turbocharged

Short of employing a full hybrid system, automakers are finding many ways to improve fuel economy in current, gas-engine cars. Engineers are looking at every part of the drive cycle to determine where savings can be made.

Some of the technologies being employed are old, such as turbochargers and continuously variable transmissions, but they are being refined to take advantage of new materials and computing power.

There have also been some newer innovations that cut fuel use, such as the use of idle stop and dual-clutch transmissions.

A number of factors are helping push these developments. Consumers are trying to cope with increasing gas prices, and governments are pushing for reduced carbon dioxide emissions, which relate directly to fuel economy.

Check out these 11 technologies that reduce fuel consumption. … Read more

Ford's been taking advantage of its EcoBoost forced-induction technology to downsize engines across its line. V-8s give way to turbocharged V-6s. V-6s give way to turbo four-bangers. Continuing the trend, Ford has just announced the smallest engine it's ever built: a 1.0-liter EcoBoost three-cylinder engine.

Besides the obvious fuel savings from its lower displacement, Ford's new tiny terror packs in all sorts of economy-boosting technologies. For example, Ford's split cooling system helps the cylinder block to warm faster which helps to save fuel during the least efficient warm-up phase, especially in cold weather. The three-cylinder'… Read more

When Hyundai announced that it would be debuting a 2-liter turbocharged version of its rear-wheel driven Genesis Coupe, I thought to myself, "The tuner crowd is going to go crazy over this."

Not even a year later, it appears that I was correct. Case in point, GReddy performance parts will be bringing a tuned-up Genesis Coupe 2.0T--dubbed the "GReddy X-Gen Street Genesis Coupe"--to the 2009 SEMA Show packed to the gills with performance parts and spinning its flywheel to the tune of 350-horsepower.

Bear in mind that the stock Genesis 2.0T packs only … Read more

I was recently handed the keys to a fully loaded, brand-new Audi S4 sedan. So, I did what any motorhead would do in this situation and proceeded to put the sporty A4 variant through its paces on the open road, on an autocross cone course, and even on the track at Infineon Raceway at Sears Point.

Our adventure starts with a trip from an uncharacteristically sunny San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge and into Sonoma. While in the stop-and-go bustle of the city, the S-Tronic DSG double-clutch automated manual was so docile and the 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 engine … Read more

As I get ready to leave CES and Las Vegas, I wanted to give a shout-out to the device that truly powers the convention: the smartphone. Doesn't really matter whether it's Treo or Blackberry, everyone was calling, texting and emailing all day long. At such a techie summit you could talk in any public space with impunity. I would have been lost from my CNET compatriots without it. [Side note, my iPhone had "no service" within the convention center but my Blackberry was fine, both on AT&T.]

So at the end of they day, … Read more