Originally Posted by
PAT303
Both of those engines got their ''efficiency'' from decreasing the volume of air compressed in each cylinder,instead of compressing the air they blew it out of the inlet valves.That all sounds good but in effect,what you have is a 2.0ltre engine with the stroke of a 1.6,so your efficiency comes not from any fantastic development but instead from a smaller internal capacity.Again that sounds good but you have the weight of the car and a 2.0ltre engine,but the power and more importantly the torque of a 1.6ltre so in real life the driver spends most of their lives with their foot to the floor trying to get the thing to go,which blows the efficiency line out the window.Toyota got around the lack of power by adding an electric motor,friends of mine in Kalgoorlie had a Prius that averaged 5 ltres per 100 driving to Perth and back,about the same as a normal small sedan,so again your cutting your nose off in spite of your face. Pat