Jetta uses cylinder head from Lamborgini Gallardo

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My E46 3-series BMW has a 2.5 liter I-6.
VW's Jetta has a available 2.5 liter I-5

My BMW makes 170 HP.
VW Jetta makes 170 HP.

The BMW is famous among the automotive world for it's linear power output and high reving smoothness yet it makes only mediocre power.

I have to speculate that people on here that are discounting Volkswagen's 2.5 liter I-5 have never driven one.
 
My wife used to have a '93 Volvo 850 with a 2.4 liter I-5. IIRC it made about 168 hp and IMO it had a nice linear power band, was pretty smooth, and sounded just fine. I would have no problems owning another I-5. At least it's got a bit of uniqueness to it.
 
Im biased. The only I-5 have experience with is the one in a Chevy Colorada Crew Cab 4x4. It was underpowered and got 18 mpg. My current full size Dodge Ram Crew Cab 4x4 is bigger, has a 310 bhp V8 and averages 19 mpg.
 
Originally Posted By: FowVay
My E46 3-series BMW has a 2.5 liter I-6.
VW's Jetta has a available 2.5 liter I-5

My BMW makes 170 HP.
VW Jetta makes 170 HP.

The BMW is famous among the automotive world for it's linear power output and high reving smoothness yet it makes only mediocre power.


The 170HP Jetta 2.5 is a 2012 MY car. The E46 is a 12-year-old platform.
 
Originally Posted By: tonycarguy
Originally Posted By: FowVay
My E46 3-series BMW has a 2.5 liter I-6.
VW's Jetta has a available 2.5 liter I-5

My BMW makes 170 HP.
VW Jetta makes 170 HP.

The BMW is famous among the automotive world for it's linear power output and high reving smoothness yet it makes only mediocre power.


The 170HP Jetta 2.5 is a 2012 MY car. The E46 is a 12-year-old platform.



I would add to that that the 2.5 BMW motor is not the engine that their reputation was built on!
 
Originally Posted By: tonycarguy
Originally Posted By: FowVay
My E46 3-series BMW has a 2.5 liter I-6.
VW's Jetta has a available 2.5 liter I-5

My BMW makes 170 HP.
VW Jetta makes 170 HP.

The BMW is famous among the automotive world for it's linear power output and high reving smoothness yet it makes only mediocre power.



The 170HP Jetta 2.5 is a 2012 MY car. The E46 is a 12-year-old platform.



And the vw is$16k in 2012 dollars while the e46 was $30k+ in 2000 dollars. Big difference.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
I've driven a Jetta with the 2.5 I5. This engine definitely sounds rough at higher RPMs, but performance is fairly adequate.





Is it what my Saab sounds like at 120 mph? Not really, but does it matter for a slightly larger than average econobox? I think I took care of that issue based upon the C&D results.
 
Originally Posted By: FowVay


I have to speculate that people on here that are discounting Volkswagen's 2.5 liter I-5 have never driven one.




+1 agreed. Is it the engine to end all engines? Of course not. But for what it is and how it performs, especially on a normalized basis to other lighter econoboxes, it is the same or better.

As a round-town runabout, it does what it does well. Nobody seems to complain about the mediocrity of the Honda fit economy and performance, though it is set up similarly in basis of design/operation... And for having 1L and far less HP/torque, talk about a lousy setup... Yet folks love it. Wonder why? May e because people who compare things on paper don't get the whole story...
 
I wouldn't say the 2.5 is great on gas but for the performance and ride quality you get out of it, I would say it's pretty darn good.

My car is rated at 23city/33hwy. I haven't done many long trips to calculate my actual hwy mileage but I hit 25-26mpg around town on every fill up. I'm okay with it. It's hitting exactly what my Versa was getting in the city and this car I actually enjoy driving.

I will agree that the engine sound from the outside is a bit raspy and rough sounding, but one you get higher than 2.5k rpms it has a pretty good tone to it. But like JHZR2 stated, the car is freakishly quiet once you're inside.
 
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your golf 2.5 is rated 33 hwy? With 5sp MT? I wonder if there is a SW flash or something, as out 5MT 2.5 is only rated at 29, and we haent seen better than 31.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
your golf 2.5 is rated 33 hwy? With 5sp MT? I wonder if there is a SW flash or something, as out 5MT 2.5 is only rated at 29, and we haent seen better than 31.


Yup. And when I first got it I was reading up on older threads here and I remember coming across a few posts of yours saying how hwy mileage was only so-so. Who know's maybe they did change something?

And yep, 5spd MT. 23 city 33 hwy ratings.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Is it what my Saab sounds like at 120 mph? Not really, but does it matter for a slightly larger than average econobox?

To some it may not matter. To others who enjoy going through the gears and revving it up here and there, even if it's only in their commuter econobox, it might matter. Who's to say that an econobox can't have a nice sounding engine?
 
What's to say that it sounds too bad? It does not to me. There are no harmonics to speak of. I wouldnt say that any other econobox sounds any better or worse.

The fundamentals of the 2.5L loosing pep at higher RPM is not really an issue. The car makes good power down low, you dont need to drive it like a honda to get it moving well. Different design. Lots of folks like torque down low, why should it be any different in this scenario?

The car returns great power and better speed than other economy cars. Nothing wrong with that. Look at the C&D results I linked to earlier. It makes it an enjoyable car to drive, which is why C&D ranked it #1, and why we enjoy it. If you really think that some other econobox engine is going to do so much better and sound so much better (like a 4 cyl can really sound that great), then be my guest and suggest one.

Some people like [censored] cans on their economy cars too...
 
Maybe there was something wrong with that 2010 Jetta that we test drove, but by the time it hit 4K RPM, it really sounded like the engine just did not want to be there - rough and noisy (inside the cabin).

I did not say there is a great sounding small engine out there. But there should be. Too much time has passed in-between to make a fair comparison, but the 2.0 Focus rental I was in recently sounded better to me as the revs climbed.

Another engine that to me sounded good was the old VAG 1.8T.
 
different engine designs, different operating points.

Just like the 1.8L 4 cyl in my 318i is different than the 3.0L I6 TT in my 135i is different from your 3.0L I6 in your 530i, and how they would all be different from the original M3 4 cyl engine or a current M3 engine.

There is nothing wrong with a torquey, responsive low-rpm engine for cruising around town. Not every vehicle needs to scream at 7000 to get where it is going.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2

And the vw is$16k in 2012 dollars while the e46 was $30k+ in 2000 dollars. Big difference.


This is something I failed to notice. A very sharp price point for the car.
 
You guys are missing my point though. The power output of the VW engine and the fuel economy is not bad at all for that car. Everyone talks poorly of the 2.5 VW I-5 but I just don't understand why. Maybe because VW offered it as a base engine? I don't know.

As far as comparing the prices of the BMW to the VW.. the price difference doesn't lie in the powerplant. The BMW car is simply in a different league from anything VW offers (except of course the Phaeton). I am a VW nut and love their cars but I certainly won't ever claim them to be a high quality 'poor man's BMW'.

I drive a TDI Jetta and I ALMOST wish I'd gone ahead and gotten a Rabbit with the 2.5 and a 5 speed manual. I liked that car that much.
 
Originally Posted By: FowVay
You guys are missing my point though. The power output of the VW engine and the fuel economy is not bad at all for that car. Everyone talks poorly of the 2.5 VW I-5 but I just don't understand why. Maybe because VW offered it as a base engine? I don't know.

As far as comparing the prices of the BMW to the VW.. the price difference doesn't lie in the powerplant. The BMW car is simply in a different league from anything VW offers (except of course the Phaeton). I am a VW nut and love their cars but I certainly won't ever claim them to be a high quality 'poor man's BMW'.

I drive a TDI Jetta and I ALMOST wish I'd gone ahead and gotten a Rabbit with the 2.5 and a 5 speed manual. I liked that car that much.


+1

VW's 2.5L I5 has a lot of untapped potential. I think VW will just up the HP and Tq through the computer by 10-20 each 4-5 years with each model face lift/generation.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
If you really think that some other econobox engine is going to do so much better and sound so much better (like a 4 cyl can really sound that great), then be my guest and suggest one.


We both own a great sounding four cylinder in what is effectively a very fancy econobox package.
Pricey when new, but economical in daily use.
The 318i sounds really good at anything over 4K.
I know that I'm comparing apples to oranges.
 
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