Originally Posted by Ochdx
Its amazing how the V6 version of Accord and Camry have 240/268hp respectively, but the 4 cylinder versions of these cars have stayed at 160hp for over a decade.
You have to remember that on both the Accord and Camry, the size of the V-6 engine has gone from 3.0 to 3.5 liters over the years. That's why the current 3.5-liter Honda V-6 is rated at 240 bhp and current 3.5-liter Toyota V-6 is rated at 258 bhp. If they had stayed with 3.0-liter V-6's my guess is that even with modern valvetrains the horsepower will still be in the 210-215 bhp range.
Mind you, on the Accord the I-4 engine has gained quite a lot of horsepower of the years. On the first-generation model, the Accord used a carbureted I-4 of 2.0 liters rated at 90 bhp; the current Accord uses a fuel-injected variable-valve timing 2.4 liter I-4 rated at 166 bhp.