Gas-guzzlers and variable engine displacement<\/p>\n
Zatni Arbi, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
This year we saw a new era emerge in the automotive industry. We
\nbegan the year with engines getting larger and larger.<\/p>\n
People flocked to dealers to check out the latest SUVs.
\nSuddenly, we had a worldwide oil crisis and the price of gasoline
\nskyrocketed. Right away, the sales of gas-guzzling cars, trucks
\nand SUVs plummeted, even in the U.S.<\/p>\n
So car buyers now look for smaller cars or family sedans that
\ndo not compromise too much on interior space and utility. They
\nwere so pampered with the spaciousness of full-sized SUVs, but
\nnow fuel economy reigns supreme.<\/p>\n
Here in Indonesia we used to think that diesel engines were
\ncheaper to operate. As the government hiked the price of diesel
\nfuel (known as \"solar\" locally) to Rp 4,300 per liter, the price
\ndifference was no longer significant.<\/p>\n
If you included cleanliness, noise and, most of all, the
\nfaster depreciation of diesel-engine cars, it would no longer be
\nattractive to have one. Its fuel consumption, however, still
\nbeats the average miles per gallon (mpg) of a gasoline-powered
\ncar, though.<\/p>\n
Hybrid cars, which automatically shut down their internal
\ncombustion engine and use an electric engine when traveling at a
\nlow speed, when coasting or when idle, were still a premium in
\n2005.<\/p>\n
Ford's Escape, the first hybrid SUV, was joined by others
\nincluding the Lexus RX400h and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid. In
\nthe compact segment, Toyota and Honda have been selling the
\nhybrid Prius, Insight and Civic in the U.S. for a couple of
\nyears. Most car buyers are still waiting for the time when the
\nprice differential between the hybrid and non-hybrid versions
\ndrops substantially.<\/p>\n
Whether hybrid cars can be used in Jakarta remains to be seen,
\nas the water level on the road rises so quickly during a short
\ndownpour. Remember, even the energy from the brakes is
\ntransformed into electrical current that will recharge the
\nbattery.<\/p>\n
By the way, hybrid technology has also been implemented in a
\nRST-V (Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Targeting Vehicle), the
\nbattleground SUV that inspired the Hummer. It combines a diesel
\nengine and one electric motor on each wheel to push it to more
\nthan 100 kilometers per hour (kph), and during a surveillance
\nmission it can travel silently into enemy territory.<\/p>\n
Blurring of distinctions<\/p>\n
One clear trend in 2005 was the expanding range of car
\ndesigns, which makes it more difficult for us to continue using
\nthe conventional categories. If you see a new model on the
\nstreet, is it a subcompact, a compact, a full-size, an estate, a
\nvan, an MPV, an SUV, a crossover, a truck or just a sports car?<\/p>\n
It's not easy to decide.<\/p>\n
Today, as car buyers begin to abandon the large SUVs, they are
\nsetting their eyes on the smaller wagons with a high roof.<\/p>\n
Consumer Reports calls them \"microvans\" or tall wagons\". They
\nhave a high seating position, can accommodate up to six people
\nand are equipped with fuel-efficient engines.<\/p>\n
They are not a sports car that can take you off from 0 to 100
\nkph in under 10 seconds, but they can take you to the supermarket
\nin comfort. One example is the Chrysler PT Cruiser, which has
\nbeen around for some time and may soon see the streets of
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
Talking about the PT Cruiser, car buyers in the U.S. will
\ncertainly be reminded of Chevy's HHR. The van, which has been
\ndesigned with a retro look and reminiscent of those fabulous
\nChevrolet trucks of the late 1940s and early 1950s, has been
\naccused of being a copycat of the PT Cruiser. (Take a look at the
\naccompanying picture.)<\/p>\n
By the way, the HHR stands for Heritage High Roof. Quite a
\nshow of the need for more creativity, but you may also know that
\nChevy launched a retro-looking truck\/roadster\/sports car under
\nthe name SSR in 2003.<\/p>\n
More carmakers are coming up with seven-seater, family-car
\nmodels. While this configuration has been quite common in Asia
\nfor some time, the European and American carmakers are just
\nbeginning to introduce theirs in more varieties. One of the
\nlatest arrivals is the new Mercedes Benz B-Class.<\/p>\n
It can take a family of three generations on an outing and
\nspoil them with a lot of the creature comforts. From the U.S.,
\nthere are the Ford Freestyle and Jeep Commander. The latter is an
\noff-roader rather than a family hauler, though.<\/p>\n
There is also a trend of replacing the metal roofs with
\nhardened glass. Here, in Indonesia we first saw the panoramic
\nroof in a Peugeot 307 SW a couple of years ago, but now they are
\ncommon in many models-including the Land Rover LS3. The new
\nmidsize SUV -- also a seven seater -- has three separate
\nsunroofs, one for each row of seats.<\/p>\n
If the sun becomes too hot, you can cover your head with its
\nbuilt-in drape. The new Jeep Commander has one sunroof for the
\nfront row and a pair for the second row seats. And, of course,
\nMaybach has the most versatile glass roof panel.<\/p>\n
What about the tranny?<\/p>\n
A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is what Ford used
\nin its 2005 Escape Hybrid. It was also used in the relatively new
\nFord Freestyle SUV\/car crossover. Other carmakers actually
\nstarted using the CVT on their models much earlier, and we can
\nexpect this type of transmission to become more common in new
\ncars and SUVs as it generally increases fuel economy.<\/p>\n
VW, however, has developed its own solution for reducing fuel
\nconsumption. Currently implemented in the Audi 3, VW's DSG six-
\nspeed gearbox is actually a dual-clutch transmission. It is said
\nthat this is more effective than the CVT, the manual transmission
\nand, certainly, the conventional torque converter automatic
\ntransmission.<\/p>\n
Drive-by-wire is also being adopted in a growing number of
\ncars. The mechanical link between the steering wheel and the
\nfront wheel is based on electrical current, and speed variable
\nmeans that the faster you go the heavier the steering wheel will
\nbe. The result is a lighter vehicle, and it translates into a
\nbetter fuel consumption.<\/p>\n
Following the trend in the last two decades or so, car engines
\nhave become much more reliable. Some engine makers claim that
\ntheir products are maintenance-free: Even the spark plugs can
\nstay in for over 20,000 km.<\/p>\n
However, no matter how good an engine is, it will not remain
\ntrouble-free for long if we feed it with the low quality,
\nkerosene-mixed gasoline that some of our unscrupulous Pertamina
\ngas station operators pump into our tanks.<\/p>\n
On the horizon<\/p>\n
In the not-so-far future, more cars will have many more active
\naccident avoidance systems. General Motors' Opel Vectra, for
\nexample, will have some kind of automatic pilot. Provided the
\nmarkings on the pavement are clear, the car will be able to
\nnavigate through a turn at speeds up to 90 kph.<\/p>\n
Called the Traffic Assist, the system relies on laser sensors
\nto keep you a safe distance from the vehicle in front. Mind you,
\nhowever, this car will not work in Jakarta, where drivers seem
\nadamantly opposed to even observing the lane markers.<\/p>\n
Looking forward, more and more vehicles will leave dealers'
\nlots with some kind of navigation system. I also believe that, as
\nthe ceiling-attached DVD screen and the headrests on the rearmost
\nseats block the rear view mirror's line of sight, more cars and
\nvans should be equipped with rear-facing cameras so that the
\ndriver will always be aware if a driver fro hell in a Kopaja bus
\nis just one inch behind him.<\/p>\n
Night vision will also become more commonplace to complement
\nincreasingly effective headlights. What I think should also be
\nimplemented in new cars is a sensor that detects the driver's
\nphysical condition. The sensor should emit an alert or disable
\nthe car altogether if the driver is drunk or sleepy.<\/p>\n
A year ago, we talked about the ability of the engine to shut
\ndown some of its cylinders to save fuel. General Motors has also
\nimplemented a similar system in its 3.9-liter, V6 engine used in
\nits Impala. I believe that, in the future, this variable engine
\ndisplacement method will be used in more engines to achieve
\nbetter fuel economy.<\/p>\n
At any rate, cars will become more fuel-efficient, safer and
\nmore comfortable. They will come in a wider variety of shapes and
\nsizes.<\/p>\n
The problem is, there will be just too many of them around.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/gas-guzzlers-and-variable-engine-displacement-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }