Don't get me wrong. I LOVE V8's. I love the power, the sounds it makes, the torque, the way it looks, hell even what it sounds like at idle. Basically.. i LOVE everything about a V8 except for the idea of actually owning one.
Part of me just thinks holy **** i'm wasting so much gas and money every time I step on the pedal. Another part of me thinks i'll only ACTUALLY use the V8 part maybe once or twice a month, and the rest of the time i'll be caressing that pedal to keep the mpg high.
No because I usually keep my cars for a considerable period of time and whatever extra I would spend on gas in something like the LS3 would be worth it. Besides, the additional maintenance and reliability issue costs associated with a lot of small displacement FI motors will likely offset the extra money spent on gas.
I love V8's, the bigger the better. I used to think that FI on small engines was the shizznitz but after driving a couple of V8's the power delivery and the whole experience and sensation that comes with them is just unparalleled. If I would live in the states I would 100% drive a V8 engine but in my current location it would just make zero sense.
But I do feel like V8's are going to be kept alive artificially as a marketing thing for the "hurr durr a real car has a V8 bla bla" car buyers because with FI and hybrid/ev tech we can suffice with far smaller engines to do the same thing. The downsizing has already begun with MB and most will follow quickly.
Before I found my E39 I was looking at a really nice E34 530i with a V8. I was really tempted but the idea of taking care of a nearly 20 year old BMW V8 sounded like a really bad idea. Plus fuel efficiency is crap, but only slightly worse than my I6 in my E39...
I guess the mental association that V8's usually go with big heavy cars is what ruins it for me. When I think V8's, i think big heavy Chargers or Mustangs or super luxury sedans.. Now.. if the V8 is in a Miata or a Sunbeam Tiger or similar.. then HELL YEAH!
I guess the mental association that V8's usually go with big heavy cars is what ruins it for me. When I think V8's, i think big heavy Chargers or Mustangs or super luxury sedans..
This--what I hate is the idea of having a car that's so big and heavy that it needs a V8 to be fun.
There are a few V8 cars I love—newer specialty Mustangs, E9_M3, IS-F, Panamera GTS, M5/6—but apart from that, all of my favorite performance cars have something else under the hood.
The Panamera GTS was basically the perfect V8 car IMO. It sounds incredible, has 430hp and runs 12s with AWD, yet got 20.XX MPG when I tested it despite weighing ~4,250lb and offering ample space for 4 big people and their stuff.
I am young(ish), work in tech, live in silicon valley, and feel guilty the days I have to drive a truck around when my 4cyl cars are down for maintenance. When I drive my parents hybrids around I feel much more responsible.
I love my v8, its in a s4 so the gas mileage is meh, 20mpg highway and 15 city. still better than my friends cummins and a lot faster, sounds like sex as well. Have gti for daily driving
Went from 1.8t 4cyl to 4.0 6cyl to now 5.3 v8. As legendary as the prior two, the V8 wins, fuel economy be damned. Really, its the same roughly 14 MPG average as my 4.0 XJ in a substantially larger truck. It'd take a Cummins, EB V6 or HEMI to get me out of this.
My V8 gets as good of gas mileage as the 4 cylinder it replaced. The torque it creates allows the driver to accelerate quickly without having to rev it to the upper limits of the RPM range. I had a 2000 Civic SI that was called my penalty box. The Civic got great gas mileage but it was gutless.
Other than more torque in the low and midrange?
Other than lighter than a V8?
Other than leaving more room in an engine bay?
Other than generally easier to service?
Other than easier mod path for turbocharged I4's?
I've never owned a V8, but friends of mine have had them and I've driven several ranging from muscle cars to Jag XK to Audi S5 to mid-90s Mustangs, and they're all fantastic motors. I'd love a mid- to late-2000s Mustang as a DD if I would ever ditch the Datsuns.
Nope, quite the opposite in fact. I hate that in a few years time everything will be complicated hybrid/turbo/on-demand and the purity of having fun with a car will be over. Doesn't necessarily have to be a V8 for fun though, but they are the ones always getting crucified. Hence why I got the big v8 challenger.
V8? Bring it the **** on. Mpeegees are way overrated. That said nothing I'd realistically buy has a V8 so I'll stick to a turbo 6 next time. Will never buy on mpg again.
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