Toyota engine in an Aston? Now that's sad!

 

Much rather have the high-tech marvel V10 from Toyota than any MB engine, if I had to choose.

 

Yes!

 

Well that will definitely be a foreign engine and it will not be exclusive to Aston Martin. That is if the V10 is the engine that Toyota is willing to sell them.

 

Yeah, I thought the objection was that the car wouldn't be pure Aston with an MB engine. Personally, I think having a Toyota engine in the car is worse, even if it is technologically advanced. Nothing against Toyota or the Japanese, but they just don't seem to be a good fit with Aston Martin.

 

IMHO Toyota is no better or worse than Ford
If it means AM get to catch up on engine technology and survive longer then its a good thing!

 

The V10 won't see much production from Lexus so it will be relatively exclusive. It's amazing now, but Aston will flog 25 years out of it and it too will become quaint

 

100% agree. To me the Astons are somewhat a muscle car with a finely tailored suit. The engines are not that advanced for their size, and when you free them up (exhaust, cats etc) they really sound like a (nice) muscle car. To me Mercedes and their AMG engines were somewhat of a high end muscle car with the capital available to make great modern day muscle car engines.

The high tech toyota V10 although a great engine would not seem to fit the brand as well.

The new 5.0L would have been nice if Ford was still in the picture.....444HP in the Boss.....imagine it supercharged.

 

You talk like that 'cause you don't have a v12 in your Aston. Like I said before, you V8 guys can do anything you want as long as you don't mess with perfection....a V12 motor, the definition of 'exotic' when you are discussing powerplants.

 

Getting higher quality motors from Mercedes makes a heck of alot of sens than getting lower quality motors from Ford. I'm sure Aston is tired of everyone comparing the to ford. They want to improve their upscale image. Mercedes has a long history of producing bespoke motors for small volume manufacturers. MB will only help the brand image.

The ONLY thing that would hurt the cars character is if they started slapping turbochargers on the engine. Aston must remain naturally aspirated in my opinion. This may be tempting bc of the fuel efficiency gains, but you can get similar improvements NA with stop/start & cylinder deactivation technologies.

Simple as that

 

XJR S owner said: The very last thing I want to see is some other company's motor in the engine bay. The heart and soul of the car is the engine (regardless of whether you think it is underpowered or not). I can imagine opening the bonnet and someone pointing out how there's an MB powerplant in there. No thank you.

I agree completely. Unless they do what they did with the V8V, for example, where the finished Aston engine shares nothing with the Jag V8 -- block, crank, pistons, rods, heads, cams, valves, oiling system, etc -- all are unique to Aston. If AM had merely tuned the exhaust sound it would not make it an Aston engine. That’s show over substance. Fakery. It’s the engine that matters, not just the exhaust.

Aston’s history of borrowing things like switchgear is entirely different from borrowing platforms and engines. Switchgear is ancillary to a car. Platforms and drivelines make the bones, heart and soul of a car.

Below is from a post I wrote on a similar topic on another forum:

"I don’t really care that a Conti GT (which I have driven) feels quite different from a VW Phaeton (which I’ve not driven). One can change the springs, dampers, alignment, tires, intake and exhaust, etc. on a single car and make that car feel quite different. It’s still the same car.

"Toyota doesn’t build Aston Martin engines or platforms (with one horrific exception). A “Rolls-Royce” that has a BMW platform/chassis/structure and a BMW engine is something considerably less than a Rolls-Royce, IMO, no matter how well it may be disguised. Great car, but not a Rolls-Royce.

"And how good are these disguises? There is no way that Bentley, had they sat down and decided to build a modern Continental, would have designed a car that has a front-wheel drive architecture adapted to all-wheel drive, with a huge “W” engine living way up front, as far forward as absolutely possible in true Audi style and with the weight distribution issues that design brings, as well as the resulting massive front overhang that throws off the proportions, etc., etc., etc. This is the case solely due to platform sharing. Very nice car it is, but a Bentley? Not to me. The Maybach is a glorified S-Class. IMO, that was a major part of its problem – it’s not special or bespoke enough.

"To me, what matters is not how well you hide what is underneath – what matters is what is underneath."

Don't get me wrong, I don't pretend Aston's situation can be easily sorted -- obviously, engine (and platform) development is hugely expensive. But an Aston that is really something else under the skin is not something I will want to buy. Ford was a benevolent benefactor who had real respect for Aston Martin, and IMO it's a real shame that they're no longer involved.

 

Ford also has a history of producing bespoke motors for small volume manufactures. The V12V that you have said is your next purchase has the same V12 that was originally designed at Ford Research in the USA sharing many components from the Ford 3.0L ’Duratec’ V-6 engine. If that is not small enough volume, the noble M400 also utilized the duratec. You mention the Ford being a lower quality motor than the Benz, are you basing this just on the brand image or the actual engine in question. The new Coyote is a great engine and for comparison purposes puts out 90BHP/liter to Mercedes flagship AMG SLS's.....91.

Superchargers. Not turbochargers. Aston has done this quite successfully in the past before already. If you feel that supercharging an engine for an aston would hurt the character, the value of their last supercharged car may say otherwise:
http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/...e/1410838.html

 

There is nothing wrong with the quality of the AM/Ford engines they are VERY durable, they are just down on outputs compared to the competition.
MB has a LONG history of forced induction, AM also has some and Bez has already stated they are looking at smaller forced induction engines for the the future. They are simply following the same route as every on else on this.

MB are not the panacea you are hoping for, look what they did for Maybach

 

So much bull crap....

There's NOTHING particularly bespoke about MB engines. ANYONE can get power with turbochargers if they want, even Aston.

HP/liter has always been the defining parameter for engine 'tech'. The V12 in the new Vanq produces almost 96 hp per liter. Try finding an NA MB engine that produces over 500 hp and has a greater specific output. In fact, there aren't many engines that do better, specific output wise, other than Lambo and Ferrari.

So much for your 'low tech' engine argument.

 

It is low tech, they do not have cylinde deactivation yet, they do not have stop/start tech and other fuel saving technologies yet that Benz has had for a long time already ... So yes, it is lower tech. Benz has much more to offer its plain & simple.

The end