Look, I’ve got an engineering background, and I love nerding out with other TI-89 totin’, khaki wearing, pocket protector-having math geeks. And yet, I knew the best way to explain Infiniti’s Variable Compression engine would be to talk with one of their engineers. Well, there wasn’t one around, so here goes nothing.
When Infiniti reps told me there wasn’t an engineer in the house, I figured I’d try to explain the engine on my own, and, well, it wasn’t quite as straightforward as I expected.
Don’t get me wrong, the system is not really all that complicated, but there are quite a few new moving parts in play, each with unique names, and it’s hard to keep it all straight. I did a writeup on it a few months ago, but I’ll admit that I couldn’t remember what half the stuff was called.
Clarity of my explanation aside, this is a beautiful bit of tech. If you’re coming to the Detroit Auto Show, definitely take a look at this animated cutaway. It will change your life.