Toyota's New Four-Cylinder Engines Set to Deliver Big Power Numbers
For a long time, Toyota was known as the appliance automaker, but it has rebuilt its reputation for performance with a range of Gazoo Racing-massaged vehicles in recent years. That trend is set to continue with the automaker’s next-generation gas engines, which could deliver staggering horsepower numbers.
Toyota showed a mid-engine hatchback concept back in January with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine making between 400 and 450 horsepower, but recent reports suggest the automaker is eying a much higher output. Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reported that Toyota engineers are looking for more power: “With a larger turbocharger, more than 600 horsepower is easily possible.”
The 1.6-liter turbo-three in the GR Corolla makes 300 horsepower, thanks to a truckload of boost, so there’s no telling how far Toyota can go with the right turbo. It also has a range of potential applications for the engines, including the much-hyped return of the Toyota Celica and a future GR86 redesign. We may also see a more powerful updated form of the GR Corolla at some point in the future, but the engine is still in the testing phases for now.
Auto Motor und Sport reported that Toyota has been testing the engine in the GR Yaris M, and the company has been spotted testing in a Lexus IS in the past. One engineer in the report suggested that the G20E four-cylinder engine would be highly tunable, too, so it will be interesting to see what it’s capable of when it arrives.
[Images: Toyota]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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Car manufactures all got together and said let's put smaller engines in everything and artificially boost the power so we can get back to the point where life expectancy is back to 2 years. And Nissan said let's go one step farther and make it something that you wouldn't want to look at for more than a couple years. Designers said OK let's Juke it.
The fact of the matter... there is only so much energy in a gallon of gas and internal combustion is not that efficient. Adding forced air induction/turbo/super charging to get every last unit of energy: increases design complexity, requires more costly materials and parts, requires more tight specifications and an efficient high quality production line all while keeping the selling price competitive.
These things are VERY mutually exclusive.