2017 Subaru Crosstrek Subaru is recalling 2018 to 2019 model year Crosstrek vehicles; and 2017 to 2019 model year Impreza vehicles for an engine issue that could cause severe damage.According to the recall, vehicles equipped with aluminum positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valves run the risk of falling apart and dropping pieces into the engine. Subaru says this happened because the valve cases had an insufficiently assigned press force value.To fix the issue, Subaru will contact owners and instruct them to bring their vehicles into dealerships, where the part will be inspected. All vehicles will have their valves replaced with steel-cased versions. If the valve is determined to have separated, the oil pan and separator cover will be removed and inspected, and if the separated parts are not found, the engine will be replaced.The recall affects 23,255 Crosstrek and Impreza vehicles in Canada; and 205,000 in the United States. A second recall has been announced for the same vehicles, but this time for engine control unit (ECU) problems. If the ECU was programmed incorrectly, the internal temperature of the ignition coils may increase, which could cause a short circuit and blow a fuse, resulting in a sudden power loss and inability to restart the engine.Subaru owners will once again be asked to bring their vehicles to dealerships where the ignition coils will be inspected, and, if deemed faulty, replaced. Some 52,707 vehicles in Canada are affected by this issue.To see if your vehicle is affected by either of these recalls, visit
Origin: Subaru recalls Crosstrek and Impreza for engine issues, ECU problems
engine
News Roundup: An EV crate engine, brands skipping Montreal’s auto show, a luxury car tax and more
Welcome to our weekly round-up of the biggest breaking stories on Driving.ca from this past week. Get caught up and ready to get on with the weekend, because it’s hard keeping pace in a digital traffic jam.Here’s what you missed while you were away.Upcoming electric crate engines promise plug-and-play installationIt’s been some time coming, but it seems automotive DIY-ers may finally be getting some viable options for electric crate engines. The V8-shaped single- and dual-motor EV conversion kits on the way from the California-based startup Electric GT (EGT) will make 140 horsepower and 240 lb.-ft., and 240 horsepower and 340 lb.-ft., respectively. Swindon Powertrain in the U.K., meanwhile, is putting out another electric crate option that makes 110 horsepower and is small enough to fit in a Mini. You just have to find someplace to put the batteries. Volvo, Audi and Mercedes-Benz won’t be attending the Montreal auto showEven with the Detroit auto show officially moving its time slot from January to June, Montreal’s appeal is not strong enough for some European automakers to justify the winter journey to the City of Saints.Following the lead of Mercedes-Benz – which is abstaining from all North American auto shows this year – Volvo and Audi are also pulling out of appearances at 2020’s LeSalon International de Montréal. Volvo is also allegedly pulling the chute for Toronto’s CIAS 2020. Tesla’s hideaway handles blamed in fiery fatal crash“Inaccessible door handles” and “no other ways to open the doors” are what’s being blamed in the death of a Florida resident and Tesla Model S owner. The 48-year-old man allegedly died of smoke inhalation when his vehicle caught fire following an accident, leaving him trapped inside. According to Consumer Reports, door handles are among the most commonly reported issues from Model S owners. Liberal’s proposed luxury car tax stresses B.C. dealersThe recently re-elected Liberal government is proposing a new 10-per-cent luxury tax on vehicles, boats and aircraft priced over $100,000. The little-on-the-top will add yet another line to the price tag of luxury vehicles in British Columbia, which are already subject to a 15-per-cent provincial sales tax on vehicles from $125,000 to $149,999; and a 20-per-cent tax on those over $150,000. Blair Qualey, head of the New Car Dealers Association of B.C., told Automotive News Canada the luxury tax is “very concerning” and the burden on buyers getting “pretty difficult.” Mazda’s first EV gets a touch of RX-8 throwbackThe first electric mass-production Mazda, the MX-30, has arrived, with a smaller battery than most (likely good for about 200 km of range) and a gasoline-powered rotary range-extender – similar to that last found in the RX-8 – for trips beyond city limits. Inside, it’s some of Mazda’s best work yet, with a clean dash and touchscreens for everything that could possibly use one. Look for the Mazda MX-30 in the second half of 2020, and look for the other hot debuts from this year’s Tokyo auto show right
Origin: News Roundup: An EV crate engine, brands skipping Montreal’s auto show, a luxury car tax and more
Volvo and Geely to merge engine production efforts into new company
The 2019 Volvo XC60Volvo Volvo Cars and Chinas Geely plan to merge their engine operations into a standalone company, a step the Swedish automaker says will cut costs as it shifts to a fully electrified lineup.The combined unit would supply two million diesel and gasoline-powered engines, compared with the 600,000 Volvo produces today, giving the two companies more scale to reduce material costs.It could also supply other car manufacturers, though none have expressed interest yet, Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson said, save for Geely-owned Lotus sports cars.Global automakers are walking a financial tightrope as they spend billions to develop electric vehicles that IHS Markit forecasts will grow from 2 per cent to 12 per cent of new-car production by 2030. At the same time, slowing sales, trade wars and tightening emissions regulations in China and Europe are pinching profits. Forming a standalone supplier will free up Volvo to focus on electric powertrains and platforms in-house without starving its internal combustion engine business of resources, Samuelsson said.Its not like the combustion engine is going to be a growing business, he said in a phone interview. The right thing to do is to consolidate and seek synergies. And the earlier you do that, the stronger you will be.Volvo said no jobs will be eliminated in forming the new supplier, which will employ about 3,000 Volvo workers and 5,000 from Geely, including people in engineering, procurement, manufacturing, information technology and
Origin: Volvo and Geely to merge engine production efforts into new company
Hemi V8 or Ecodiesel? Which Ram 1500 engine should you choose?
2019 Laramie Longhorn 4×4 Crew CabDerek McNaughton Many parents before me, and many parents to come, will make the trip the one where mom and dad pack up son or daughter and ferry him or her off to university, setting the kid up in an overpriced student hovel where, the hope is, these young adults become self sufficient enough to soar on their own. And for a lot of parents, that journey involves a long drive.Last year, we made this very trip from Ottawa to Halifax in an F-150 diesel, discovering the joys of great fuel economy that underlined the value of a diesel underhood, even if it does initially cost more to option a pickup with diesel. This year, having just driven Ram’s new EcoDiesel in the 2020 Ram 1500, it seemed obvious to compare Rams diesel with Fords on our same (and final) odyssey from Ottawa to Halifax and back this year, a distance of roughly 3,000 kilometres to drop the young lad at school.But because the new EcoDiesel is only now coming to market, the diesel was not yet available, so instead we chose to see how much different a long trip like this would be with a gasoline engine designed around fuel efficiency. With Ram promising a 10 per-cent improvement on its 5.7-litre Hemi, and bragging it has the most efficient gasoline V8 in the segment, could a gasoline engine equipped with eTorque, aero mode and cylinder deactivation come remotely close to its EcoDiesel alternative? If so, which engine would be the better choice when buying a new Ram, the EcoDiesel or the Hemi? The truck that FCA supplied was no regular Ram 1500. This was a 2019 Laramie Longhorn 44 Crew Cab equipped with air suspension, 12-inch uconnect system, drivers assistance package, 22-inch wheels, Ramboxes, panoramic roof along, 124-litre tank and a bunch of other options to sticker at $86,500 before fees. In other words, about as loaded as they come, and, yes, expensive, but in line with the many other expensive trucks from Ford and GM. And to be sure, the truck was stunning to look at, positively gorgeous inside, an utterly pleasing and rewarding truck to drive in so many ways (the glitchy navigation system notwithstanding.)So how thirsty was the eTorque gas engine? From full, the range to empty on the big tank (a $445 option) showed 956 km to empty pretty close to the roughly 1,000 km usually afforded by a diesel. On the trip out to Halifax from Ottawa, with a payload of about 400 kilograms consisting of my sons life possessions, including a big, fold-out couch, and with a constant speed ranging from 120 km/h to 125 km/h through New Brunswick and Nova Scotia where the speed limit is a more sensible 110 km/h, we averaged 10.9 to 12.9 L/100 km over 1,459 kilometres that took 13.5 hours to complete. On the way back, without a payload and one less person, we scored 11.6 over the 12 hours and 54 minutes it took to travel 1,451 kilometres. The onboard computer for the entire 3,023-kilometre trip registered 11.5.The diesel certainly costs more up front, but it brings more torque. Last year, in Fords F-150 diesel, we averaged 9.9 L/100 kilometres over the course of that same long, east coast trip to Dalhousie. Rams new EcoDiesel is not yet rated, but promises to be better than the last generation engine that averaged 8.8 L/100 km highway and 10.8 overall.That, therefore, makes the 5.7-litre Hemi only 1.6 L/100 km worse in fuel consumption over the Ford diesel, and 2.7 L/100 km poorer over the old Ram EcoDiesel, but likely to be 3.0 L worse off when the rating becomes official for the new EcoDiesel engine with 480 pound-feet of torque.Thats a fuel margin far closer than we thought possible in a gasoline V8 with 395 horsepower and 410 lb.-ft. of torque. Had we stuck closer to 100 km/h, the results would have been even better, closer to the diesel. Score one for the Hemi. Both there and back, we only stopped once for fuel, with a final fuel bill from full-on-departure to full-on-return totalling $478. Gasoline ranged from $1.11 to $1.20 / litre (but diesel was about 10 cents a litre more in Ontario, and on par in Halifax). In the diesel last year, we spent $450 (with diesel ranging from $1.21 to $1.39 per litre back then.) The Hemis Eco mode, which shuts down four cylinders when all eight are not required, definitely helped to make some of the gains, with Eco able to maintain operation even at 110-120 km/h, as long as the road was flat. The trucks aero mode also helped, lowering the truck slightly via the air suspension to improve aerodynamics. Eco mode does give off a strange exhaust note when the engine is forced to run on half of its cylinders, however, and makes the 5.7 Hemi feel far less smooth when its operating, partly because in normal mode, the 5.7 is fabulously silky. Noise cancelling features have been added to eliminate the gruffness of the four-cylinder Eco mode, but some coarseness is still detectable when the switch occurs, especially so when windows are open. Eco can, however, be
Origin: Hemi V8 or Ecodiesel? Which Ram 1500 engine should you choose?
Mazda previews imminent rotary engine revival
Mazda has confirmed it will reveal its next generation of rotary engines later this week via its Chinese branch’s Weibo social media account. Chang’an Mazda posted an image of the brand’s first rotary-engined model, the 1967 Cosmo coupé, accompanied by a new logo for the brand’s “7th Gen Product Cluster” and the phrase “rotor engines make the world more beautiful”. At the 2017 Tokyo motor show, Mazda boss Mitsuo Hitomi voiced plans for the firm to bring back its famed rotary engine as a range extender because it is “much, much quieter” than the alternatives. The Japanese firm’s range hasn’t featured a rotary-engined road car since the RX-8 went out of production in 2012 but it did produce a prototype Mazda 2 featuring the tech back in 2013, which Autocar drove. It has remained interested in reintroducing the technology to production since. Mazda’s RX-Vision Concept, which was shown at the Tokyo motor show in 2015, used such a powertrain. Hitomui later confirmed that, rather than being used in its purest form, a rotary engine will appear in a range extender version of its first electric vehicle due in 2019. When asked if Mazda was developing a standalone rotary engine, he said: “Even if there isn’t a plan to have it in an actual product, of course we are developing a rotary engine alone.” He strongly hinted that a rotary engine-powered model is likely to exist alongside the range extender in the future. Asked why Mazda will use a rotary engine as a range extender, Hitomi said “the rotary engine isn’t particularly efficient to use as a range extender but when we turn on a rotary, it is much, much quieter compared to other manufacturers’ range-extenders”, which is seemingly suited to the near silence of electric cars. Mazda’s recent engine focus has been on the development of compression ignition Skyactiv-X petrol engines, which now feature in the new 3 hatchback and CX-30 crossover. For the original Cosmo, the company developed a Wankel rotary engine with the help of a German firm called NSU. Rotary engines, which use rotors instead of pistons, are generally smaller and lighter than traditional petrol engines, without any loss of power. Since the RX-8 ended production, the firm’s only machines to feature a rotary engine have been the race cars in the American Pro Mazda junior single-seater series. Recently, a patent filed by Mazda looked to preview a lightweight, front-mid-engined sports car with an engine bay just big enough for a compact rotary
Origin: Mazda previews imminent rotary engine revival
Mesmerizing time-lapse shows the Ferrari F8 Tributo engine being built
Behind-the-scenes footage of an assembly line in action might not sound like the most compelling television ever, but when that assembly line is in the Ferrari factory in Maranello, Italy, it suddenly becomes a lot more watchable.The video above, sent to Driving by Ferrari, shows one of the most glorious engines ever designed coming together on the highly efficient and surprisingly photogenic line.The engine being lifted and flipped about in the clip is the F154 V8 from the Ferrari F8 Tributo, which debuted at Geneva earlier this year.Its mostly machines that bring the V8 together at first, with twists and turns from human hands here and there. But as the engine grows, Ferraris meccanici play a more involved role, adding the final pieces before the engine is taken away and fit into the F8.The twice-turbocharged V8 makes 710 horsepower for the Tributo, which means tribute in Italian. The supercar uses it to race up to 100 km/h in 2.9 seconds; and 200 km/h in 7.8 seconds, making it faster than Ferraris 488, and, in the opinion of David Booth, who got to take the first drive of the F8, superior in most
Origin: Mesmerizing time-lapse shows the Ferrari F8 Tributo engine being built
2021 Subaru WRX STI will arrive next fall with a 315-hp new engine: report
2020 Subaru WRX STI S209 The fourth-generation WRX has been kicking around since 2014, so it’s not too shocking to hear that Subaru is planning the next one for the not-so-distant future. According to reporting by Japan’s Best Car, the fifth-gen WRX will arrive next fall, riding on a new platform and using a new engine. The launch of the next-gen sedan comes alongside remakes of the WRX STI, Japan-only WRX S4 and Levorg wagon. The STI will apparently swap its current turbo flat-four EJ20 (EJ25 in North America) for a direct-injection FA20 four-cylinder good for 315 horsepower. This follows the trail blazed by WRX models in the U.S., which switched to the FA20 in 2014. To clarify, Japan’s WRX STI has a 2.0-litre engine, while North America’s WRX STI runs with a 2.5-litre good for 310 horsepower. The FA20 in the North American WRX, meanwhile, makes 268 horsepower. Whether North America will get the 2.0-litre engine like Japan, or a 2.4-litre FA variant similar to that in the Ascent SUV, is uncertain. The piece also suggests the STI will take aesthetic cues from the Viziv concept and will ride on the new global platform, which fits with Subaru’s previously stated intentions to use it as the base for all vehicles. No word on reveal dates for the WRX, but to paraphrase some TV show we used to know, Tokyo is
Origin: 2021 Subaru WRX STI will arrive next fall with a 315-hp new engine: report
Porsche’s new Macan Turbo boasts smaller engine with more power
The 2020 Porsche Macan TurboPorsche If the current Porsche Macan Turbo isnt sufficiently turning your crank, dont give up on it just yet.The upcoming 2020 Macan Turbo will give you almost 10 per cent more power than the 2019 edition, and out of a smaller engine at that.The current Macan Turbo carries a 3.6-litre twin-turbo V6 that makes 400 horsepower.For 2020, Porsche drops in a new 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6, borrowed from the Cayenne and Panamera, that produces 434 horsepower. Torque remains the same at 406 lb.-ft., but while it kicks in a little later, it stays around longer, with maximum torque at 1,800 to 5,600 rpm. The 2020 Porsche Macan Turbo Porsche The top speed is now slightly higher at 270 km/h, and if you order the Sport Chrono Package, youll get from zero to 100 km/h in 4.3 seconds.Getting it back down will also be quick, as the reworked chassis includes standard tungsten carbide-coated brakes. The transmission is a seven-speed PDK dual-clutch unit, and all-wheel drive is standard. Turbo-specific styling cues include the front fascia and double-wing fixed roof spoiler; inside, the facelifted interior comes with adaptive 18-way sports seats and a surround-sound stereo system. The GT sports steering wheel from the 911 is available as an option.Of course, you never get something for nothing, and while the current Macan Turbo starts at $87,200, this quicker 2020 version will begin at $94,200. It goes on sale at the end of
Origin: Porsche’s new Macan Turbo boasts smaller engine with more power
Volvo launches S60 T8 Twin Engine model
Volvo launches S60 T8 Twin Engine model The PHEV is both the most powerful and most efficient model in the range Volvo has expanded its S60 saloon range with new trim levels and the eagerly-awaited T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid powertrain. Featuring an 11.8 kWh battery and 87hp electric motor, the S60 T8 Twin Engine can cover up to 36 miles in electric mode, has official CO2 emissions of 39 g/km, and a WLTP combined fuel economy score of 176.5 MPG. It’s also the range-topping powertrain with 390hp available to the driver, seeing the motor combine with a 303hp four-cylinder petrol engine. Power is put through an eight-speed automatic transmission, and the S60 T8’s 0-62mph time is just 4.6 seconds. New trim levels for the line-up have seen R-Design Plus and Inscription Plus. The former replaces the launch R-Design Edition trim, and adds a sporty air to the S60. The Inscrption Plus trim is a new specification, and focuses on a more luxurious set-up. Prices start at £37,935 for R-Design Plus, and £38,835 for Inscription Plus – both of which use the originally available T5 petrol engine. The new T8 Twin Engine powertrain is only available in R-Design Plus trim for now, and starts at £49,805.
Origin: Volvo launches S60 T8 Twin Engine model
New engine raises Dacia Duster prices by £1000
Dacia has raised the pricing of its Duster SUV following the addition of a new entry-level petrol engine. The new engine is available on Dusters equipped with Access, Essential and Comfort trim, with prices ranging from £10,995 to £13,995. This marks a £1000 increase over the Duster’s previous £9995 entry price. The turbocharged three-cylinder TCe 100 unit replaces the 1.6-litre SCe 115 engine with less power, at 99bhp, but improved emissions. CO2 output is down 18% at 126g/km and fuel efficiency has been improved from 40.9-43.5mpg to 48.7-49.5mpg. Torque output is improved as well, with the TCe 100 producing 192lb ft, 66% more than the SCe unit’s 115lb ft. Acceleration and top speed are slightly reduced, though, with the TCe capable of 0-62mph in 12.5sec and a top speed of 104mph. Dacia claims the TCe 100, also found in the new Renault Clio, is lighter and more compact than the engine it replaces. Mechanical improvements include an electronically controlled turbocharger wastegate, a redesigned exhaust manifold, twin variable valve timing and bore spray coating. Dacia has sold nearly 10,000 Dusters so far this year, an 89% increase compared with the same period in 2018. Even with the newly increased prices, the Duster remains the UK’s cheapest mainstream SUV, with MG’s rival ZS available from
Origin: New engine raises Dacia Duster prices by £1000
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