Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community - FT86CLUB - View Single Post - FA20 Engine Wins Ward's 10 Best Engines of 2013

RaceR · 12-15-2012, 09:00 AM

I don't think the FA20 deserves an engine award.

Ill base my opinion on the following criterias in random order. Again this is my opinions, not a personal insult to anyone.

Fuel consumption:
It sucks. Simple as that. Im not aware of any engine with that kind of power that consumes more fuel in a relatively light car. (Im from EU)
From a scale from A+ to G its rated F.
I know the gearing is partly to be blamed, but either way. Its bad and that makes it expensive in terms of taxes.

Torque:
Not impressed, its not bad for its type of engine. But nothing to go "wow" about. Going from a good 1.6 turbo to the FA20 is a huge dissapointment in terms of torque. Yes. Apples and Oranges should not be compared directly... but still..

Sound:
NA engines are supposed to be good sounding. This is just mediocre. Lots of people find it quite bad sounding. I think its OK, but not more.

Powerband:
Too narrow. On tight twisty tracks or roads you can easily experience 1. gear to not go far enough. So you change into second. All power is gone, and your into the torque drop as well. The autocross tracks im at are mostly driven in 2. gear, on this car is not flexible enough due to the lack of useable powerband. Which is mostly 2500 rpm.

Peak RPM:
I would hope for higher. Powerband is more important, but since this should be an exiting NA machine, it would be nice to have a good sounding "screamer".

Character
For a NA, its quite boring. And the torque dip does not help. Engines should not have annoying factors. yes, you could praise it for "all the low down torque". But its just annoying to feel that torque curve. And there is no "NA" WOW-effect, it does not fly when you get high into the revs. And as mentioned, nor does it sing.

Reliability:
Based on the the CEL problems. I would not consider this a reliable engine. Many people still seem to have problems after getting a new ECU. I would fear the CEL problem and issues people have had with it. Bying a new car should not make me fear the possibility to have lots of down time due to known engine issues.

Tuneability:
You can do all the normal stuff, intake, exhaust, chip etc.. Not that much to gain for the amount of cash used.
I don't care if it may or may not be reliable with 400+ WHP and a turbo (time will tell). That would ruin the throttle response way too much anyway. Ruin warranty, could get into emission problems, more reliability issues, would take lots of money etc...

Paper vs real life:
The specs of the engine does not seem to be underrated at all. You really don't get more torque or power than advertised. Several other manufacturers give you more than you expect.

Butt dyno:
It feels slower than it is. And it feels slow for its specs. I would rather have the opposite feeling.

Lots of negativity here some would say. I don't think the engine is really bad. I just don't think that its award worthy. I highly doubt it will get an "international engine of the year award". Many reviews complain about the engine. It is the weak point of this car in my opinion too.

The good stuff about the engine. Throttle response and low CoG. Considering it is a NA boxer that is supposed to be sporty and that engine is mounted low in the car, that is just the nature of the thing. Not traits that are award worthy in my opinion.

I think the international engine of the year awards make more sense.
Overview from earlier years.

12-15-2012, 09:00 AM	#69
RaceR Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Drives: 2010 Cooper S, 74 Beetle Location: Norway Posts: 726 Thanks: 239 Thanked 252 Times in 124 Posts Mentioned: 2 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	I don't think the FA20 deserves an engine award. Ill base my opinion on the following criterias in random order. Again this is my opinions, not a personal insult to anyone. Fuel consumption: It sucks. Simple as that. Im not aware of any engine with that kind of power that consumes more fuel in a relatively light car. (Im from EU) From a scale from A+ to G its rated F. I know the gearing is partly to be blamed, but either way. Its bad and that makes it expensive in terms of taxes. Torque: Not impressed, its not bad for its type of engine. But nothing to go "wow" about. Going from a good 1.6 turbo to the FA20 is a huge dissapointment in terms of torque. Yes. Apples and Oranges should not be compared directly... but still.. Sound: NA engines are supposed to be good sounding. This is just mediocre. Lots of people find it quite bad sounding. I think its OK, but not more. Powerband: Too narrow. On tight twisty tracks or roads you can easily experience 1. gear to not go far enough. So you change into second. All power is gone, and your into the torque drop as well. The autocross tracks im at are mostly driven in 2. gear, on this car is not flexible enough due to the lack of useable powerband. Which is mostly 2500 rpm. Peak RPM: I would hope for higher. Powerband is more important, but since this should be an exiting NA machine, it would be nice to have a good sounding "screamer". Character For a NA, its quite boring. And the torque dip does not help. Engines should not have annoying factors. yes, you could praise it for "all the low down torque". But its just annoying to feel that torque curve. And there is no "NA" WOW-effect, it does not fly when you get high into the revs. And as mentioned, nor does it sing. Reliability: Based on the the CEL problems. I would not consider this a reliable engine. Many people still seem to have problems after getting a new ECU. I would fear the CEL problem and issues people have had with it. Bying a new car should not make me fear the possibility to have lots of down time due to known engine issues. Tuneability: You can do all the normal stuff, intake, exhaust, chip etc.. Not that much to gain for the amount of cash used. I don't care if it may or may not be reliable with 400+ WHP and a turbo (time will tell). That would ruin the throttle response way too much anyway. Ruin warranty, could get into emission problems, more reliability issues, would take lots of money etc... Paper vs real life: The specs of the engine does not seem to be underrated at all. You really don't get more torque or power than advertised. Several other manufacturers give you more than you expect. Butt dyno: It feels slower than it is. And it feels slow for its specs. I would rather have the opposite feeling. Lots of negativity here some would say. I don't think the engine is really bad. I just don't think that its award worthy. I highly doubt it will get an "international engine of the year award". Many reviews complain about the engine. It is the weak point of this car in my opinion too. The good stuff about the engine. Throttle response and low CoG. Considering it is a NA boxer that is supposed to be sporty and that engine is mounted low in the car, that is just the nature of the thing. Not traits that are award worthy in my opinion. I think the international engine of the year awards make more sense. Overview from earlier years.