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The Honda Insight

August 27, 2010 By 1 Comment

The Honda Insight has been seen driving around the United States for about a decade now. Although the Insight was out of production for a few years, it is back on the market now. This article will speak on several subjects such as the transformation of the Insight over the past decade and give some “insight” into the Honda Insight’s gasoline-electric power.

The first generation of the Honda Insight was introduced to the market in 1999 (model year 2000). Edmunds’ opinion of the 2000 Insight is, “Some cars make you feel like a champion. This one makes you feel like a hero.” Consumers even gave the 2000 Insight a rating of 9.1. The Insight was the first gasoline-electric hybrid sold in the United States, even North America as a whole. The first generation Insight is only a two-seater and available in three different models: one with a manual transmission and no air conditioning, one with a manual transmission and includes air conditioning, and finally one with a CVT (continuously variable transmission) and includes air conditioning.

The Insight has a key feature known as Integrated Motor Assist under its hood. Integrated Motor Assist is special because it is composed of both a gasoline engine and an electric motor. The ECA series, gasoline engine in the first generation Insight is a one liter, three-cylinder engine with about 70 horsepower. The electrical motor assist gives the Insight a little extra power, adding an additional 13 horsepower. Another positive of the Integrated Motor Assist is that when the car is not moving, the engine can shut off and the car can still operate with the electric motor acting as a generator.

Despite these positive features, the Insight had problems with sales. In the 2005, Honda sold less than 2,000 Insights. The sales in 2006 were worse, as Honda sold fewer than 1,000 Insights through September of 2006, and at that point, Honda decided to pull the plug on the Insight. In 2008, Honda revealed that it would be selling the Insight again. Since the beginning of this year (market year 2010) the Insight has been back on the market and is available in two options: LX and EX. This marks the second generation of the Insight, and the first noticeable improvement in this generation of the Insight is that it is larger. It now is a four door vehicle that is considered a mid-sized vehicle based on its interior and now appears to seat up to five people. Under the hood of the current Insight there is now a 1.3 liter engine with four cylinders. The current engine now has about 98 horsepower and the electric motor still adds an additional 13 horsepower.

Honda is hoping that the improvements that it has made to the Insight will spark huge sales. In the United States, Honda is expecting sales of around 100,000 vehicles. Despite these sales forecasts, the current Insight has not received all positive reviews. Consumer Reports has the Insight ranked 21st out of 22 tested comparable cars. Edmunds, which as stated earlier, said the initial Insight would make a consumer feel like a “hero” in 2000, but now, it is stated that the 2010 vehicle did not perform well in Edmunds’ opinion, although Edmunds is still performing tests in an attempt to develop a better opinion.

Overall the Insight has shown to be an innovative vehicle. As the first gasoline-electric hybrid in the United States the Insight burst onto the scene with blazing reviews. After about six years on the market though, the Insight’s lack of sales caused Honda to stop producing it. Almost three years later, the Insight is back on the market with a larger, more up-to-date look and a little more power. With these improvements, Honda expects big sales but the experts are not quite sold on the Insight. It looks as if only time will tell whether this version of the Insight will succeed or fail

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Ford F-150: From Beginning to Now

August 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment

The Ford F-150 burst onto the scene in 1975. Although the F-150 has been around for over 30 years, it and its F-series members combine to be a leader in the market in sales. This article will briefly highlight the history of the F-150 and focus on the engine that powers this powerful vehicle.

The F-150 was born in what was the sixth generation of the F-series. The F-150 was initially introduced to help Ford deal with upcoming emission standards and fill the void between the F-100 and F-250. In its early years, the F-150 was responsible for one-third of the F-series’ sales. During the time that the F-150 was introduced, there were various engines used. The 240 CID straight-six engine was considered the basic engine of the line and it was 3.9 liters and produced 150 horsepower. Later the 300 CID inline-six engine was added. It was 4.9 liters and it produced 170 horsepower. In 1978, this engine became the standard base engine. Also its horsepower production was changed to 114 horsepower, and this was due to Ford switching to net power ratings.

Around 1973, the 360 CID FE V8 engine was another option used. It was 5.9 liters and produced 145 horsepower. In 1977, there were new engine options made available with the introduction of the 351 CID 351M V8 engine and 400 CID 400M V8 engine. The 351 CID was 5.8 liters and produced 163 horsepower, while the 400 CID was 6.6 liters and produced 169 horsepower.

During the seventh generation of the F-series, the F-150 became the base model of the F-series as the F-100 was dropped. Some of the engine changes during this time were that the 351M was replaced by the 351 Windsor and the 400M was no longer used. The 351 Windsor was the same size as the 351M but only produced 150 horsepower. During the eighth generation, engines began being identified by their liter size. In this generation, the 4.9 liter engine and 5.8 liter engine both were given fuel injection. The horsepower for the 4.9 liter engine was 150 horsepower, 185 horsepower for the 5.0 liter V8 engine, and the horsepower for the 5.8 liter V8 engine was 210 horsepower. The only major changes in the ninth generation were that the F-150 Flareside model was no longer sold and the F-150 Lightning model saw its existence come to an end.

The tenth generation saw the F-150 re-emerge with a new appearance. In 1997, the F-150 received its first major change regarding appearance since 1980. This was a huge risk for Ford, as the F-150 was not only the best selling truck but also the bestselling vehicle in the United States for the past thirteen years. Edmunds described the new look as a “smooth jellybean-like” style. There were also three new engines introduced to power the F-150. First, there was the 4.2 liter OHC V6 and this replaced the 4.9 liter OHV I6; the 4.2 liter V6 had 202 horsepower. Then, there was the 4.6 liter SOHC V8 with 231 horsepower introduced, as well as the 5.4 liter SOHC V8 with 260 horsepower.

In the eleventh generation, Ford made more physical changes to the F-150, but under the hood there were more changes as well. Ford introduced a F-150 Foose Edition that carried a 5.4 liter V8 with 450 horsepower. In this current generation, the twelfth generation, there are three engines changes as well. The 5.4 liter 3-valve Triton V8 now has an output of 320 horsepower, there is a 4.6 liter 3-valve V8 with 292 horsepower, and there is a 4.6 liter 2-valve V8 with 248 horsepower, while the 4.2 liter OHV V6 engine has been dropped.

The Ford F-150 has been a stable figure in America for over 30 years. Despite winning numerous “Truck of the Year” awards, being the best selling vehicle in the United States for years, and being named “the most reliable American pickup truck ever produced in history” by Consumer Reports, the F-150 has continued to improve throughout the years. With changes in style and improvements in its engines, Ford has shown that it wants to keep the F-150 at the top of the selling list, and Ford F-150 engines continue to have amazing quality.

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A History of Honda Accord Engines, 1990-Present

July 28, 2009 By 4 Comments

Ranked second on the list of Affordable Midsize Cars by U.S. News, the Honda Accord has shown great improvements since Honda began manufacturing it in 1976.  Although the Accord has had many changes in things such as its design and size, this article will focus on the transformation of the Accord’s engine over the past twenty years in North America; the engines in cars overseas differed at times from the North American models.  Certain aspects, such as the size and power, of the engine have change from 1990 to now and have only increased the reliability and popularity of the Accord.

In 1990, Honda introduced its fourth generation of Accords.  This generation of Accords included a 2.2 liter, 16 valve electronic fuel injected engine standard.  There were three versions of the Accord in this generation: DX, LX, and EX.  The DX and LX came equipped with engine F22A1, which had 125 horsepower with four cylinders and 93 kW.  During the fourth generation, the EX version of the Accord came equipped with two different engines.  Engine F22A4 was used in 1990 and 1991; this engine had 130 horsepower with 97 kW.  In 1992, engine F22A6 was introduced in the EX Accords, and it had 135 horsepower with 100 kW; this engine was used until 1993.

In 1994, the fifth generation of Accords was introduced.  The main change in this generation was seen in the EX model.  The engine still had 2.2 liters with four cylinders, but the new VTEC (Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control) version of the engine increased its horsepower to 140 horsepower with 108 kW.  According to HowStuffWorks, the VTEC allowed the engine to have multiple camshafts.  In 1995, Honda began using the C27 engine in the Accord.  This was a V6 engine with 2.7 liters, and it was only offered in the LX and EX versions.

In 1998, the sixth generation of Accords burst onto the scene.  This generation of Accords came with the option of a four-cylinder engine or a V6 engine.  The DX four-cylinder engine was equipped with 2.3 liters, 130 horsepower, and 97 kW.  The LX and EX models came with 150 horsepower, 112 kW, and included VTEC.  The other engine option was the V6 engine.  All V6 models included three liters, 200 horsepower, 150 kW, and VTEC.

2003 was the first year for the seventh generation of Accords.  During this generation, the four-cylinder engines had 2.4 liters with 160 horsepower; while, V6 engines saw an increase in horsepower to 240 horsepower because of changes to the intake and exhaust. The Accord Hybrid was introduced in the 2005 model year and included a V6 engine that produced 255 horsepower.  In 2006, the 30th anniversary year for the Accord, the V6 engine increased its power to 244 horsepower and the four-cylinder engine increased its power to 166 horsepower; the 2006 Accord Hybrid was re-rated at 253 horsepower with 189 kW.

According to Edmunds, the current Accord has better engine performance without losing any of its fuel efficiency.  Now in its eighth generation, the Accord still offers a four-cylinder or V6 engine.  The basic 2.4 liter four-cylinder engine now produces 177 horsepower; in the EX, an upgraded version of this engine is available that produces 190 horsepower.  The V6 engines now are 3.5 liters and include VCM (Variable Cylinder Management), which shuts off two or three of the cylinders while driving; the VCM can increase the horsepower of the V6 to 271 horsepower with 202 kW.

Overall, the Honda Accord engine has shown itself to be very reliable.  Drivers around the country have continued to show their love for the Accord, as seen in the increase in sales.  The Accord continues to win awards and despite the importance of the appearance of a vehicle, the Accord would not receive these accolades without having a strong engine.  It is evident in the previous twenty years that Honda values improvement in its engine, and as the heart of the vehicle, one must believe that the Accord’s engine will only get better in the next twenty years.

As always, if you need an engine, please feel free to get fill out an online request for a quote on replacement engine or call us at 901-266-9996.

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