Quote:
Originally Posted by why?
and we are all better off for it. V engines are only good for packaging. Inline is so much better in every other way.
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Like EE mentions, V6’s are good for some packaging characteristics but not every packaging characteristic. Probably better for short compact hoods, better crash safety, better for more interior volume, better for a shorter wheelbase, and better for weight distribution. There are other benefits to V engines like an inline 8-12 would not only be bad packaging, but the block would be so long that it might be susceptible to flex. It might be harder to get air into the cylinders evenly too without multiple throttle bodies.
Inline engines are better for simplicity, better for total weight of the engine, better for room for suspension geometry, and easier to service. Inline 6’s and higher don’t make for great transverse packaging and thus force weight in the form of RWD setup with a driveshaft. V8-V12’s sound pretty good. So do I6s but I don’t know about I8-I12s
They have other benefits and these lists aren’t exhaustive; they just illustrate the fact that they have different packaging, not necessarily better, and they have different advantages, not necessarily making one better than another.