Originally Posted by
Mark
What's the purpose of putting small turbo engines in SUVs?
If they did something awesome economy or performance wise, I could see the justification for them. I don't see that in most cases, however.
Even compared to the old school Outlander Sport specs, the Eclipse Cross is nothing special. I rather have the more reliable old school engines without a turbo.
Eclipse Cross
1.5L turbo/CVT
152 hp @ 5,500 rpm
25/28 mpg
26 mpg average
Outlander Sport
2.0L/CVT
148 hp @ 6,000 rpm
24/30 mpg
27 mpg average
The Eclipse Cross would probably pull away from the Outlander Sport in a race, but I would rather have the reliability of a non- turbo engine.
A friend of mine paid $3000 to have the turbo replaced on his Ford F-150 recently. What economy a turbo engine may have given him over the years just went out the door as far as costs go.
As long as non-turbo, non-CVT vehicles exist, those are ones that have my attention.
Mazda CX-30
2.5L/6-speed automatic
186 hp
24/31/26 mpg
If economy numbers are about the same, I rather have the larger engine with the 6-speed automatic transmission. My 2011 Forester 2.5X AWD manual is about 170 hp, & I appreciate that extra boost over my 2000 Honda CR-V's 146 horsepower when towing. I also have concerns about towing with a CVT.