4 Cyl. engines and front wheel drive cars

[Sierra048]

I really need your thoughts and opinions on these two things.

Background: My wife and I just bought a new Nissan Frontier P/U to replace our Jeep for reasons mentioned in an earlier thread, mainly my familiarity with the 4.0l v-6 (the engine in my wife's Xterra) and it's rwd. We will be replacing her Xterra in the next year or so and quite a few, but not all, of the vehicles she likes come standard now with 4 cyl. engines, but most do come with front wheel drive. After dinner out last night we stopped by a local Chevy dealer to kill some time and look at what she might like in the future. She really liked the look of the Malibu and Equinox but was turned off of them both when she found out they both had 4 cyl. engines. She doesn't know anything about FWD/CVT to be concerned at this point. She also likes the Nissan Murano, it comes with a 6 cyl., but has FWD/CVT.

Concerns: We've both had 4 cyl. engines in the past, although many years ago, and they were nothing but unreliable and under-powered. My wife, at least right now, wants nothing to do with a 4 cyl. engine just because of her past experiences. Neither of us have owned a FWD/CVT vehicle. As a side note, when I was looking for a replacement truck for the Jeep, I looked at the 4.3L ecotec V6 in a Chevy Silverado that was rated for 285 hp that equaled, or exceeded, the hp from some earlier model Chevy v8s. So has technology really improved that much that a 4 cyl. wouldn't be a mistake now? I just don't know.

My questions to you: What are your thoughts on 4 cyl. engines produced today (power/reliability)? How good and reliable are the new FWD/CVT transmissions? What, if anything, should I be wary of or concerned about with either? Thanks in advance for your help and thoughts.

 

[xxch4osxx]

4 cylinder engines have improved in leaps and bounds from what they used to be. She should try driving a couple and see what she thinks.

 

[wemay]

I like 4 cyl
FWD vs RWD... ehhh, either one will do.
I love 4 cyl turbos
I dont like cvt or dsg
Jury is out on direct injection (most 4cyl today)
Depending on model, reliability is the same as any other engine type.

Good luck, im sure you will make the right decision.

 

[cheesepuffs]

Go out and test drive one and you'll have no more doubts. Four cylinders of today are conpletely adequate.

 

[Mr Nice]

I rented a 2014 Accord LX with a CVT transmission and was very surprised how nice it drove. From city driving to WOT on the highway it was very smooth, I thought I would not like CVT compared to 6 speed automatic.

 

[RF Overlord]

The only concern I have is the trend of getting more & more power out of smaller & smaller engines, and having wildly complex million-speed transmissions. This to me sounds like a recipe for being either unreliable and/or expensive to maintain compared to a larger, simpler engine and 4-speed transmission.

I know why they're doing it, I just don't like it.

Also, FWD is for tricycles.

 

[expat]

I would bet, in most cases, she would not be able to tell from driving how many Cyls the car has.

As for reliability, some of the most reliable and longest lasting engines ever built have had 4 Cyls.

 

[bdcardinal]

My mom just bought a Fusion EcoBoost AWD and loves it. This is literally her first car to not be a RWD Ford with either a Windsor or Modular V8. She did not believe it was a 4cyl in the car until I showed her.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
My mom just bought a Fusion EcoBoost AWD and loves it. This is literally her first car to not be a RWD Ford with either a Windsor or Modular V8. She did not believe it was a 4cyl in the car until I showed her.


Those Ford Ecoboost 4cyl cars have some insane acceleration! The ones I`ve driven were awesome!!

 

[yvon_la]

4 cylinder are reliable!but you have a power to weight ratio to figure out!putting a 4 cylinder gas engine in a huge thing is a nono(yes even if its turbocharged ,the expection?diesel.if you had the same engine but in a diesel variant then it is way different!v6 are very unreliable,yes even now a day .exemple?ask your self this!why all the big rig in America are mostly inline 6 diesel?dont sweat it ,we tested it a lot in all kind of variant in gas in diesel in propane and now in natural gas!inline 6 or v 12 are the way to go!so if your better half want reliability (depending also on the millage she does daily)she has two choice ,electric (on that front I like the Chevrolet spark electric)or diesel (the dodge cummin inline 6 diesel)but electric are so new that my idea of good might be bad (since im in love with that 400 pound feet of torque)

 

[OneEyeJack]

A 4 cylinder engine usually means one head gasket and one exhaust system and easier access within the engine compartment and an intake manifold and fuel system that is easier to deal with as the engine ages. If you keep your cars and do some of your own maintenance 4 cylinder cars can be easier to deal with. On some cars with a V6 I defy you to put your index finger on a spark plug or to reach into the engine compartment and touch the water pump. Be wary of maintenance procedures for V6 powered cars that start with, remove the front end of the vehicle, including the bumper, grill, radiator(s) and hoses and a possible step 2 that states remove engine. Simple is better.

 

[Fleetmon]

Recently we had a 2013 Chev Captiva rental with a four-cylinder and, while adequate enough for around town, highway performance was miserable. We commute via I83 south of York and it was extremely unpleasant to drive.....would barely hold 70MPH and conversation at that speed was near impossible....engine screaming and continuos transmission shifting. We had contacted Enterprise about exchanging the rental to something else but our ride was released from the body shop a little earlier than expected.

 

[Sierra048]

Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
A 4 cylinder engine usually means one head gasket and one exhaust system and easier access within the engine compartment and an intake manifold and fuel system that is easier to deal with as the engine ages. If you keep your cars and do some of your own maintenance 4 cylinder cars can be easier to deal with. On some cars with a V6 I defy you to put your index finger on a spark plug or to reach into the engine compartment and touch the water pump. Be wary of maintenance procedures for V6 powered cars that start with, remove the front end of the vehicle, including the bumper, grill, radiator(s) and hoses and a possible step 2 that states remove engine. Simple is better.





As mentioned earlier, that's why we went with the Nissan Frontier as our truck of choice. I was familiar with the engine after nine years maintenance on my wife's Xterra. Nice to hear about the power advances in the 4 cyl. engines. We will test drive one eventually. Just not ready to buy yet and don't want to deal with the pressure to buy now if we test drive one which happens every time I test drive anything. Now my biggest question/concern would be how reliable and durable do you believe CVT vehicles to be. Any known deficiencies in this platform? Are they going to be maintenance nightmares? Again, my only experiences with drive trains are RWD vehicles. If it was me I'd just buy her a full-size P/U truck but that would end up costing me much, much more in the long run, not just in money. Thanks to all who volunteered their opinions and insight.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: yvon_la
4 cylinder are reliable!but you have a power to weight ratio to figure out!putting a 4 cylinder gas engine in a huge thing is a nono(yes even if its turbocharged ,the expection?diesel.if you had the same engine but in a diesel variant then it is way different!v6 are very unreliable,yes even now a day .exemple?ask your self this!why all the big rig in America are mostly inline 6 diesel?dont sweat it ,we tested it a lot in all kind of variant in gas in diesel in propane and now in natural gas!inline 6 or v 12 are the way to go!so if your better half want reliability (depending also on the millage she does daily)she has two choice ,electric (on that front I like the Chevrolet spark electric)or diesel (the dodge cummin inline 6 diesel)but electric are so new that my idea of good might be bad (since im in love with that 400 pound feet of torque)


Drive an Escape or Edge with the 2.0L ecoboost. Instant, wayyyyyyyyy more than adequate torque off idle. More than enough power for a vehicle of that size. I always liked the torque curve of old I6 engines ... GTDI 4 cylinders ... I like that even more!

It's about as close to a diesel torque curve as I can imagine while still having spark plugs!

 

[MinamiKotaro]

Originally Posted By: Fleetmon
Recently we had a 2013 Chev Captiva rental with a four-cylinder and, while adequate enough for around town, highway performance was miserable. We commute via I83 south of York and it was extremely unpleasant to drive.....would barely hold 70MPH and conversation at that speed was near impossible....engine screaming and continuos transmission shifting. We had contacted Enterprise about exchanging the rental to something else but our ride was released from the body shop a little earlier than expected.


Yours must have been buggered. My Captiva rental (only thing they had, got it for the price of a compact car ) would hold 70 effortlessly and was very quiet.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: Mfrank84
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
A 4 cylinder engine usually means one head gasket and one exhaust system and easier access within the engine compartment and an intake manifold and fuel system that is easier to deal with as the engine ages. If you keep your cars and do some of your own maintenance 4 cylinder cars can be easier to deal with. On some cars with a V6 I defy you to put your index finger on a spark plug or to reach into the engine compartment and touch the water pump. Be wary of maintenance procedures for V6 powered cars that start with, remove the front end of the vehicle, including the bumper, grill, radiator(s) and hoses and a possible step 2 that states remove engine. Simple is better.





As mentioned earlier, that's why we went with the Nissan Frontier as our truck of choice. I was familiar with the engine after nine years maintenance on my wife's Xterra. Nice to hear about the power advances in the 4 cyl. engines. We will test drive one eventually. Just not ready to buy yet and don't want to deal with the pressure to buy now if we test drive one which happens every time I test drive anything. Now my biggest question/concern would be how reliable and durable do you believe CVT vehicles to be. Any known deficiencies in this platform? Are they going to be maintenance nightmares? Again, my only experiences with drive trains are RWD vehicles. If it was me I'd just buy her a full-size P/U truck but that would end up costing me much, much more in the long run, not just in money. Thanks to all who volunteered their opinions and insight.


Honda and Toyota are too new to CVTs to be able to determine whether or not they are good.

Subarus are excellent.

Nissan's CVT models are a disaster. Unreliable and awkward. IF you buy a Nissan with a CVT, budget $7K to replace it *when* it fails. Seems that anything above 50K and they are living on borrowed time.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Is today 4-cyl adequate ?

In the early 90's I drove the 1991 Accord SE from my house driveway in Santa Ana, CA to parking lot of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in 3 hrs 15 min, the distance is 280 miles and average speed was 85 MPH.

I could not reduce travel time with Lexus LS400, MB E430 both with V8 engine.

Almost all newer 4-cyl engines are better than 1991 Honda Accord engine.

The answer is: Yes, it does.

 

[gregk24]

4 cylinder engines can be some of the most reliable engines out there, and todays 4 bangers have PLENTY of power. If I were you I would look for a car with a proven 4 cylinder (The toyota 2.5 has been out for a couple years now and has proven to be reliable, the Honda 2.4 has been out since 2000 and has proven to be reliable, the (new) chevy 2.4 started out pretty bad, but I think most of the bugs have been worked out. Although I think the malibu uses a 2.5 now, which suffered some wrist pin issues at first, not sure if that was resolved or not. Bottom line, it properly maintained todays 4's should go many many miles. I know some might think I am biased, but I would stick with the Honda and Toyota 4's, for the most part they are bullet proof.

 

[drolds]

We need more details as "what your wife actually wants" as in type of vehicle. From carefully deciphering your post, it sounds as though she wants a six cylinder and RWD in a mid-sized SUV.
If that is the case, you may want to consider the Mercedes Benz ML350 for example. It can be had in AWD or RWD. I have serviced these and find them to be great vehicles. That is my suggestion. Four door pickups may be the only other alternative for you as a few others previously noted.
Of course the recommended oil viscosity for this one is a 5W-40 synthetic. Whether you go up or down a grade or need suggestions as to a brand of oil, you will get ample suggestions as you are on the right site.

 

[earlyre]

One thing no one has mentioned so far, is that many modern V8's spend a lot of their time only running on 4 cylinders. They only fire the other 4 when they're needed. ( low end grunt, WOT, etc..)