Topic: V4 vs V6 engine

[ucred]

My old Saturn Vue v4 FWD is slowly going and i'm starting to look into a replacement. Because i'm a big guy with a family, i'm still interested in a SUV. I've been eyeballing the following:
KIA sportage
Mazda tribute
Hyundai Santa Fe
Ford Escape

Although i did not have any real issues with the FWD, i rather have a AWD this time around plus i don't drive that much (15 000km max) and it's 50/50 city/highway. My question then would be:
If i'm going with AWD, would it be better to go to the V6 or stay with a V4?
What are the pros and cons? (beside the obvious gaz 'economy')

[rrocket]

My old Saturn Vue v4 FWD is slowly going and i'm starting to look into a replacement. Because i'm a big guy with a family, i'm still interested in a SUV. I've been eyeballing the following:
KIA sportage
Mazda tribute
Hyundai Santa Fe
Ford Escape

Although i did not have any real issues with the FWD, i rather have a AWD this time around plus i don't drive that much (15 000km max) and it's 50/50 city/highway. My question then would be:
If i'm going with AWD, would it be better to go to the V6 or stay with a V4?
What are the pros and cons? (beside the obvious gaz 'economy')

Are you towing anything?  Is it just you (mostly) in the SUV, or is it loaded down with people and stuff?

[Ice]

Just my opinion but I would personally cross the Tribute and Escape off the list... they are well proven and decent vehicles but they are approaching (or maybe past) 10 years of being in production with only modest updates. A few years ago I'd say fine but now I would consider them old and somewhat outdated. Still I suppose if there was a good deal and that is what you were in to they would be worth keeping on the list. The Escape's replacement is days away from being shown off at the Detroit Autoshow.

The Kia Sportage does not come with a V6 in the current model. I think the old one did but the new one is either a very powerful 2.4L I4 or an even more powerful 2.0L Turbo (I don't think that has arrived yet). So that leaves the Santa Fe which has both I4 and V6 options and there isn't much fuel economy penalty to go with the V6. On that vehicle with those engines I think the V6 is the best option... the I4 is mostly offered to keep the base price down. AWD will always be more thirsty... but if you don't drive too much then I suppose that's alright then. Do you find yourself driving in places where AWD would be needed?

Minor nitpick... V6 and I4. The V and I are in relation to how the cylinders in the engine are arranged. I made the same mistake early on in my car enthusiasm too

[ucred]

I don't plan to tow anything in the foreseeable future and it's usually me, my child and my wife in the SUV.

I park in a back alley and in winter it is plague with two deep icy grooves in which i get stuck leaving my parking spot once or twice every winter... So honestly, AWD is more a nice to have then a need. I'm thinking either go for the small engine with FWD or the big engine with a AWD.

Really i'm looking to justify the bigger engine rather then the smaller one. The smaller engine with FWD does make more sense for the type of driving i'll do.

Mitsubishi Outlander was also an option (great warranty). Any thoughts?

Minor nitpick... V6 and I4. The V and I are in relation to how the cylinders in the engine are arranged.

Thanks for the correction, i use 'V' by habit but you are right, 'I' would be more accurate.

[rrocket]

You really should look into a Subaru Forester.  The AWD is the best on the planet.  They are pretty robust, look good and were SUV of the year a couple years back.  And the flat 4 have plenty of power for what you need.

[Mike]

You really should look into a Subaru Forester.  The AWD is the best on the planet.  They are pretty robust, look good and were SUV of the year a couple years back.  And the flat 4 have plenty of power for what you need.

But then he would have to change the title of his thread to I4 vs F4 vs V6 

+1 on the Forestor, but being a Subaru owner I am of course Biased.  The Sportage is a nice choice too.

[rrocket]

You really should look into a Subaru Forester.  The AWD is the best on the planet.  They are pretty robust, look good and were SUV of the year a couple years back.  And the flat 4 have plenty of power for what you need.

But then he would have to change the title of his thread to I4 vs F4 vs V6 

+1 on the Forestor, but being a Subaru owner I am of course Biased.  The Sportage is a nice choice too.

I agree.  I love the looks of the Sportage...

[CanuckG35]

I really love the looks of the Sportage and took a couple out for a drive.  If cargo space is a need, the Sportage is extremely limited in the back.  I had to cross it off of my list for that reason.  Between the Sportage and Forester, I would take the Forester if cargo space is a requirement.  And like already mentioned, their AWD system is superb. 

[carcrazy]

Mitsubishi Outlander was also an option (great warranty). Any thoughts?

I would highly recommend the Outlander V6. It's very reliable, good power, good AWD, one of the best cargo and passenger space in the class. All in all, it’s an excellent (small) family SUV and I stand by it as I’ve own one for almost 4 years.
The gas penalty over the less powerful I4s w/AWD is about 1-2L/100km. You can decrease that by about 0.5-1L/100km by operating the car in FWD mode most of the time (you can switch between FWD/AWD at any time from a floor console knob).

[carcrazy]

You really should look into a Subaru Forester.  The AWD is the best on the planet. 

Which planet? 

[ucred]

I did not look at the Subaru Forester, I'll take a look at it.

But the original question remains... Why would i want a 3L+ engine?
Is it worth to get more power?
What are the pros of a bigger engine?
Obviously you get more power, more towing capacity. But how much more of a driving experience does it make over the basic engine?

[blur911]

I did not look at the Subaru Forester, I'll take a look at it.

But the original question remains... Why would i want a 3L+ engine?
Is it worth to get more power?
What are the pros of a bigger engine?
Obviously you get more power, more towing capacity. But how much more of a driving experience does it make over the basic engine?

I guess if you've never felt the need (or want) for more power then you can probably do without it. 
If  when merging onto a highway you are constantly wishing for more power to get up to speed, passing cars on 2-lane roads, or when loaded down for a camping trip or such, towing, etc., then it's probably worth it to you.
Once you do drive a car with more power it's hard to go back, even if you only use that power 2% of the time it's an annoyance when you don't have it.

[ucred]

Once you do drive a car with more power it's hard to go back, even if you only use that power 2% of the time it's an annoyance when you don't have it.

I see exactly what you mean, one can never go back to less without feeling the pinch 

The fact is currently own a FWR 4-cyl SUV and would have liked to have an AWD maybe a handful of times but never felt i needed more power then the 4-cyl was giving me. I am a more conservative driver then i used to be (a chld will do that to you  ).

My only concern is while the 4-cyl is fine with a FWD, would it be sluggish on an AWD? I guess the best way to know is to go for a test drive...

[blur911]

Once you do drive a car with more power it's hard to go back, even if you only use that power 2% of the time it's an annoyance when you don't have it.

I see exactly what you mean, one can never go back to less without feeling the pinch 

The fact is currently own a FWR 4-cyl SUV and would have liked to have an AWD maybe a handful of times but never felt i needed more power then the 4-cyl was giving me. I am a more conservative driver then i used to be (a chld will do that to you  ).

My only concern is while the 4-cyl is fine with a FWD, would it be sluggish on an AWD? I guess the best way to know is to go for a test drive...

We drove a Vibe AWD for a couple of years, one of the most pedestrian and underpowered CUVs out there.  Most of the time it was fine, even towing a couple of dirt-bikes to NB and back.  There were a few ramps and hills where more power would have been nice, but it never felt dangerously underpowered, just kind of annoying sometimes. Mind you, we don't live in a large city where merging at speed is a daily requirement.
We now drive an Outback with a 3 liter and over 200hp, it's bigger and heavier, but the added power more than makes up for that which adds to a more satisfying package than the Vibe.  It does burn a fair bit more fuel, but it's worth it to us. YMMV

[johngenx]

We have 40cm of new snow.  My old 165hp 2.5L boxer equipped Forester is the fasting thing on the road.  I've left everyone in my dust all weekend.

[kardood69]

If it's a V4 you want then try one of these babies...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancia_Fulvia

[rrocket]

We have 40cm of new snow.  My old 165hp 2.5L boxer equipped Forester is the fasting thing on the road.  I've left everyone in my dust all weekend.

But that certainly wasn't because of the engine.....

[Mike]

We have 40cm of new snow.  My old 165hp 2.5L boxer equipped Forester is the fasting thing on the road.  I've left everyone in my dust all weekend.

wanna snow race 

[johngenx]

wanna snow race 

My ground clearance is a pretty big advantage when there is enough snow that it's seriously scraping the bottom of the Forester.  Might be a lot closer than you think...     

[Mike]

wanna snow race 

My ground clearance is a pretty big advantage when there is enough snow that it's seriously scraping the bottom of the Forester.  Might be a lot closer than you think...     

Until I bust out my secret weapon.......the plow!