4-Cyl vs. V6... What's the difference?

Question

What's the difference between an automatic SUV 4-Cyl, 2.4 Liter engine and a V6, 3.7 Liter engine? Pros? Cons? Also, why is the gas mileage so different between the two?

Answer 1

The "4-Cyl, 2.4 Liter" means the engine has 4 cylinders and a displacement of 2.4 Liters. The "V6, 3.7 Liter" is a 6 cylinder engine with a displacement of 3.7 Liters. Those numbers pretty much describe how big and/or powerful an engine is.

The 4 cylinder is much smaller, so it would require a lot less gas to run, while the 6 cylinder is big, eats lots of gas, but puts out much more horsepower and torque. Depending on what you need your vehicle to do, the choice should be easy. If you just need basic transportation, and won't be towing/carrying heavy loads, or require fast acceleration, the 4 cylinder would be enough. If you do plan on hauling stuff or need the acceleration constantly(highway merging, much?), the V6 would be the much better choice.

The "automatic" bit before the SUV 4-cyl you mentioned is referring to the transmission of the car. You'll have to check whether or not the V6 is also an automatic, though it most likely is. Automatic means it shifts gears by itself and does not require clutching, just in case you didn't know already.

Answer 2

Be extremely careful here when picking motors for a relatively heavy SUV. First of all to convert Liters to cubic inches there 61 cubic inches in one liter. If you math these two motors converting to cubic inches the 4 cyl. engine has 146.4 cubic inches. The 6 cyl. motor has 225.7 cubic in.

The 4 cylinder is going to need to work much harder and definitely use more fuel than if it was in a lighter more aerodynamic coupe or 4 door sedan. The 6 cylinder will be loafing along using less throttle and power. Fuel economy may be a lot closer than you think.

I'll give you a prime example. I purchased an 04 Toyota SE Camry with a 4 cyl motor. On trips we knock down between 33 - 35 miles per gallon. My daughter chose an 04 Toyota Highlander with the same 4-cyl motor that's in our car. The very best mileage she's ever gotten is 22 miles per gallon. That's a prime example of driving a non-aerodynamic heavy brick through the air. You'll need more throttle to make it match the speed of the 6 cyl.

Obviously you should look carefully at the difference in torque of these two motors. The more torque or twisting force the less throttle opening will be necessary to start from a dead stop. Look at the scale of the torque graph and at what RPM maximum torque occurs.

Answer 3

more horse power, larger liter engines, more gas used. the pros / cons are up to you. do you want power, or gas mileage?

Answer 4

2 more or less cylinders.