There was lots of love for forced-induction rides last week, especially from those who live at altitude, but for the sea level dwellers, naturally aspirated engines still hold a special place in our hearts. From Ferraris to Fords and one wild card submission that almost makes sense, these are the cars that you wish were naturally aspirated
Lost a lot of that VTEC character, and gained a whole bunch of weight.
The M3. Had a 2004 6MT and the way it went through the powerband was amazing. I wish BMW had followed the Porsche route with their N/A sixes on the upper end of the performance lineup. Keep making the car lighter, refine and develop an N/A Inline 6 for the decades to come and reserve it for the top performance cars. Now, the additional weight/bloat that the 3 Series took on over the years may not have been optimal for this application, but it’s fun to think about what could have been. The cars could have been truly special. Yeah, you might limit your target demographic a little bit but you’d have a very compelling product at the top. Special everything, like it used to be. Now they just follow the same formula for all the cars. I know turbos have their place in the everyday grocery getters and even in performance applications, but man, a 4.0 Inline 6 that can scream to 8k and beyond would have been a worthy successor to the M3s of old…
I’m unfortunately shopping for a larger SUV with my wife. I really liked the stupid, predictable, long-history of Toyota’s V6 in the Highlander, an engine that has essentially been around forever and was unflappably reliable. So, the Highlander was top of the list despite not being competitive in a couple other areas. But then they went and swapped it with a 2.4 liter 4 cyl turbo engine which.... has essentially the same power output and the same (or worse in real world) mileage. So.... what’s the point?
We can’t have this conversation without highlighting the travesty of the Mercedes C63 AMG, a car that gave up the glorious naturally aspirated 6.3L M156 first for the twin turbo V8 and now the depressing 2.0 turbo hybrid.
V8 Ferraris, specifically the 488. The 458 was an incredibly beautiful looking and SOUNDING sports car, and the 488 was a step back in both regards. The 458 was the perfect mid-engined sports car. There’s a reason GM engineers were benchmarking the 458 instead a 488 for the C8 Corvette development. The secondhand market agrees as well. The 458 Speciale and 488 Pista prices are about the same.
BMW M5. The last naturally aspirated M5 was a V10, and it was absolutely epic. Yes, it was shockingly unreliable and incredibly thirsty, but it made the M5 an exotic super sedan in a way that nothing else has ever quite replicated. It would have been nice if they could’ve released a 2nd gen V10 that was reliable.
Golf R, back to the VR6.
The Giulia - the 2.0T isn’t the most soulful, and the Quadrifoglio is a bit overkill. There’s gotta be room for something between the two (pay for development from the car reviewer Italian swear jar after it launches).
Toyota Tundra. I think if Toyota had put their focus into creating a new V8 instead of going V6 TT they could’ve still hit the fuel economy and emissions goals. Plus I’m never going to prefer the sound of a V6tt (or 4 cylinder for that matter) over a V8.
CT4 Black wing. An LT1 would make it a great car
*Taycan Turbo looks around in confusion*
This may sound like blasphemy, but I think there is a market for a de-contented, NA 4-cylinder Mustang with maybe 200 hp and priced under $22K.
Any toyota lexus that switched from a bulletproof v8 to a turbocharged v6 also the f150 and Honda accords.
Suggested By: Lutzmr2