[danwat1234]

Hey guys, new member here. Don't have the car, just curious about it.

I read on the Scion website that they have "Direct Ignition", which doesn't sound any different than any other gas car with the placement of the spark plugs.
There are a few critical things that can be done differently to the engines in the USA today, Scion, Honda, GM everyone should have the following features in their car;

1. Direct Injection into the cylinder instead of multiport fuel injection, 5-10% increase in efficiency there.
2. Get rid of transmissions with torque converters (traditional automatics) and put in CVTs, dual dry clutch automatics and traditional manual transmissions. Not suprising that you can get 10% that way too.
3. Gas engines in cars in the USA are known as OTTO cycle engines. They should be modified to behave like an Atkinson cycle (also called Miller cycle), by leaving the intake valve open during part of the compression stroke to lower compression losses. This would only be applicable during certain RPM ranges and not 100% load. This could give you 5% increase in efficiency easily.
4. Cheap mild hybrid; Add a supercapacitor and have the alternator run at full load when the driver wants to brake and act as a motor when you want to accelerate. All that's physically added to the car is an alternator that can also be a motor, a super capacitor if needed (Or just the stock lead acid battery) and computer software. Porsche and Mazda are doing that to their regular gas cars now for 2013.
5. Start/stop technology. The car should stop the engine when you are stopped and start when the computer senses that the brake pedal is releasing at full speed or when released fully if released slowly. 5% better city probably.


For this car specifically, they should really look at Ford's Turbo 3-cylinder Eco engine, Toyota should put something like this in the IQ (with the 5 features above) and then we could see the highway MPGs go up into the 40s and city up there too.

 

[westgl]

Toyota and Ford are sharing technologies information swapping, fords Direct injection Sky active tech, has been shared, that has been in the automotive news. I would rather stick with the Otto cycle, for Now, the Prius uses a Atkinson cycle engine they are lower on power but are more efficient.

Look at the New Lexus GS450H It uses several of the technologies, you have listed, Including the Atkinson cycle, direct injection, Toyota uses a trickle down for there newer Great technologies, on their Higher end, and a few years later it will hit the lower priced vehicles, they dont want to mess with their meat & potatoes.

They are still putting on Drum Rear Brake's here in the USA. some Older technologies are paid for.

I Do NOT LIKE the Start/Stop Feature, I would Not have bought the IQ if it had Start/Stop, I had a New Prius 2011 and Hated that feature, among other lousy feature's of the Prius, and Sold it.

Toyota is VERY OVERLY CAUTIOUS about bring anything new, and tests it over and over and then brings it to other countries long before it ever hits the USA.

That has dated back to when Honda worked for Toyota, and Toyota would not accept Honda's Piston rings, and sent Honda back to the drawing board, they even laughed at Honda's designs.

I worked for Toyota for years as a Technician, they are slow to change, and only do so when forced to. Competition.