GM expands direct injection to 3.6L V-6
General Motors' first North American application of direct injection on a gasoline engine was the 2.0L turbo four cylinder in the Pontiac Solstice GXP/Saturn Sky Red Line. The direct injection allowed the engine to produce more power while getting better fuel economy than the base 2.2L engine.
Now the DI love is spreading to the 3.6L V-6 in the Cadillac STS. The updated engine gets an fifteen percent bump in power to 298 hp and six percent increase in torque. The final fuel economy numbers aren't available yet, but they are expected to improve compared to the original engine. The more precise fuel control also results in a twenty-five reduction in cold-start hydrocarbon emissions. The variable valve timing is also used to delay exhaust valve closing under certain conditions allowing exhaust gases to be pulled back into the combustion chamber. This lowers the combustion temperature and reduces NOx emissions without having to use an EGR system.
GM expects to build 200,000 direct injected engines annually by the end of 2008 and will expanding the use of direct-injection the coming years. The STS press release is after the jump.
[Source: General Motors]
ENHANCED 2008 CADILLAC STS DELIVERS SIGNATURE STYLING AND ADVANCED PERFORMANCE TECHNOLOGY
NEW YORK – The 2008 Cadillac STS, featuring refreshed signature styling inside and out; a new, standard 298-horsepower (222 kW) V-6 engine; and a host of new vehicle technologies, debuts at next week's New York Auto Show, April 6-15, at the Jacob Javits Convention Center.
"For the past two decades, the Cadillac STS has been a showcase of luxury, performance and technology," said Jim Taylor, Cadillac general manger. "The new 2008 STS extends that heritage with a bold new look, the debut of a new, high-tech standard engine and some of the industry's most advanced safety technology."
Refreshed design, inside and out
With overall dimensions slightly increased, the new STS conveys more of the design flair that has become a Cadillac signature. Up front, the dual-textured, multi-faceted grille first seen on the Sixteen concept and incorporated on both the Escalade and soon-to-be-launched 2008 CTS, has been adapted to the STS, giving the luxury performance sedan a more sophisticated appearance. Vertically stacked headlamps with large, dual 70mm projector lenses are encased in an aluminized, single-piece bezel. High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps are now available on V-6 models.
Also available on V-6 models for the first time are Intellibeam headlamps. The headlamps automatically switch gradually from high beam to low beam when vehicles approach or the vehicle is approaching taillamps. The lower front fascia is a new design, with a new intake and grille patterned after current Cadillac 'V' cues. New, narrower side marker lamps are added.
Similarly, side air extractors, again inspired by the Sixteen and Escalade, are now incorporated in the front fenders of the STS.
New styling touches also include chrome-plated door handles and new lower rocker moldings that blend into the lower line of the vehicle for more presence and refinement.
At the rear, the new fascia is now body-color, and is highlighted with the addition of polished, aluminum three-inch exhaust tips.
New, polished 18-inch by 8-inch aluminum 14-spoke wheels are available. For these available wheels, Michelin W-rated, 235/50R18 tires are used up front, and the rear wheels are fitted with 255/45R18 all-season radials.
Inside, STS's luxurious interior includes a new steering wheel with available genuine Sapele Pommele wood trim. Sapele is an exotic wood more commonly used in fine furniture and musical instruments. A heated steering wheel also is available. The center stack of the instrument panel is revised with the addition of wood trim that has new metallic surroundings.
New, available features for the STS include a head-up display on V-6 models. The head-up display projects key driving information (such as speedometer ratings) onto the windshield, enabling drivers to keep their eyes on the road.
STS adds direct-injection V-6
For 2008, STS will be the first GM vehicle equipped with a new 3.6-liter direct-injected V-6 engine. The new base powerplant, with 298 horsepower (222 kW), delivers 40 more horsepower; and torque is increased to 268 lb.-ft. (371 Nm) – up from 252 lb.-ft. (348 Nm) on the current base engine.
The new direct-injected 3.6L will be mated to the Hydra-Matic 6L50 six-speed automatic transmission, the first pairing of this transmission with a V-6 engine. Additionally, the STS V-6 will continue to be available with all-wheel drive (AWD) for 2008.
Advantages of the new direct-injected engine include a 25-percent reduction in cold-start hydrocarbon emissions. Additionally, despite the 15-percent increase in power, fuel economy is expected to increase slightly.
Lane departure technology debuts
Continuing Cadillac's commitment to using advanced safety features, the 2008 STS will offer new features including a new performance handling package; enhanced variable-effort steering with StabiliTrak on V-8 models; and new lane departure warning and blind side alerts.
The new performance handling package will be available for V-8-equipped rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive models and V-6-equipped rear-drive models. The package includes 18-inch by 8.5-inch aluminum alloy, chrome-plated wheels fitted with new P255/45R18 Michelin Pilot Sport summer-only tires.
Brembo brakes with four-piston calipers provide enhanced braking, with front rotors measuring 14-inch by 1.2-inch (355mm x 32mm) coupled with 14.4-inch by 1.1-inch (365mm x 28mm) rear rotors. All four rotors are vented.
In addition to controlling brakes and reducing engine power, the latest iteration of StabiliTrak combines active front steering to turn the front wheels into the skid when rear wheels lose traction. The system includes a new steering motor assembly combined with computer-driven electronic controls that measure wheel slippage at all four wheels independently during acceleration, braking and adverse road conditions.
To help alert drivers to maintain their position on the road, the STS will be available with a new lane departure system. Controlled by a camera located in the rearview mirror that reads the lines in the road, the system will alert drivers when they have strayed into another lane. Drivers will get both audible and visual alert cues.
Another new feature is an available blind spot alert system. The radar-based convenience feature will provide drivers with a visual alert that appears on the outside rearview mirror when vehicles appear in a specified side zone.
The 2008 STS is expected to be available in Cadillac dealerships by mid-summer. Introductory pricing will be announced at a later date.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nils 11:44AM (5/09/2007)
Haven't all the european and japanese manufacturers been doing this for like a DECADE, even on way smaller engines? And that's a technological advancement? It's a joke. I become more and more convinced of the total lack of knowledge Big3 has about making cars.
Reply
Tim 12:11PM (5/09/2007)
"Haven't all the european and japanese manufacturers been doing this for like a DECADE, even on way smaller engines?"
No, not a decade, GM itself has been using it on 4cyl engines for a while. Please remove your head from your butt and read auto publications and you might be more enlightened on the tech the big 3 have.
Reply
MikeW 12:20PM (5/09/2007)
Is it still regular fuel for the STS? 302hp 272ft-lbs (366 meter-newtons is only 270ft-lbs, but elsewhere it is listed as 369, easy typo error)
kind of funny, just like flex-fuel cars that run on E85 and REGULAR. Kind of defeats that potential advantage of higher AKI of E70/85.
Well MB has it right with the C230, premium of ethanol blends, smart.
Reply
Nils 2:08PM (5/09/2007)
Hey Tim, I don't read auto-magazines cause I happen to be in the auto-business. You on the contrary might wanna do some research and you'll find out about the Mitsubishi GDI direct injection system. Oh but you're right about the decade, I'm sorry, it was 1996, so that makes it 11 years, damn, I really messed-up there... oh here's my head again.
Reply
Nils 2:20PM (5/09/2007)
Hey Tim, stop drooling all over GM, Mitsubishi did this back in 1996 with the GDI so that makes my decade 11 years, my mistake. Oh here's my head again!
Do some research before you start swearing.
Reply
Tim 5:30PM (5/09/2007)
Butt is hardly a swear word but I'm sorry for offending you.
Truth is, I'm not a big GM fan but that was just my reaction to what seemed like a flippant, knee jerk bash of anything Detroit. I swear if GM starts selling the Volt in 2010 (doubt it but we'll see) and it does all they say, it'll take 2 or 3 years before people stop with the BS. So oops, out of the hundred plus models of cars offered over the last decade or so I missed the fact that one was using this tech for over a decade. Yes I know others are using it but not that many even now.
You run in to all kinds on these blogs. There are some enviro people who think all cars are evil, many who know nothing about cars and spout off knee jerk BS to any announcement from a Detroit automakers but the Japanese can do no wrong. I say, so Toyota hows that big a$$ full size truck on gas.
Reply
Don 5:46PM (5/09/2007)
Direct injection is a start, but GM should be building smaller diesel engines using this tech, and then we'd really see some fuel savings.
Reply
ksmith 8:49AM (5/10/2007)
Man, GM is so behind the times, Benz was doing this back in the 50's!! /sarcasm.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline_Direct_Injection
Nils, just b/c you work in the auto industry, it doesn't make you an expert. Judging from your comments, I'd imagine that you're far from it.
It's true that Mitsubishi debuted a DI engine in 96, but one engine doesn't make a revolution. DI engines have only started to come in to their own in the past five years.
Using your logic, Toyota was about 100 years behind the Hybrid game when it introduced the original Prius. Porsche has been in the business for a century.
Reply
Nils 12:30PM (5/10/2007)
Well I guess ya'll got some valid points there. I just don't feel like this is a revolution and needs to be shown on this green blog. To me all those "new" IC-technologies that have existed for so long (like diesel and DI) just seem to divert the attention away from real alternatives... Even when DI becomes mainstream we won't see a revolution. Even when HCCI-engines (google that) become mainstream, there won't be a revolution. We're talking about increasing the efficiency of an engine that is inherently inefficient because of the sole fact that it is an ICE. There's no bending the laws of physics and they predict an efficiency of max 0.3 or so and a bit more for diesel.
I don't like Big3 cause they're acting like they've seen the light everytime they start using a technology that's already in use in other countries.
When you look at the insane amount of R&D that still goes into ICE's, well, it's just dead wrong.
I just really really want my BEV *frustration*
And no, I'm no expert, but I graduated in automotive engineering and in my present occupation, I'm very much into physics and thermodynamics so I think I have some more perspective on this matter than most on this blog
Reply
PandaBear 1:21PM (5/10/2007)
>>>>>Haven't all the european and japanese manufacturers been doing this for like a DECADE, even on way smaller engines? And that's a technological advancement? It's a joke. I become more and more convinced of the total lack of knowledge Big3 has about making cars.
Reply
PandaBear 1:24PM (5/10/2007)
What is wrong with the comment? 1/2 of my comment got removed and makes me look like a dork supporting OP #1.
Anyways, GDI has been around for a while, yes, but it failed miserably in NOX emission and various other foreign brands can't bring them here. It is now fixed to a point that is acceptable for use and pass emission here in the US.
OP#1, if you don't know what you are talking about, shut the **** up.
Reply
TG 3:44AM (5/13/2007)
I have no degrees but common sense says that good design is clever simplicity.
This design is simple complexity and prone to plenty of after market profit for the manufacturer.
Even a good quality Wankle engine is better than this bucket of moving parts and [sic] timing chain. = TG
Reply
MikeW 10:36AM (5/13/2007)
It has triple timing chains.
The Wankel is a nice recreational engine, didn't it get the lowest mileage in C&D sporty car road trip, 15mpg. That huge amount of surface area just isn't good for mileage, also the lack of eEGR and the short gearing take their toll.
Why does Obama push a red herring like ethanol, when they should push for sulfur free fuel. The change in diesel was way fracked up. They should have jumped from 500ppm to 50ppm (around the year 2000), then jump to 5ppm circa 2005 (and say that is as close to sulfur free as your going to get)
500 to 15ppm is just nutty, and what happens when you are in the middle of nowhere and you inadvertenly fill up with 500ppm.
Sulfur free gas would allow for lean burn engines, by having fuel compatible with deNOx cats. From BMW international, those BMW N53 engines are listed to run up to 34:1 air:fuel.
Reply