WTF...Mercedes 4 cylinder to replace the engine in the G?

[EZcheese15]

http://www.autoweek.com/articl...09845

I already checked the date of the article, and this is no April fool's joke, unfortunately. I'm hoping that the plan is to only replace the VQ25HR currently offered in the Skyline sedan, and not the VQ37VHR that comes standard in the U.S. I can see that as a possibility because by reducing the engine to a 4 cylinder they can decrease emissions by keeping the power similar, but there is no way any production 4 cylinder is going to have the power output that the current VQ37VHR does. At least not with near the reliability the VQ has.

[sx moneypit]

If that is so then the apocalypse is near for the G series.

[sbird1]

So don't buy one. Nissan is following current market trends. Might flop, but I'm sure they've done their research.

[numbnuts240]

as much as i like g's, i don't think i'll ever be in the market for one so, meh....

[EZcheese15]

So don't buy one. Nissan is following current market trends. Might flop, but I'm sure they've done their research.

I already own a G. But dropping the VQ engine altogether for a replacement 4 cylinder from MB is an awful business decision.

Just because a large corporation does research on an idea doesn't mean their end result is always the best. Because of market research, Nissan dropped all their sports cars in the mid-90's to go for more family-oriented marketing. This pushed Nissan into near-bankruptcy until Renault was able to step in and bring some life back to Nissan.

I hope Carlos Ghosn makes the right decision. He is a smart man, but this news release makes you question his decision.

[r34 gtr]

Quote »Mercedes also plans to begin building the C-class in Alabama in 2014.[/quote]Pump up my economyPump it upWhile your feet are stompin'And the economy is pumpin'Look at here the crowd is jumpin'

[PapaSmurf2k3]

So they are going to drop an award winning engine in favor of a Mercedes hunk of junk?

...

Why don't they get rid of the bastard child QR in favor of the Mercedes 4?

[sbird1]

Don't get me wrong, I hate MB engines just as much as the next guy. We don't know anything about this new "4 cylinder" engine at this point. Maybe it will be a great motor. Doubt it, but there's a chance. I'm sure that there are a lot of people who would like a G in the 4 cylinder just like the Altima. Nissan must have a fiscal advantage in dropping the VQ25HR in favor of the MB engine. I don't think we have to worry about the VQ37VHR being replaced or made unavailable.
Modified by sbird1 at 3:09 PM 4/8/2010

[EZcheese15]

Don't get me wrong, I hate MB engines just as much as the next guy. We don't know anything about this new "4 cylinder" engine at this point. Maybe it will be a great motor. Doubt it, but there's a chance. I'm sure that there a lot of people who would like a G in the 4 cylinder just like the Altima. Nissan must have a fiscal advantage in dropping the VQ25HR in favor of the MB engine. I don't think we have to worry about the VQ37VHR being replaced or made unavailable.

That's exactly my point. I hope that is what happens. I think a 4 cylinder version of the G may sell well, but only if they keep the 6 cylinder version as an option. It's just that the way the article reads is kind of vague. It makes it sound like they are planning on dropping the 6 cylinder and replacing it with a MB 4 cylinder. If the MB 4 cylinder is just replacing the VQ25HR, then I don't really care (as much). Although I would think it would be cheaper from a production standpoint to keep two variations of the same engine as options instead of making a completely new engine an option. Unless the VQ25HR tooling is just costing too much since the volume is much lower than the VQ37VHR tooling.

[Bubba1]

So they are going to drop an award winning engine in favor of a Mercedes hunk of junk?

...

Why don't they get rid of the bastard child QR in favor of the Mercedes 4?

In all fairness, the article did not say to the extent that the MB 4 cyl would be used in the G. If it is used as a G base motor, which seems more possible, similar to what they do with the Altima, and the VQ remains available, then I'm not sure that's such a bad thing for Nissan given the tougher upcoming CAFE standards.

I'm actually more annoyed with Nissan's continued infatuation with CVT more than sharing a motor with Mercedes. My concern about CVT long term reliability is currently making me think twice about buying a Nissan made sedan for my wife's next car.

[Jesda]

Horrible.

One positive: A Mercedes engine in a G is a bit more desirable than a Mercedes engine in a worthless C-class.

[dickie]

...or a whole mercedes rebadged as a chrysler rite jesda?

[PantherRacer]

Maybe they're bringing back the G20?

[Jesda]

...or a whole mercedes rebadged as a chrysler rite jesda?

Someday you'll be able to get a CLK rebadged as a Daewoo Lanos. "WHY ISNT ANYONE BUYING THESE? ITS ONLY SIXTY GRAND"

[joe603]

hopefully we'll also see an AMG engine choice...a nice V8 in a G would be sweeeet!

[frapjap]

Terrible idea. If this goes through, I hope Infiniti keeps the awesome warranty available because you KNOW that the hunk of junk from MB is going to need attention after one full tank of gas.

[gammer_ghn]

Ladies Ladies relax wear a pants or something!The VQ engine is not only rocked by the G come on now, the fx rocks it the M rocks it maxima rocks it altima rocks it. You think Nissan is dumb enough to kill off an engine thats won so many years in a row???

Wtf are you guys thinking.. Read up on the G lines history man. It was created to get people out of their sentra for a lil more money to get a more complete car which they could love...

A 4cyl G is what ive been wanting, do you guys know how poor of a gas milage it gets? jesus man all my buddies are broke cuz their mommy and daddy bought them a G35-g37 and they always nag oh thats too far bro too much gas, im a little b**** and i dont wanna pay for gas.

Ide like a 4cyl amg compressor G

[Razi]

Yuck.

If you want fuel economy, what are you doing buying a G in the first place? They should keep the V6.

[EZcheese15]

gammer...

Did you read the article at all? This isn't speculation. It said Carlos Ghosn (Nissan's CEO) announced it when they announced the merger of Daimler and Renault the other day. The way the article reads, it makes it sound like they are dropping the VQ in place of a MB 4 cylinder. I can't imagine they would do that, and I hope the person who wrote the article misinterpreted Carlos' intentions because exactly as you said, the VQ is an award-winning engine that comes in almost every model that Nissan sells. Not just the G, FX, M, Maxima, and Altima as you said but also the Frontier, Quest, Murano, and EX.

And just because everyone you know who has a G complains about the fuel economy, that clearly means that you don't know the average G owner. I have a G37, and sure as hell didn't buy it for fuel economy. Fuel economy sucks in it, but I never complain about it. If I wanted good fuel economy, I would have bought a Versa.

The G is a heavy car, and a 4 cylinder lugging around 3800 lbs of metal is not exactly going to be fuel efficient either. Maybe more so than the VQ, but not by a ton.

[Bubba1]

gammer...

Did you read the article at all? This isn't speculation. It said Carlos Ghosn (Nissan's CEO) announced it when they announced the merger of Daimler and Renault the other day. The way the article reads, it makes it sound like they are dropping the VQ in place of a MB 4 cylinder. I can't imagine they would do that, and I hope the person who wrote the article misinterpreted Carlos' intentions because exactly as you said, the VQ is an award-winning engine that comes in almost every model that Nissan sells. .

I disagree with your interpretation, my friend. I think this writer has a pretty good take on the situation. Ghosn did not explicitly say they are replacing the G's VQ altogether with a 4 banger. I believe he said they will use 4 cyl in the G to improve the mileage. That sounds more like the 4cyl would become a base model motor in the G and the VQ becomes a higher priced option, similar to the Altima S vs Altima SE. See below

"Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co., said the G will use a Mercedes inline four-cylinder from Daimler to improve fuel economy and cut emissions. He didn’t say when the engine would reach Infiniti production lines or indicate the extent to which it will replace Japanese-made four-cylinder and V6 engines used in the G sedan and coupe"

I think it's too early to panic until it becomes more clear what Ghosn plans to do.

[assassin7420]

Wow this is just hitting news? I was told about this 4 months ago.

They are trying to bring back the entry affordable Infiniti. I think they are going to be calling it the G25, I was told it was going to have a brand new 2.5L 4 or 6cyl that nissan was currently designing.

The regular G35-G37 V6 platform isn't going anywhere.

[Jesda]

I think it's too early to panic until it becomes more clear what Ghosn plans to do.

He plans to put his lips around more penises. Same as always.

[Bubba1]

He plans to put his lips around more penises. Same as always.

[Dattebayo]

SO this is like Nissans version of the BMW 318, a really heavy car pulled by a tiny little 4-banger.

There is no way they will offer this here.

[HashiriyaS14]

Somehow I don't see this affecting the United States.

Japan and Europe always have tinier more economical engines available than we do, and a 4-cyl Skyline sedan would make perfect sense there.

Here, not so much. They know this, they aren't dumb. I would be ASTONISHED if they got rid of the VQ for a 4-cyl in the US G. Maybe they'd build a 4cyl variant, but I can't imagine the award-winning V6 wouldn't still be available.

[assassin7420]

Somehow I don't see this affecting the United States.

Japan and Europe always have tinier more economical engines available than we do, and a 4-cyl Skyline sedan would make perfect sense there.

Here, not so much. They know this, they aren't dumb. I would be ASTONISHED if they got rid of the VQ for a 4-cyl in the US G. Maybe they'd build a 4cyl variant, but I can't imagine the award-winning V6 wouldn't still be available.

They ARE NOT removing the V6 from the cars. The are simply trying to bring back an affordable Infiniti.

Think of it as the new G20.

[Jesda]

They ARE NOT removing the V6 from the cars. The are simply trying to bring back an affordable Infiniti.

Think of it as the new G20.

GREAT! Get rid of the Nissan name and call everything Infiniti. Everyone gets a luxury car! Even Versa f4gs!

[Chaotic_Warlord]

Hmmm a 4 cylinder RWD 2 door coupe from Nissan MoCo... Sounds like an Infiniti Badged Silvia replacement to me... Just Saying.