All hope was lost on the straight six engines just a few months ago as almost every German and Japanese car maker shift towards the V6 arrangement. But in came Jaguar and Mercedes as the savior for the straight-six this year and we were given a reason to live! So what’s the big fuss about the two cylinder configurations, and which one is “better” than the other?
This awesome video by YouTube’s CarThrottle has elaborated on the issue via intriguing graphics and animations. To enumerate the major differences, they include the simplicity of design, the ease of maintenance and balance of the car. A straight-six configuration is generally easier to design and access for mechanics when a repair is required and is smoother when the car is idling.
But straight six was replaced for a reason, and it is very hard to fit into cars without compromising on the spaciousness of the vehicle. The engine also ruins the center of gravity and is impossible to fix on a front-wheel-drive setup.
This is why V6 engines have been adopted by almost every car manufacturer since it is more compact and gives room to add a turbocharger as well, the prerequisite for every supercar. The V6 arrangement also works brilliantly with front wheel drives and makes it easier to fill up a vehicle lineup. But they do have more complicated designs and require balancing shafts.
Watch the video below for more of these comparisons!
