They’ve done it again. Nissan’s familiar VQ series engine has been included in the latest ‘10 Best Engines’ list by Ward’s, making it the 14th straight year a VQ series engine has earned that distinction. This also makes it the only engine to be included in the list every year since the award began back in 1995.

The new engine is the VQ37VHR, which is actually used in the Infiniti G37 Coupe. New features of the V6 engine is VVEL (Variable Valve Event and Lift) technology, which sees final output rate in at 330hp (246kW) and 366Nm (270lb-ft) of torque. Although based on a similar design to previous VQ engines, the latest powerplant contains approximately 35% new and unique parts from the Infiniti G35 sedan’s VQ35HR unit.

The VVEL system combines hydraulic-controlled variable valve timing and electronically controlled variable valve lift on the intake side to help improve performance, response and efficiency.

To qualify for the award, engines must be available in a regular-production, U.S.-specification models and be on sale no later than the first quarter of 2008. The catch is that the cars must be priced no more than $54,000 - a price cap indexed to the average cost of a new vehicle.

Source: Nissan wins 14th straight Ward’s 10-Best Engines award

Good news for our friends in the Great White North. For the ‘08 model year, the MINI Cooper Clubman (R55) and MINI Cooper (R56) with standard transmission are eligible for a CA$1,000 rebate from the Canadian government!

As part of the Government of Canada’s plan to protect the environment, the ecoAUTO Rebate Program encourages Canadians to buy or lease fuel-efficient vehicles. It offers rebates from CA$1,000 to CA$2,000 to people who buy or enter a long-term lease (12 months or more) for a new fuel-efficient vehicle.

One of the requirements is for new passenger cars with a combined city-highway fuel consumption of 6.5 litres (L)/100 kilometres (km) or less. This is why the automatic transmission equiped car doesn’t get the deal.

The auto will cost you about CA$100 over the course of the year in extra fuel. Add to that the cost of that option (CA$1390) plus the lost rebate (CA$1,000) and it really will cost you over CA$2,400 the first year alone. That sounds like pretty good incentive to learn to drive a manual transmission.

Thanks to Andrei for sending this in and doing the math!

[ Vehicles Eligible for the ecoAuto Rebate Program ] Transport Canada

[ 2008 Model Year ecoAUTO Eligibility ] Complete List

Written By: DB

Source: Canadians Save $1,000 on an ‘08 MINI

Sam Abuelsamid
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Tesla Motors

On Wednesday December 12, Tesla Motors held a open town hall meeting for all of its customers. The meeting was hosted from San Carlos and made available via conference call to everyone who has put down a deposit. I spoke with Darryl Siry after the meeting, and he said a full transcript will be on the Tesla Motors Club discussion board. Chairman Elon Musk and new CEO Ze'ev Drori provided an update on the status of the company and Roadster.

The weak link in the Roadster remains the transmission. The problem of surviving the process of shifting gears while the motor remains at full torque is a tough one to overcome. Both of the first two suppliers proved to not be up to the task. There are now two other transmission suppliers working feverishly in parallel to develop a robust transmission. In spite of these issues, production unit number one has been built at the Lotus factory in Hethel, England. That's Musk's car and it does not have a finalized transmission. Musk fully expects to have to replace the transmission in a few thousand miles. Continue reading after the jump.

[Source: Tesla Motors Club, Tony Belding]

In fact, in order to get production going, Tesla is considering shipping early cars with transmissions that they expect to fail and a slightly reduced performance calibration. Once the final transmissions are available, these early vehicles would be retrofitted with new gearboxes and software. Speaking of software that is still being tweaked, the previous test that yielded a 245 mile range was erroneous. Latest testing now puts the range in the 220-230 mile region.

In response to a customer query about increasing top speed, the response was that higher speed stability would require more downforce. The problem is that downforce is a trade off with drag, and that would cut the range too much.

From a business perspective, the plan remains the same, with management intent on staying independent. While another funding round is in progress, Elon Musk remains committed to the venture. Even if every other investor decides to pull out their money, Musk said he would personally back the company. Until things settle out with the Roadster, plans for future cars like the WhiteStar will not be finalized. Any future products will be electrically driven but may contain a range extender in addition to a battery. Check out all of Tony's notes and the responses at the discussion board.

Source: Tesla: Roadster production unit #1 completed; future models may use range extender