Originally Posted by brent_strong

Actually, the problems with the 2.2L spinning to 9k came from sideloading, the piston against the bore, not from bent rods. Also, if I remember correctly, due to the increased bore, the 2.2L 8200RPM engine actually had higher piston speeds, but I may be wrong about that. It's been a while since I've seen anything about that.

After driving both the 2.2 and 2.0L engines, I prefer the 2.0 for hard driving and the 2.2 for around the city. No surprises there.