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Quote: Originally posted by martin734 on 19/8/2020

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Smaller engines can produce the same torque and power as a big engine, but they need to be spinning much faster to do it. I have a Land Rover 130 with a 4.2 V8 that produces 200 bhp and 300 lb/ft. There are smaller engines that can match this performance, but where the bigger engine has the advantage is in the useable power range. My V8 makes the full 300 lb/ft of torque at just 2500 rpm and peak power at 4600 rpm. This means you have much more low-down power for pulling away and is especially useful for hill starts. I regularly tow trailers up to 3500 kg and occasionally air-braked trailers up to 4000 kg. The Fuel economy of this engine is not at all good, 18-22 mpg is usual, occasionally up to 25 mpg and as low as 8 mpg. But when towing, the fuel economy does not drop all that much. Smaller engines though suffer massive MPG drops when under heavy load. A friend has a Focus 1.0 ecoboost estate with 125 bhp and averages about 50 mpg. However, if he sticks his boat and trailer on the back which weighs about 900 kg, his fuel consumption drops to below 30 mpg or even less in traffic.

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