quote:
Originally posted by Win:
(...snip...)
Stop for fuel at FSM and I'll let you drive all of 'em.
Tell me where -- I'll be there tomorrow!!!
We're on the same sheet of music. Ironically, I just got back from a dinner out with a couple colleagues and our Commanding General. The four of us rode in a brand new rental Chevy Impala. Can't say for sure, but I'd bet about 10 paychecks that this was a 3.5L car (remotely coulda been a 3.9, but I don't know why Avis would opt for a performance engine, and it was certainly not a V-8 SS). Anyway, the engine was very, very smooth, I was impressed. Noticeably better to my sensitive ear than the previous gen 3.4 I'd sampled in a rental myself a while back.
On the downside, the body work was clearly not on par with either Toyota or my Infiniti. The doors closed with a much less substantial feel, and several cheap sounding rattles were apparent. On the upside, the leather on the seats (a nice touch in a rental) felt good and smelled nice, and was a cut above that in the 98 Buick I once owned. Far from bad, but they could do better.
EDIT/ADDITION: Win: Let me add this. You're 100% correct about the profile of an OHC engine. It's head structure will always take up a good bit more room than an OHV design of similar displacement. In the performance-oriented OHC designs, the VVT feature makes a huge difference, IMO. With traction control off, and an aggressive step into the gas, my G35 Sed will break traction
immediately and authoritatively, and will spin 'em with reckless abandon. The VQ35 torques like there's no tomorrow.
Of course, DOHC I-4s need not apply. . .
[ May 03, 2006, 10:36 PM: Message edited by: ekpolk ]