Euro V emissions killing performance cars

[obi_waynne]

The new Euro V emissions regulations are putting an end to a lot of performance engines.

Fords ST 2.5, Most of Honda's 2.0 Nasp engines and the V10 TDI used in the touareg and Alfa are losing their lovely V engine in the Berea.

It is also good by to the RX8 rotary engine although the RX9 will probably still have a rotary engine of some description.

It is a sad day when these regs come into play.

Do you think emissions regs are holding back the car industry or is it forcing innovation?

Will all cars end up being hybrids? Will Honda need to start using forced induction?

 

[HDi fun]

Possibly yes, it will certainly stifle things. But we all thought that the cat converter would kill performance engines.

It did, for a while, but the industry innovated its way around the problem.

Same will happen here, for a while.

 

[obi_waynne]

So no performance cars for a few years?

 

[HDi fun]

Nah - they'll be around still. Don't panic too much.

 

[Yugguy]

They do reckon that large N/A engines will become a thing of the past, especially in mainstream cars, and that the future is all massively forced 1.4s and 1.6s

 

[RobBentley]

They do reckon that large N/A engines will become a thing of the past, especially in mainstream cars, and that the future is all massively forced 1.4s and 1.6s

Volkswagens 1.4 TSi engine is a good example of this. 157BHP from factory and maps to 205BHP with no physical modifications.

It's supercharged and turbocharged, the supercharger providing grunt from tick-over until 4000rpm when a clutch disengages the supercharger and the turbo provides power up to the rev limiter. Clever engineering imho.

 

[Yugguy]

Aye, it's an amazing engine but I doubt it has the drama of a 4.2V8. But I can definitely see the point.

Quite a draw too, cheap road tax cos you're only paying for the emissions of a little 1.4 but then a remap to 200brake and wheeeee. Just looked on Parkers and even the 180bhp version in a Polo only costs £110 a year in road tax.

 

[RobBentley]

Road tax bands are mad anyway. The R36 was £435 odd a year, but the RS4 because its a 2006 just had its renewal come through at £245/year.

 

[Yugguy]

Road tax is rubbish. For a start all it says is that as long as you're rich you can pollute.

And it doesnt take into account mileage. A big Jag with a 4.2 costs 900 odd a year to tax, and some little 1.4 costs 100. But if you do ten times the mileage in your 1.4 as your 4.2 then you'll produce more pollution.

IMO it should be scrapped and put on fuel - that way the biggest polluters, either via mileage or CO2 of the engine, pay the most.

 

[RobBentley]

IMO it should be scrapped and put on fuel - that way the biggest polluters, either via mileage or CO2 of the engine, pay the most.

I've often thought this. It'd also stop heavily modified cars getting through an effective loophole. You see mad twin-turbo Golf R32's or big-turbo GTI's for example, pumping out passive amounts of CO2 and doing naff all to the gallon, but they where road-tax classed at new, so they remain in their original band.

 

[RobBentley]

Less resources needed to 'police' the road-tax system too. If its on the petrol, everybody using the road has paid it... without it, they're not going anywhere fast