For a vehicle that seems to pride itself on its masculine appearance, the FX50 doesn't exactly show off its massive V8 very well. In fact, barring the giant label on the cover, you would be hard pressed to distinguish this engine from a run of the mill four banger.
This shrouding tactic is getting more popular every year and I'm not sure why. Sure it looks clean and neat, but even the most complex overhead cam V8 can look pretty cool when you can actually see it.
Granted, about .04% of all FX owners will ever actually open their own hoods, but all that black plastic just looks like the designers punted and moved on.
Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor, Inside Line
rick8365 says:
02:52 PM, 10/16/09
Agreed - I want to see the mill.
Interesting to see the "ducting" for the HVAC's outside air pickup - via the fenders I guess?
Or, do I have it wrong?
mikeolan says:
03:46 PM, 10/16/09
As an aristocrat and therefore Mansion and Luxury Car Owner, should I somehow sneak past Jeeves and need to drive my own motorcar I cannot be bothered with all of that engine muss and fuss. Should I need to open the hood of this car and I see such ugly, plebian wiring I will surely be horrified at the thought of having to see something as crude as a car engine. And dear, what if I drop my monacle into the engine???
mikeolan says:
03:47 PM, 10/16/09
P.S. does anyone know which of those caps you put the petroleum distillate into?
cx7lover says:
04:47 PM, 10/16/09
Yeah well they are no Audi.
slickersdrip says:
05:49 PM, 10/16/09
mikeolan gets comment of the week.
cx7lover, Audi was my first thought as well, especially with the recent post by Inside Line...
shaddai says:
05:50 PM, 10/16/09
Everytime I see one of these plastic monstrosities, I cringe. It's sad, just sad.
hybris says:
07:51 PM, 10/16/09
Well if the hood ever flies off then you shouldn't notice too much of a mileage hit since all that plastic seems to make the engine compartment streamlined.
cwc1 says:
07:55 PM, 10/16/09
Yep, Mikeolan summed it up pretty well. This trend started in the early '90s on some luxury cars, where it supposedly made the engine area look more luxurious by it being all covered up. I think the automakers also realized it was cheaper, because they didn't actually have to organize the engine components for a good presentation. They could just cover them up and who cares about whether it looks sloppy underneath or not. But people like us do, and want to see the motor. But I guess the average non-car person does not.
spen1818 says:
07:03 AM, 10/17/09
I believe these covers are actually safety related. They are designed to melt and extinguish an engine fire.
lostandfound08 says:
08:13 AM, 10/17/09
What about providing more of an impact barrier to the newly toughened pedestrian safety rules in Europe?
compliance says:
01:07 PM, 10/17/09
Why even bother making the hood openable?
mieden says:
07:01 PM, 10/18/09
To my knowledge, the surge in engine covers comes from 1: The "need" (want) for the luxury of an externally quite engine. Many covers are made extremely particular (On early-build, first-gen VW Touregs the material thickness varied significantly from one part of the cover to the next) to cancel certain vibration frequencies that would otherwise be heard outside (or even inside) the vehicle. 2: Also, many manufacturers use complex fluid dynamics processing to replicate under-car and engine compartment heat transfer, air flow, and heat dissipation. Lots of engine compartment covers help to control these variables by creating significant pressure differences between the engine compartment floor and cover, or by simply stabilizing airflow around the engine compartment lid. Just my $.02...
mrryte says:
07:00 AM, 10/19/09
You may not see it when you pop the hood, but you'll certainly feel when you hit the gas....
eblock2 says:
01:11 PM, 10/19/09
It looks like you could sleep on there.
cr_driver says:
11:06 AM, 10/20/09
The V8 is there, just dressed elegantly, u dont have to show your package or muscles every time lol