Originally posted by Studly:
Yes we have expensice petrol, and really stupid emissions. But that is not the sole reason for the prevalence of 4 cylinder engines.
London could use some more emissions rules... for diesel. I just read a thingy saying that London's air has more cancer-causing smog than New York or LA, due to using more diesel engines. Compared to that, modern gasoline exhaust pollutants are not really too bad, I suspect. The car companies are trying to use "Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle" standards to distract us from the real environmental need, which is mainly just to reduce total fuel consumption. And that is one area where 4-bangers really are better than V8s of the same power, and where Europe is doing better than the US.
