Which really gets back to my original point. Even if they develop a 4 cylinder engine with 220 hp that gets 27/36, they would certainly then have the capability to produce a 160 hp 4 cylinder that could achieve 30/40. In the interrest of economy and emissions, they would still make the 160 hp engine their mass commodity.

 

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.

 

The Accord still uses the J30 (3.0 liter)

 

Toyota is FINALLY getting serious about its horsepowewr in its cars so it wouldn't surprize me to see the next XRS have over 200 HP, hello Honda are you listening

 

im 2002 i drove the corolla hatchback in europe and it was cool. it came with the 2zz from the celica but hard 195 hp with a top speed of 225km/h or 141mph yep. i finally realized why the euros were not so much into the celica, upon returning to the state i got raid of my gts. why don't toyota give us the same cars like the euros?.for 06 we get the yaris. the over priced avalon,the new camry or knockoff lexus,well i now drive a corolla and im happy.

 

The more things change, the more things stay the same.
4-cylinder drivers are looking for economy, but they do want to merge on the freeway safely.

How's your Prelude holding up, anyway? You drive around even more than I do!
[NE Ohio is conducive to a lot of driving, even though the police and traffic aren't as lenient as SE Michigan.]

 

What's ironic is a year or two ago, Toyota said they won't jump into the horsepower war.

 

that's because toyota is full of crap. then people start saying things like this:
hello what? the si already has 197hp. why do people always say useless things like "wake up honda" "it's over for honda"?
did the xrs even sell that well? i think not. i have never even seen one on the road. all toyota is doing now is following nissan by putting their 3.5 v6 into everything they can.

 

Toyota will stab you in the back when you're not looking. Tread carefully!

... the V6 Camry will owned the market if Honda and Nissan don't play ball.

 

Well, the current Accord is a vastly superior car when compared to past gen Camry, yet the Camry still outsold the Accord, even without counting fleet sales.

With the redesigned Camry quite frankly being a better can than the current Accord, I do think that Honda better wake up and do something soon. Before Honda used to have its technology edge, but now Toyota is ahead with VVTI and direct injection.

And right now with Hyindai getting on par with the game, Honda can and will find itself in trouble if they dont get creative.