2.0 Liter V10

[Tantalum]

"the only hybrid available was the Prius, which was pretty hideous"

 

[asicer]

"the only hybrid available was the Prius, which was pretty hideous"

The V10 was interesting. When I first saw it, the first thing the came to mind was the VW VR6. I'm not a fan of V10 exhaust notes, but that one sounded pretty good for a V10.

Also, that X20 looks like a beast.

 

[Tantalum]

Yeah, I love that there are people out there like this developing cool piston tech still

 

[Ted]

That is really cool. I'm not a particular fan of V10s, but that one does have a nice sound to it. The small displacement lots of cylinders is also cool. In a day where it seems everything is an in-line 4 or a V6, I really enjoy seeing oddballs in any direction.

I'd be curious what the raw engine specs are beyond being a 2.0L V10. Redline RPM, horsepower/torque, etc. Listening to his description about why the choice for a V10, specifically wanting to start from a very low RPM was interesting. It also sounds like the hybrid was really more of an electric boost to the gasoline engine, still going through the manual transmission, which isn't necessarily what we've seen as hybrids had further developed. It's neat, though, in that it looks like a hybrid that's a lot more of a driver's car than hybrids. I'd be curious to see what the driving experience is like.

 

[LoLPilot]

I've found I like the sound of any engine that has lots of pistons moving very fast.

 

[Tantalum]

I've found I like the sound of any engine that has lots of pistons moving very fast.

lol!

I'm not anti-electric but there's something inherently satisfying with pistons. Genuine power you can perceive with your most basic senses.

 

[LoLPilot]

lol!

I'm not anti-electric but there's something inherently satisfying with pistons. Genuine power you can perceive with your most basic senses.

I am anti-electric when it comes to enjoyment vehicles. If you want to electrify bulk people movers like minivans or things like trucks, go ahead. But don't try to tell me that an electric sports car or motorcycle is more satisfying to operate than a vehicle where you are wringing a high strung engine out near redline coming out of a corner before slamming it into the next gear.

 

[Ted]

I'm not anti-electric but there's something inherently satisfying with pistons. Genuine power you can perceive with your most basic senses.

This:

I am anti-electric when it comes to enjoyment vehicles. If you want to electrify bulk people movers like minivans or things like trucks, go ahead. But don't try to tell me that an electric sports car or motorcycle is more satisfying to operate than a vehicle where you are wringing a high strung engine out near redline coming out of a corner before slamming it into the next gear.

Is exactly my thought. Personally I think electric under current technology really provides very few of the benefits most people think they do (the biggest benefit being you can refill your "tank" at home in your garage). But for a pleasure/enjoyment vehicle, there's just nothing like the visceral sounds and feelings of a real engine.

I got to drive a new BMW i8 about 4 years ago, which for those who don't know is a hybrid with a turbo 3-cylinder. They also pipe the engine sound through the stereo system.

I'll admit, it was a fun car. As a daily driver, I would consider one. Nice interior, really cool outside looks. But this is a (well) over $100k supercar. I would consider it as a fun $50k luxury commuter that I'd then buy used and heavily depreciated. It is not a supercar. It's not fast enough, it doesn't hit the visceral senses enough. Really, it's a sporty Prius and not much else.

For visceral senses, the sound, feeling, and vibration of real engines can't be beat.

 

[denverpilot]

If you want to electrify bulk people movers like minivans or things like trucks, go ahead.

Mmm. Cattle prodding minivan drivers. I think you may be on to something here!

 

[MauleSkinner]

If you want to electrify bulk people movers like minivans or things like trucks, go ahead.

Make sure to install a charging lane on the freeway.

 

[Ghery]

Now, how will the electric motors compare with the 4 liter I-6 in my 1999 Jeep Wrangler? 191,000+ miles and still runs like a top. Bulletproof, that's what those motors are!

 

[Ted]

Now, how will the electric motors compare with the 4 liter I-6 in my 1999 Jeep Wrangler? 191,000+ miles and still runs like a top. Bulletproof, that's what those motors are!

It's no secret that I'm not a fan of electric cars, but I don't think this is a valid argument. Your Wrangler is probably something on the order of 4,000 hours of engine operation time. For an electric motor by itself, that's not much at all. Think about the electric motors in your home HVAC system, or pretty much any industrial higher horsepower electric application. 4,000 hours isn't much of anything for those, and they're simple in terms of design and operation.

The retort to this would be "But these are far more complex!" Right, so are modern gasoline cars. Your Wrangler's 4.0L I6 hasn't been produced in decades, in favor of the 3.7L V6 that replaced it which makes more power and has better gas mileage. Now, I don't like that engine, I far prefer your 4.0L. But that's a better comparison. Electric vehicles have been around for over 100 years in some way or another, and on the whole, I'd bet the maintenance is lower.

The real issue isn't the electric motors so much, it's the battery banks.

 

[schmookeeg]

I'm on our third EV. I think it's a context issue.

For twisty mountain roads and wide open interstates, yes, I want some petrol-powered muscle, engineered suspension, and a manual transmission to get me drunk on the mechanical whirring and viscera of the machine.

For zipping in and out of city traffic, gridlocked highways, and dodging herds of obliviots in the left lane, the instantaneous torque and zip are very gratifying and useful. To 40mph, there are few gasser cars I'll lose to from the stoplight, and maybe half of the motorcycles out there. Add in the low CG from the batteries, and corners can be taken at kidney-punching speeds. Even little Chadlet in his tuned Subaru WRX Grumblenox can't hang.

I think this thread is comparing a successful hunting trip with a high score in the buck hunter video game. Each can be satisfying in their context, but there is nearly zero overlap on their venn diagrams

$0.02

 

[UngaWunga]

 

[Tantalum]

191,000+ miles and still runs like a top

Think about the electric motors in your home HVAC system

my worry with modern stuff is less about the actual hardware and physical things breaking but goofy software issues..

In the last 10 years of my adult life all of my woes have been related to software or circuit boards, this includes stuff that are less than 5 years old and otherwise higher-end appliances

Part of the reason I want to hang on to my 2010 FJ.. it's remarkably old school and ancient compared to what is on the road now

Good point on HVAC motors.. electrical motors, specially brushless, have incredibly few actual moving parts. They're stupid simple

 

[Ted]

my worry with modern stuff is less about the actual hardware and physical things breaking but goofy software issues..

In the last 10 years of my adult life all of my woes have been related to software or circuit boards, this includes stuff that are less than 5 years old and otherwise higher-end appliances

Right, but those goofy software issues apply to new cars, really new anything. My watch has software. Let me repeat this for emphasis.

MY

WATCH

HAS

SOFTWARE

Wristwatches are supposed to be hand wound, or battery powered. This one has software, and more computing capacity than my first 3 or 4 computers.