[Jaybone76]

What engine did or will you get.. is the v6 worth it?

 

[gmguy74]

What engine did or will you get.. is the v6 worth it?[/color]

This is what I want to know. I'm not a fan of I-4 engines, and having owned only one so far I'm not excited about a 2nd one. But if gas prices climb really high again and stay that way, an I-4 would be better on my wallet. I've driven the I-4, but am waiting to drive the V6 when I take my wife's car in for service soon.

 

[Terrain]

V6 for me, all the way. I'm not as concerned about fuel mileage as I am about refinement and I feel the V6 is better than the I4 in that regard.

Besides, you don't get the dual exhaust tips with the I4...

 

[Islander]

I4. Drove both, don't expect to tow anything of any serious weight, and 32 MPG in this class of vehicle made the V6 an extra $1500 expense that was not needed.

 

[gmguy74]

V6 for me, all the way. I'm not as concerned about fuel mileage as I am about refinement and I feel the V6 is better than the I4 in that regard.

Besides, you don't get the dual exhaust tips with the I4...

Before the last gas price increase, that's how I thought too. In a way, I still feel that way and wasn't too thrilled with the I-4 Terrain SLE-2 I test drove back in October (again, I prefer larger engines). But not knowing what the future will bring, I'm thinking that if I can *live* with the I-4 and save $1500 in the process, allowing me to get a nicer equipped Terrain, then that may be a scarifice I can live with. I need to test drive a V6 model for comparison, but I know deep down inside I will likely leave wanting the V6 and be $1500 more in debt! LOL!!

I've seen a black Terrain at my local Enterprise Rental Agency, and I'm very tempted to rent it for an upcoming day trip in late December to see just how well the I-4 handles (it would be a mix of local roads and highway driving, so I'd definitely get a good feel for it).

 

[cheddar11]

I have the V6 and am very pleased with it. I have never had anything less that a 6 in all my vehicles, so the thought of a I4 was out of the question. I'm going to see if I can increase HP from 264 to around 300 with some aftermarket add ons such as cold air intake, magnaflow exhaust and I might chip it. We'll see.

I drove the I4, and I really didn't have any complaints with the performance, but living in a mountainous region, I need to climb some serious mountain passes and the I4 just needs to work too hard to make it over. The V6 handles the passes without a hiccup.

 

[monaco]

I had a 2008 Buick Enclave with the 3.6 litre before my 4cyl. Terrain. This 4 cyl. does not shift as much as the Enclave did in the hills. I also can't believe how refined the engine sounds under hard acceleration for a 4 cyl. motor. So far I am very happy I chose the 4cyl. engine.

 

[Jaybone76]

Yeah I like the xtra power of the v6 but I got the 4 because the motor can easily be tuned to make the v6 power or more with a few mods. I was searching some sites last nite here are some I found :

http://www.jbodyperformance.com/new/newIndex.php

http://www.batesengineering.info/

http://www.ecotec-tuning.com/

I emailed JBP and they had cams, heads, headers, exhaust and other things for our motor.. I'd have to see what can be done without affecting driveability and not going too crazy. But at least there are some nice things out there already.. they even told me they would custom make other things like a cold air intake.. They have a dyno in-house so I'm sure the testing would be complete.


If anyone finds any other good sites let me know!! THX

 

[cjparker]

I absolutely love the power that the 6 gives me. However I will say it does not do that great in fuel mileage, I get on average about 16.3mpg in local driving. But the vehicle is for recreational purposes only, so I drive it about once every week or so. So that doesn't do much damage to the wallet since I don't use up much fuel.

Overall I like the 6 a whole lot better. I test drove the I4 and though I was impressed, I wanted more power.

 

[nitti48]

After reading everyones post and what and why they got what they got,hehe I am strayed to swap out whats is coming my way for the 4 cylinder..I am retired and need the extra gas mileage..Just me and the Mrs and she has her own car..notin to tow..Thanks for your informative posts...

 

[cjparker]

Is that for AWD?

Yeah it's the AWD SLT2. Great power, and no issues in any bad weather (recently got hit with some big snow storms, not a single problem) - But definitely eats up gas.

 

[Narg]

We just traded up from an HHR with the same Ecotec I4 engine. That engine is fantastic! I'd only get the V6 if you wanted to tow something. Otherwize, the I4 is the way to go.

Here why we liked it. First, it is very quick to heat up to operating temp. If you live in a cold climate, this is a great thing as the heater starts blowing hot air very quickly compared to a V6. We live in a moderate climate, but still get very cold during the winter, so having that extra heat quicker makes the winters easier to handle for us. It is very torquey for it's size, still not enough for towing, but very good for a 4 banger. With the right exhaust setup, it sounds very nice (our old HHR sounded very sporty, the 'Nox doesn't have the same exhaust, but that's easily fixed...) And of course the fuel savings make it very worth it.

If the V6 just had more torque, I think it would be a good or maybe better choice. But the Ecotec is an extremely impressive engine. I've read where many after market places love this engine because it's so easy to work on and to add things to, for what that's worth.

 

[grometsc]

We just traded up from an HHR with the same Ecotec I4 engine. That engine is fantastic! I'd only get the V6 if you wanted to tow something. Otherwize, the I4 is the way to go.

Here why we liked it. First, it is very quick to heat up to operating temp. If you live in a cold climate, this is a great thing as the heater starts blowing hot air very quickly compared to a V6. We live in a moderate climate, but still get very cold during the winter, so having that extra heat quicker makes the winters easier to handle for us. It is very torquey for it's size, still not enough for towing, but very good for a 4 banger. With the right exhaust setup, it sounds very nice (our old HHR sounded very sporty, the 'Nox doesn't have the same exhaust, but that's easily fixed...) And of course the fuel savings make it very worth it.

If the V6 just had more torque, I think it would be a good or maybe better choice. But the Ecotec is an extremely impressive engine. I've read where many after market places love this engine because it's so easy to work on and to add things to, for what that's worth.

Just to be technical...Its not the same engine

LE5 (HHR 2.4L Ecotec, Cobalt 2.4, Solstice/sky base and I'm sure others)
LAF (Equinox, Terrain, La Cross, Regal)

They have several differences...The biggest to note is one is Direct Injected (which requires alot of changes internally) and the other was just regular fuel injection. The LAF is more closely related to the LNF which came in the HHR SS (260 turbo) vs the LE5

 

[nitti48]

I bought the I4..I drove both and luv the I4..I have just put on 1000 miles and by the gauge in Terrain and my own calculations am getting 25mpg so..I hope it will go up as I break it in my way

 

[Eastern72]

I ordered the 4 cyl because of the 32 mpg claims being made in GMC ads. Just hope that I can get close to that in reality!

 

[bballr4567]

If the V6 was the 3.6 I would of sprung the extra cash for it no if ands or buts.

However, the I4 has decent enough power and can cruise pretty easily at 80-85 if need be. Not to mention, weve been getting steadily better MPG. We should be around 26-27 this tank but we took a 200 mile road trip to help that out. 1500 miles on her so far.

 

[nitti48]

I think you will like the I4...I now have 2500 miles and getting 26-27mpg..thats with DIC readings and my own miles divided by gals caculations

 

[gearhead]

We needed the extra power for lots of cargo per trip.
We really don't drive that far on a daily basis so the gas was not as much of a concern for us.

 

[RSchleder]

V6 for me, wasn't even a consideration to go with the I4 in this sized SUV. I do tow, however even if I didn't, the V6 is the only engine I's consider.

 

[Mrmidnite2]

i purchased the 4 cyl with no reservations at all. Previous vehicle was a Pontiac Montana SV6...nice engine but a pig on gas in the winter time (which is 6 months up here in Northern Ontario...usually!!. Prior to that, I had a Jeep Patriot 4 cyl....nice car but that CVT transmission whine drove me (and my dogs) balmy. I have sinced regained my senses, and got the 2010 Terrain with the 4 banger...and 6 speed auto. Has lots of power for driving around here, even with the hills etc....and its rated for 6.1 liters per 100 kilometers (about 46 miles per gallon) on the highway. Haven't achieved that yet, but am getting over 33 mpg around town.....be interesting to see what I get over the long cold winters, with synthetic oil in the engine of course!!
;D ;D