absolutely no power below 4500 rpm and used 13 litres of fuel on 100km. 

 

My mate owns an Impreza GT with 218 hp from the factory, now almost 265 hp and this one uses 9 to 10 litres of fuel on the same stretch. 

[Royale80]

^{Many years ago I had a Daimler Sovereign 2.8 MOD. Wouldn't pull granny off the piss pot. Lovely sounding engine though. Replaced it with a Rover 3500S-now that was fast-would spin it's wheels in 2nd on a damp road.}

 

 

 

^Steve

 

 

 

 

^Steve

[ChinaTom]

I can't understand the thought process of deciding to order a 1.6d S80. Also the new 518d. I get the big car small engine thing from 2.8 XJ era - most trundled from village manor to next village pub, many rarely saw a motorway I suspect. But a 518d will be pounding motorways, and today, unless you are lucky like me and have the M74 / northern M6 to cruise along, motorways are pretty stressful without some decent punch to break into a gap in the 3rd lane. It's the 60 - 80 mph time that determines a relaxed 500 mile shlep up the country isn't it? 2 cog swaps and rev-limiter bounce just to join the overtaking lane may be fun in an MX5, but was not so much fun in the E200d I drove the other day. Once you've specced the car to where you really want it, the difference between a 518d and a 320d on your P11d form will be negligible, so it can't be a financial every penny counts decision.

 

A chap at the posh end of the village has just chopped in his company provided 530d for a brand new car allowance funded 518d. His tax bill may be better, but I bet his blood pressure will take a hit. Given that there is rarely much of a price difference and economy between the various power outputs of the Audi A6 diesels in the 2.0 size, what are the reasons for them?

 

So, if anyone actually knows, please complete the sentence:

 

I decided to buy a brand new 1.8 petrol Astra because ________________

I decided to buy a brand new 2.4 petrol A6 because ________________

I specifically selected the 140bhp tune 2.0 td A6 because ______________

Faced with the choice of a D3 V60 and a D4 V60, I thought about it long and hard, did the sums, and despite them costing more or less the same over my likely ownership period, I went for the D3 because ___________

 

Back in the day it was easier.

 

I bought the Cavalier GLi over the GL because my other middle manager friends could see how well I am doing by the matt grey boot badging and the wheel trims. I'm a winner!

I bought the 2.3d Carlton because I like having a big car; I'm usually too pissed to drive over 45mph anyway, and most importantly I have a tank full of cherry in the yard.

I bought a Renault 18 TX because I'll trade push button windows for a full fat 2.0.

I bought her a 1.4 Fuego because that's as much power as I trust her with.

 

This is a great thread - I want to be educated.

[pshome]

Aren't all engines pointless since the introduction of electronic ignition?

Did you know: First mass production car with electronic ignition was the 504 CC PRV.

[For Fiats Sake]

Funny thing about the 903cc push rod compared to the 999cc fire - the 903cc feels quicker in the mk1 Panda than the fire.

Mind you all my 999cc engines are spi and catted but have a different cam for +5 hp in the mk2 Panda.

Bestest is the 1108cc fire in the selecta, pulls away like a scalded cat.

The 999cc fire carbed no cat Uno is handicapped by the extra 100kgs it carries.

 

If only there was some way I could compare the cars side by side for performance?

 

Now I need to buy a mk2 903cc for comparative puposes....

[cms206]

Mk3 1.4i Cavalier, 1.4 Peugeot 405, 1.2i Mk4 Astra, Rover 211i...

[forddeliveryboy]

 

 

Y'know, changing down a gear or two is what you do for hills to keep the engine in the torque band. Especially when fully laden. Must have been torture in the inside lane with all those HGVs thundering past, Volvo really shouldn't make cars with only 140hp. 

[Junkman]

Aren't all engines pointless since the introduction of electronic ignition?

Did you know: First mass production car with electronic ignition was the 504 CC PRV.

 

I ripped all that newfangled artifitially feeling electronic shit out of my Rover and ruefully returned to points.

As a result, the car is alive, has personality, and responds to my driving, exactly what a car should do

and all post 1986 appliances don't.

[pshome]

I ripped all that newfangled artifitially feeling electronic shit out of my Rover and ruefully returned to points.

As a result, the car is alive, has personality, and responds to my driving, exactly what a car should do

and all post 1986 appliances don't.

good point...

[For Fiats Sake]

good points...

FTFY

[Timewaster]

Aren't all engines pointless since the introduction of electronic ignition?

Did you know: First mass production car with electronic ignition was the 504 CC PRV.

And the last available in the UK was the SJ410

[cort16]

Any non performance v-tec engined cars.

[Pete-M]

Did you know: First mass production car with electronic ignition was the 504 CC PRV.

I owned a 604 STI. I still have no idea how you'd get to the distributor without either taking the engine out or the inlet manifold off.

 

I couldn't even see the bloody thing.

[rantingYoof]

Y'know, changing down a gear or two is what you do for hills to keep the engine in the torque band. Especially when fully laden. Must have been torture in the inside lane with all those HGVs thundering past, Volvo really shouldn't make cars with only 140hp. 

 

You are completely right - unfortunately I entered 140hp Volvo ownership from a spoilt background of wafty six cylinder engines, slushomatics and immediately before my V70, a 130hp TDCi Mondeo. So cog-switching was relatively novel for me, not having done it since my 53hp Alto.

 

Unfortunately for me, cog-switching in the V70 didn't produce a sudden surge of torque as I entered the torque band, it simply enabled me to maintain the road-speed of 70mph.

 

The Mondeo, even at 70mph in sixth gear, could pull out to pass a lorry on a dual carriageway without needing a cog-drop.

 

The 180hp 2.0T that replaced the 2.4 unit makes SO MUCH MORE SENSE! I can drive it like a diesel around town - everywhere in 3rd - as you can trundle it up to speed from around 10mph without it grumbling at all, and then above 35mph it kicks off properly.

[RichL]

I've never understood the point of the 2.4 140. It's just a de-tuned 170.

 

Why would you make an engine worse?

[Liggle]

To make it even worse they offered it from the factory with LPG conversion iirc, so knock another say 10% power off when running on LPG... 126bhp!