Consumer Reports has taken aim at at small-displacement, forced-induction engines, saying the powerplants don't manage to deliver on automaker fuel economy claims. Manufacturers have long held that smaller, turbocharged engines pack all power of their larger displacement cousins with significantly better fuel economy, but the research organization says that despite scoring high EPA economy numbers, the engines are no better than conventional drivetrains in both categories. Jake Fisher, director of automotive testing for Consumer Reports, says the forced induction options "are often slower and less fuel efficient than larger four and six-cylinder engines."
Specifically, CR calls out the new Ford Fusion equipped with the automaker's Ecoboost 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine. The institute's researchers found the engine, which is a $795 option over the base 2.5-liter four-cylinder, fails to match competitors in acceleration and served up 25 miles per gallon in testing, putting the sedan dead last among other midsize options.
Our rollout of Detroit Auto Show reveals continues tonight with the Lincoln MKC Concept, which previews what is sure to be the brand's next small crossover SUV. (I needed to post this tonight because I know how passionate you all are about small crossover SUVs.) More »
Buick GN and GNX, Ford Fiesta ST and Ecoboost 1.0, GM looks for economy from new tire tech, PopSci Best of What's new 2012
Episode #310 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Zach Bowman and Jeff Ross talk about the rumored return of the Buick Grand National and GNX, Ford adding the ST and Ecoboost 1.0 to the Fiesta lineup, General Motors looking to tire tech to improve fuel economy, and Popular Science digging cars as the Best of What's new for 2012. Zach and Dan also took some time to chat with Matt Edmonds of TireRack.com about holiday gift ideas for us gearheads. For those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Keep reading for our Q&A module for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!
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The Ford Escape has always been the capable compact SUV you never really wanted, but was your go-to response to the question: "I don't off-road. I want an SUV. What should I buy?" The new 2013 Ford Escape is no longer an SUV, but it won't change the answer to that question. More »
The Ford Escape has always been the capable compact SUV you never really wanted, but was your go-to response to the question: "I don't off-road. I want an SUV. What should I buy?" The new 2013 Ford Escape is no longer an SUV, but it won't change the answer to that question. More »
