I was looking at different car company websites today and noticed how low Fords general sedans are in hp.

Fords highest powered car besides the Mustang and Ford GT is the fusion with 221hp

some company that i checked were

Nissan Altima has can have 250hp and the the SER has 260hp
Nissan Maxima has 265hp standard

Subaru has 230hp impreza and 250hp Legacy

Mazda has 274hp MazdaSpeed6

GM cars have 260hp engines to 303hp ones.


THe only thing is that Fords cars are almost always have a lower starting price... But they don't even have an option to have a more powerful engine to pay more for.

 

It is a question I've had myself before. I think ford will be addressing this in the next few years, though.

 

How do the torque numbers compare?

 

I've noticed this for a long time as well. Why do Ford's vehicles also tend to weigh a little (or a lot) more than comparable vehicles as well? The question applied to V8's is pretty simple - displacement and/or tuning. As for the other engines, who knows? Just remember the other engines mentioned in Knight's post run on premium fuel and may be turbocharged. It would be interesting to see how Ford's engines would compare if the company cared to use similar states of tune for their current engines and the upcoming 3.5 V6.

 

Well its been shown a coupla times that when the ignition curve is remapped for premium fuel (in at least the 4.6), they pick up a good amount of HP/Torque, on the order of 10 to 15 HP IIRC. I would guess there is some sort of corperate edict on ignition tuning vs fuel requirements as it relates to drivability and emissions????? On the other hand it always seems Ford tends to lag in the cylinderhead department, although I hear good tthings about the 3v head being very efficent and well designed, possibly making it one of the best heads to come out of Ford in a good long time.

 

Usually if I'm in the market for a sedan........horsepower isn't a concern. I know there are some exceptions.

 

I'd be more itnerested in torque comparisons. Since I am seldom (if ever) going to be running my Mustang at top vellcity, torque plays into my daily driving experience a lot more.

 

Ford has taken to producing smaller engines to reduce fuel comsumption and increase the corporate CAFE numbers. Smaller engines generally mean lower output. There are some who will argue that Subaru has small engines with high outputs, but they also employ turbocharging. Ford in general as a company has never been too interested in turbos. I believe turbos (especially in domestic vehicles) reduce reliability and increase warranty claims both of which domestic manufactuers in general really can't swallow right now.

I was surprised back when they did the SVT Focus that they didn't employ a turbo. Had that car been turboed, it would've probably been a 220hp rocket that lots of people would still be buying.

The 4.6 has been on the market now since '95 I believe and we're finally starting to see some HP. It's really taken that long though to develop it to the point where it's competitive. It will never be competitive however with the GM 5.7L engines without a blower on it. The modifications needed from the factory to make the 4.6 put out 350+ without a blower will cost too much and make the vehicles they go into non-cost competitive.

The old addage is still true. "There's no replacement for displacement".

 

True dat, still though I think a 3v 5.4 would be very cost effective, doesn't Ford have an aluminum 5.4 block (used in the aviator??) I'd take that with contiunal refinement.

 

Remember back to the mid-late 1990's was it? When the Camaro was running the advertised horsepower (at the rear wheels) while Ford was busy buying back Mustang Cobras because they were well below the advertised horsepower (at the flywheel)! As a person who has only owned Ford family vehicles it is definitely an item that bothers me that Fords are always light in horsepower compared to the competition.

 

Ford has always built engines that can make tremendous power, or at least a good it more with less restrictions and better tuning (much easier than the competition), but they set a target HP level and detune to it. With the effect of often worse MPG, etc. I'll never understand. Just let it be free!

I mean seriously, why is the F-150 5.4 only 300hp when it has the same heads and VCT as the Mustang GT, and the Mustang GT is underrated? I mean seriously, that engine should be rated and tuned for a minimum of 360hp!

Fords darn bean-counters need to get their hineys whipped, and the advertising an marketing people need to realize that performance models draw buyers of ALL cars regardless of how many "special" vehicles are sold, and that HP braggin rights sell cars as well. Sure a 200hp 500 runs as good as a 250hp v-6 300C, but the 200hp rating hurts their sales IMHO.

The only Ford division that seems to have figured this out (besides Aston and maybe Volvo) is Mazda. They are getting it into gear with the MS6 and MS3 (which are underrated. How many 3800lb+ sedans run high 13s now a days with "only" 274hp?)!

 

In the latest motor trend the Mazdaspeed 6 was slower then the subaru legacy dispite its 24 hp advantage...

Legacy did a 14.1 and the 6 did 14.5 i beleive.

 

Throw that Mazdaspeed 6 engine/transmission combo into a C1 Focus, add some SVT fine-tuning, keep the weight down and the price in check. Whaddaya say Ford? Pleease!

 

I have only seen 13.9-14.2 times. Who knows?

 

The Mazdaspeed 3 is getting the same engine with less bosst (244hp) and awd.

Great potential there.

 

id love one of those

 

Well for one Ford realizes that most people who are in that segment don't care about HP; that's why they still sell well.

Just acuse some stupid bald magazine writer wants a 350hp 500 doesn't mean it's practical or even needed.