Quote:
Originally Posted by yankee
Thank you for this comment. It's great to see a detailed opinion between two engines without the "flame"  I am also wondering what's your comment on the I4 Turbo in terms of agility, handling, fun (for DD), compared to a V6. |
The Turbo I4 surprised me initially base stock for stock. The car feels peppier than the V6 but I later realized its because the I4 has a sharper torque curve where as the V6 has a more linear / gradual curve..so it feels like the I4 is faster because you're launched into peak torque sooner ...where as the V6 has to rev out... the I4 was great when needing immediately acceleration but the V6 was "faster" overall..you just couldn't feel it.
Agility and handling felt the same. My 1LT V6 was unbelievably agile, it was on par with my dads 2002 C5 and was capable of keeping up with it through the twisties... and easily capable of out manuevering the average car. I drove an Impala once while my car was in the shop and quickly realized just how agile my 1LT was. People say there's a huge weight difference... on paper there isnt much proof of this...the average difference is between 50 and 100 pounds at best. Mine weighed in right at around 3,400 lbs.
Fuel economy, my V6 got up to 47 MPG all highway on a road trip to California. Prior to that my record was 42 MPG all highway on a road trip to Pittsburgh. These were speeds ranging from 70 to 85 MPH... The V6 LOVES high speeds.. it can handle 90 MPH under 2k RPMS. Street / Highway combo, I got around 26 - 30 MPG...I really think my car was a freak car... I have proof of these occurrences as well.
That said, on a STOCK TO STOCK comparison, V6 still wins... the difference comes when modding because the I4 due to F.I. doesn't face the same limitations as the V6. So if you're into modding you have a better platform, but if you're looking to surpass SS power, you will still need to build the motor to support it or you risk popping a piston, other issue is ... no warranty.