We’ve always cherished this 60-degree titan as an unsung hero
whose power surpasses the numbers on the spec sheet. The new 3.5L makes a
convincing argument that modern engines do not need direct fuel
injection.
by Tom Murphy of www.wardsauto.com
A funny thing happened while Ward’s 10 Best Engines judges drove 590 miles (950 km) in the all-new ’13 Honda
Accord Touring sedan: Without even trying, seven editors – most of them
with lead in their boots – overshot the window-sticker combined
fuel-economy rating of 25 mpg (9.4 L/100 km) by a wide margin.
That’s what the Environmental Protection
Agency says most drivers should achieve in city/highway motoring with
the extensively reworked 3.5L SOHC V-6.
The WardsAuto
team of hyper-miler flunkies averaged 29.4 mpg (7.9 L/100 km) in early
November – outstanding for an engine this size – while editor Christie
Schweinsberg set the high bar at 31.1 mpg (7.5 L/100 km) after a weekend
road trip to northern Michigan.
“I
saw 35.5 mpg (6.6 L/100 km) on the trip computer after the first 100
miles (160 km) on the freeway,” Schweinsberg reports. Factor out the 258
miles (415 km) she logged, and the combined mileage still exceeds 29
mpg.
Now, aren’t consumers complaining a lot of vehicles deliver
disappointing real-world fuel economy, which suggests the EPA test cycle
represents something other than the real world? Oh, the folks at Hyundai must be eating their hearts out.
For delivering exemplary fuel economy and
simultaneously pulling like a freight train at hard throttle, Honda’s improved 3.5L V-6 earns its fourth Ward’s 10 Best Engines trophy since 2005.
We’ve always cherished this 60-degree
titan as an unsung hero whose power easily surpasses the numbers on the
spec sheet.
The latest iteration comes with several significant updates and
makes a convincing argument that modern engines do not need direct fuel
injection to achieve benchmark performance. Besides, port-injection
engines such as Honda’s V-6, as well as Chrysler’s 3.6L Pentastar, are less expensive to build.
Honda has an edge with a new
cylinder-deactivation system that saves more fuel than on the
previous-generation engine. The Variable Cylinder Management system used
to shut down two or three cylinders at a time, depending on driving
load. Now, it only switches to 3-cyl. mode.
When maximum power is required, all six
cylinders are firing, and transitions between the two modes are
seamless. Enabling VCM to work more often is a new, more-robust 28-volt
active engine mount system that minimizes engine vibration during the
transitions. An active noise-control system cancels any other undue
sounds within the interior. VCM is available only with the 6-speed
automatic transmission.
For the first time, this new Accord application
combines VCM with Honda’s heralded Variable Valve Timing and Lift
Electronic Control (VTEC) system, which changes valve lift, timing and
duration of the intake valves to deliver more torque earlier in the
powerband.
Separate from VCM, the system is intelligent enough to vary valve
operation based on the driving situation and engine speed. At low rpm,
VTEC optimizes intake valve timing and lift for increased torque.
As the tachometer needle passes 5,150
rpm, VTEC transitions to a high-lift, long-duration intake-cam profile
for superior power at high-rpm. With the manual transmission, this
transition happens even earlier, at 4,900 rpm.
Each low-pressure cast-aluminum cylinder
head incorporates a new “tumble port” design that enhances combustion
efficiency, and an integrated exhaust manifold within each head requires
fewer parts, improves flow and allows for closer coupling of the
catalytic converter downstream, which reduces emissions.
Put all this technology together, and
this new silky-smooth “Earth Dreams” V-6 positively storms. “It’s never
lacking for acceleration,” writes WardsAuto editor Byron Pope.
Source;
http://wardsauto.com/vehicles-amp-technology/honda-35l-sohc-v-6
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