When Four is More

If you’re a car guy, the muscular rumble of a V8 engine is something you take for granted. It constitutes the sound track of our automotive dreams.

It’s been that way at least since 1932, when Henry Ford introduced his Ford Model B, equipped with Ford’s first production V8 engine. Derivatives of that engine were produced into the 1950s. It so made Ford’s reputation for speed and durability that Ford V8s were the get-away cars that famed American outlaw Clyde Barrow most liked to drive.

Ford’s V8 wasn’t even the first. Chevrolet was offering a V8 in 1914, and there may have been even earlier examples of engines using this inspired layout.

All of which is to say that if there’s an American engine, the V8 qualifies.

So it’s easy to forget that before there was a V8, there was an inline Four – I4s, as they’re called. Such engines powered the Model A before the V8 Model B bowed, and they powered the Ford Model T, the Model A’s storied predecessor. They never completely faded away, but instead took a back seat as the mighty V8 rumbled through its reign.

But now that V8 reign seems to be over, and I4s are back in a surprising renaissance that sees them gaining favor for their special virtues – they tend to be small, light and thrifty. And these days, they’re also surprisingly powerful.

There are a number of such engines in Toyota’s lineup, and a new one coming in December in the Venza.

It looks like it will be just in time. A well-known market-research firm noted that of all new-vehicle monthly sales recently, 51% of those vehicles were powered by I4s, up from 38% for the same period last year.

Sales of V8 engines, meanwhile, constituted just 13% of monthly sales, the company reported, and even the V6, long thought to be an ideal compromise between the efficiency of the I4 and the power of the V8, made up just 33% of the month's sales.

For sure, as advanced technologies have unleashed the potential of the I4, it has become the engine of choice for America’s growing appetite for smaller vehicles with smaller appetites for fuel. To the considerable surprise of many car guys, its smooth purr is the new soundtrack to life in America.

Sure, we still build V8s and V6s here at Toyota, and within their classifications, they’re very efficient. If you need power and torque for towing or for hauling heavy loads, for instance, they’re the engines you want under the hood. But if it’s ultimate economy you’re looking for, you might want to take a ride in one of our I4-powered vehicles. You just might find out, just as other drivers have, that Four is More.

-Jon F. Thompson, Editor, Open Road

Comments

[joe]

your tundra truck commercial is B.S. without the digital tricks i like to see the CEO get in that truck and drive before steel doors close and stop before it goes over the edge what a crock nothing like false adv. and if it does do it i would like to see that upclose and personal!!!!!

[Matt]

I read through this post and agree that smaller engines can still have some pep. As the proud owner of a 2001 Toyota Celica, I've always gotten good pick up with the VVTi 4 engine that my GT has under the hood. I'm sure having a stick shift helps, but I've never been disappointed with the performance.

Now that the cost of fuel continues to increase, I'm constantly reminded of the intelligent choice I made to purchase my Celica in '01. It gets 32/38 mpg and makes even more sense to own these days as people continue to trade in gas guzzling SUVs for more economical choices.