Tråd: Småt er Smukt

Reduktionen af benzinmotorer vil gøre for bedre at carsAs nogen regel mindre end imponeret over Regeringens lovgivning, det er overraskende, hvor ofte nye regler er det lykkedes at tvinge den automotive industri betydeligt sit spil.
Tilbage i begyndelsen af 1970 ' erne tvunget Californias revolutionerende Clean Air act bilproducenter sælger i denne yderst vigtige marked, for dramatisk at reducere forureningen af deres motorer. Heavy-metal købmænd fra Detroit, spiste på deres kollektive cigarer og erklæret kravene umuligt at mødes uden omfattende de-smogging kit og meget reducerede magt.
Så er Honda kom med CVCC (Sammensatte Vortex Kontrolleret Forbrænding) motor, der kunne opfylde de forskrifter, uden at en katalytisk konverter. Hvilket gjorde Detroit se temmelig dum og tvang resten af branchen tilbage til laboratoriet, til gavn for miljøet.
EU ' s lovgivning at tvinge bilproducenterne til at forbedre gennemsnitlige brændstoføkonomi ( og stadigt strengere forurening regler, som vil gøre fremtidige dieselmotorer er betydeligt dyrere at bygge) har også ført til en uventet - og meget velkommen - spring fremad i benzin motor teknologi.
Fanget mellem krav om bedre økonomi og den høje omkostninger i EU6-kompatibel diesel motorer, bilproducenter endelig begyndt at bruge nogle hårdt at tænke at benzin engineering, efter et årti eller mere for at koncentrere sig om olie-brændere.
Vadesteder 1. 0-liters turbo tre-pot er en absolut perle og er allerede på salg. Personligt tror jeg, at den nye Fiesta udstyret med denne motor bliver noget af et vartegn bil. Ive havde imidlertid også privilegiet at køre et som-endnu uudgivet tre-cylindrede motor, der kunne blive en afgørende ingrediens i alvorlige chauffører biler.
Dens ingen hemmelighed, at BMW har udviklet en 1. 5-liter, tre-cylindrede, Turboladet benzin og dieselmotorer. B38 og B37 enhederne vil være grundpillen motorer for Mk3 Mini og BMW'er kommende familien af kompakte biler, front-drev. Men, nye alu-blok motoren har også været designet til at monteres på langs, gør en racing sikkerhed for fremtidige baghjulstrukne BMW'er.
På en teknisk briefing for den nye motor, blev vi ført ud på den nedlagte flyveplads, der er nu en BMW erfaring centrum, og præsenteret med en 1-serien er udstyret med en prototype version af benzin, tre-puljen. Den første ting, der slog mig, var, hvor lille det så ud i motorrummet, der kan rumme en straight-six motor.
Men den positive side er, at de tre-pot sidder lige tilbage i motorrummet, der tilbyder den slags vægtfordeling at få front-motor produktion af biler, der kunne håbe på at matche. Jeg havde en hurtig tur rundt om test track i 1-serien og et par ting blev krystalklar.
Først op, denne motor var meget punchy og sporty (de ville ikke fortælle os, output, men Id gæt omkring 150bhp) og heldigvis hurtig til rev. mindre motorer med letvægts, fredsgennemtvingelse, interne komponenter er en fryd.
For det andet, balance og sving dygtighed af 1-serien var på et andet niveau, som man kunne forvente, når vægten i næsen har ikke kun været reduceret, men skubbet så langt tilbage, som det er teknisk muligt. Selvfølgelig, en lysere næse betyder, at bilen er styringen - selv på en prototype - mærkbart lettere og sødere.
Disse nedprioriteret benzin motorer er lutter gode nyheder: mere sparsommelige, mere sjov at køre, og en væsentlig bidragyder til driveren nydelse. Kan en tre-gryde M bil være langt væk?

The downsizing of petrol engines will make for better carsAs someone usually less than impressed with Government legislation, it is surprising how often new regulations have succeeded in forcing the automotive industry to significantly up its game.
Back in the early 1970s, Californias revolutionary Clean Air act forced carmakers selling into this all-important market, to dramatically reduce the pollution emitted by their engines. The heavy-metal merchants from Detroit, chomped on their collective cigars and declared the requirements impossible to meet without extensive de-smogging kit and much reduced power.
Then Honda came along with the CVCC (Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion) engine which could meet the regulations without a catalytic convertor. Which made Detroit look pretty stupid and forced the rest of industry back to the lab, to the benefit of the environment.
The EU legislation forcing carmakers to improve average fuel economy ( and the increasingly stringent pollution regulations which will make future diesel engines significantly more expensive to build) has also led to an unexpected - and most welcome - leap forward in petrol engine technology.
Trapped between the demands for better economy and the high-cost of EU6-compliant diesel engines, carmakers finally started to apply some hard thinking to gasoline engineering, after a decade or more of concentrating on oil-burners.
Fords 1. 0-litre turbo three-pot is an absolutely jewel and is already on sale. Personally, I suspect that the new Fiesta equipped with this motor will become something of a landmark car. However, Ive also had the privilege of driving an as-yet unreleased three-cylinder engine that could become a crucial ingredient in serious drivers cars.
Its no secret that BMW has been developing a 1. 5-litre, three-cylinder, turbocharged petrol and diesel engines. The B38 and B37 units will be the mainstay engines for the Mk3 Mini and BMWs upcoming family of compact front-drive cars. However, the new alloy-block motor has also been designed to be longitudinally mounted, making a racing certainty for future rear-drive BMWs.
At a technical briefing for the new engine, we were led out onto the disused airfield that is now a BMW experience centre, and presented with a 1-series fitted with a prototype version of the petrol three-pot. The first thing that struck me was just how small it looked in an engine bay that can accommodate a straight-six motor.
But the upside is that the three-pot sits right back in the engine bay, offering the kind of weight distribution that few front-engined production cars could hope to match. I had a quick spin around the test track in the 1-series and a few things became crystal clear.
First up, this engine was very punchy and sporty (they wouldnt tell us the output, but Id guess around 150bhp) and gratifyingly quick to rev. Smaller engines with lightweight, downsized, internal components are a delight.
Second, the balance and cornering prowess of the 1-series was on a different level, as you might expect when the weight in the nose has not only been reduced, but pushed as far back as technically possible. Of course, a lighter nose means the car is the steering - even on a prototype - noticeably lighter and sweeter.
These downsized petrol engines are nothing but good news: more frugal, more fun to drive and a significant contributor to driver enjoyment. Can a three-pot M car be far away?