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It may be a bit early to discuss the Q30’s future, but Infiniti’s new Variable Compression-Turbo (VC-T) 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine just brings out the dreamers in us.
Pressure to reduce fuel consumption and increase efficiency by governments worldwide is forcing some automakers to downsize to four-cylinder turbocharged engines. Not necessarily a horrible development unless you’re a die-hard V8 or V6 fan.
We’ve already touched on this a few months ago, but we weren't really given any hard numbers. After two decades of research and development along with filing around 300 patents, Infiniti has come out with a VC-T 2.0-liter four. What’s so special about the VC-T is its ability to provide any compression ratio between 8:1 and 14:1.
For optimal fuel efficiency while cruising, the engine’s flexible multilink system relaxes and the compression ratio will be bumped up to 14:1. When the throttle is depressed, that system will compress and the ratio will drop to provide more boost while avoiding detonation. The VC-Turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder is said to produce a respectable 268 horsepower whilst being as fuel efficient as a four-cylinder.
Of course, there’s the issue of reliability when a crankcase is filled with links and levers. Infiniti has not addressed this problem yet and we really don’t know when the automaker will put the engine into a production model.
So hypothetically, would you be interested in a Q30 with a VC-T 2.0-liter four and do you think this combination is possible?