GM Gets Into the Game: Next-Gen V6, BioPower 2.3L Turbo

[High-Test]

That 4200 is COOL! Is it a descendant of the stovebolt, or the 250 from the late 60s? I knew those GM sixes could pump out some respectable numbers if they were given some R&D, and now we've got 290 horses and 300 ft.lb. of torque.

The 4.3 was archaic. 190 horses from 3/4 of a 350? I'd expect better from a block that can suppoert 600 horses easy. Granted, it still had one last trick up its sleeve with the LSR in the Syclone, but GM made a faux-pas and didn't put the turbo 6 in anything else.

Sidenote: Many "traditional" hotrodders are pulling out their stovebolts and dropping in the new 4.2 for more power and economy. (Granted, they have to buy a wiring harness, but that's not that difficult)

 

[YSSMAN]

...The 4200 I6 is one strong engine, but I'd be interested to see how much the cost differences are between it and the 5300 V8. Our Envoy obviously has the 4200, and it feels pretty good, and runs quite smooth. Of course, it is no V8, but it moves the SUV around with ease.

 

[Jay]

GM with a new I6? Great, I really like inline 6's.

 

[YSSMAN]

This I6 has been on sale in the United States since 2002. The Vortec 4200 has had a pretty strong service record here in everything from the Chevrolet Trailblazer to the Saab 9-7X. With nearly as much horsepower as the lower-level small-block V8s, the engines offer a great ammount of power with a good amount of fuel-economy (our GMC Envoy has been averaging around 20MPG-ish), and gives the trucks quite a bit of capability for towing as well.

Build quality on the engines however have been hit and miss, or atleast thats what I have herd from my Grandmother, who works at the local GMC dealer. People come in with numerous complaints about the particular truck, and other times it is nothing but praise. Our truck has not had any problems under the hood yet, but it only has 60,000 miles on the clock, and that still leaves plenty of time for things to go wrong.

 

[YSSMAN]

...Just over the wire, the Saab 9-5 SportCombi BioPower...

Saab has announced a new 210 bhp 2.3t BioPower engine for the new Saab 9-5 Sedan and SportCombi range. Running on E85, the new Saab 9-5 2.3t BioPower engine delivers maximum power of 210 bhp and 310 Nm of torque, compared to 185 bhp and 280 Nm when using gasoline. As an example of the increased performance, the Sedan with manual transmission accelerates from zero to 100 kph in 7.9 secs and 80-120 kph in fifth gear in 11.0 secs, compared to 8.5 and 12.6 secs when running only on gasoline. Cars with the new engine will go on sale in Europe later this year. No plans for U.S. availability have been announced. Externally, the Model Year 2007 range is distinguished by the addition of a dark, ‘Titan’, gray metallic paint finish.

 

[Jim Prower]

This is great. I love the idea behind this; When the going gets tough, get agressive!