Anonymous wrote:
Why no V8 option? w/ AWD it's almost 4000 pounds. The new 3 valve 4.6 would have been perfect.
Numerous reasons, let's just look at a few:
1. It won't fit, the 90 degree mod v8 is simply too big to fit in that vehicles engine compartment, same holdss for the smaller Jaguar designed 3.9l v8 from the Lincoln LS. Fitting either would require a complete redesign of the cars front end. That would mean greater weight, and poorer fuel economy in the v6 versions.
2. Even if they could fit the new 3v mod v8 in the car that engine produces way too much torque and hp for use in a front drive car, it's a lot more than the Passat's w8's output. AWD would of course be necessary, as it is in the Passat w8, and Ford doesn't have a transmission available to handle those kind of loads, so they would have to spend a fortune engineering one to fit. They don't have the money, and I doubt it would generate that many more sales, VW's Passat W8s aren't exactly flying off the lots.
3. Big v8s get worse fuel economy than moderately sized v6s which are adequate to do the job, this hurts the automakers CAFE numbers for the sake of entertaining a few enthusiasts. Not a good bargain. Ford would just as happily sell the performance enthusiasts a smaller number of Jaguar XJRs as they would a slightly larger number of $45,000 Five Hundred V8s. I can't see a limited production V8 version of that car coming in for less than that.
3. A 245-270 hp 3.5l v6, like the Duratec 35 due in about 18 months is a much better fit for this car than any V8 i could think of. Ford could not have that engine in time for the Five Hundred's launch, largely due to what in retrospect look like some bad gambles they took in the 90s, e.g. gobbling up the PAG brands rather than investing money in product development, not designing the uratec V6 to accomodate displacements larger than 3 litres, I don't think they counted on Nissan here. But they don't seem to be too interested in putting the Duratec 35 in the car. It seems that they would rather reserve it for other vehicles like the as yet unnamed Mercury crossover, the Aviator, etc.. I imagine it might show in in some performance variant of the Five Hundred, but not as a standard option. This of course has to do with CAFE, and the limits on production capacity fot the one plant producing the Duratec 35. The Duratec 30 has much greater capacity available because it produced and used in Europe too.
4. It's time to get off this insane horespower race! Just my opinion.
5.With a new vehicle architecture, though Volvo based it's extensively modified, defining what is essentialy a new market segment, tall crossover based sedans; two new transmissions, including the largest implementaion of CVT technology by any carmaker to date, and aa new to Ford flexible production system, they have enough on their hands to cope with. The ive Hundred is not quite the sort of make or break proposition that the Taurus was 20 years ago, but it is close. If it loses Ford become a niche player in passenger cars. They have limited resources and they need to marshall them wisely. Going after a few enthusiasts and potentially losing the broader market, not bringing the project in on time and within budget, and losing a high build quality at launch would be foolish.
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