Quote:
Originally Posted by Master Deep
I personally hate the sound of 4-cylinders, even turbo ones. Yes I know they have superior low end torque, but I'd rather have an engine that sounds nice and makes me want to rev it up to redline. Also I have yet to drive a I4 that is as smooth as an I6.
But yes this was caused by the stupid government regulations. I don't plan to buy an I4 until there are no more I6 or V6's available on the market in this car segment.
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Not sure how old you are, but some of us remember the days when you couldn't see half a mile in LA due to the smog from cars. Those cars got 12 miles to the gallon, had no seat belts, few other safety features and did 0-60 in about 10 seconds. When society decided it had had enough of that, government set standards for industry to meet and guess what, they did. Technologies improved, cars got cleaner, safer, more fuel efficient AND FASTER. Today's econoboxes run almost as fast as some late 60's muscle cars and get nearly three times the gas mileage. I am not here to defend government, but sometimes they actually do some things that benefit us all.
I'd look at the new CAFE regulations as a challenge that BMW and other car manufacturers will have to meet. There were all kinds of back room discussions before the new standards were set and the car makers got some concessions in the form of eliminating the separate California regs. They never would have signed up for this if they didn't think they could meet them. And finally, they are "corporate average" regulations. Companies can still build Vipers, Corvettes, and M3s as long as they build enough other stuff to meet the average. I wouldn't sweat this too much.