There has been much debate on many forum's about the output of GM's new Supercharged 2.0L Ecotec. Is it enough power for a 2.0L? Well since I was bored at work today, I went through my Car and Driver 2005 Buyers Guide and calculated the Horsepower per Litre numbers for every supercharged and turbo charged car. here is the results ranked in order.

1. Mercedes Maclearn SLR. 5.4L 617HP = 114.26HP/L
2. Mercedes C230 1.8L 189HP = 105.00HP/L (tie)
2. Mini Cooper S 1.6L 168HP = 105.00HP/L (tie)
4. Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 3.2L 330HP = 103.16HP/L
5. Chevrolet Cobalt SS Supercharged
/ Saturn ION Red line 2.0L 205HP = 102.50HP/L
6. Ford GT 5.4L 550HP = 101.85HP/L
7. Mosler MT900 5.7L 560HP = 98.25HP/L
8. Jaguar XKR/XJR/S type-R 4.2L 390HP = 92.86HP/L
9. Mercedes CL55/S55/SL55 5.4L 493HP = 91.30HP/L (tie)
9. Panoz Esperante 4.6L 420HP = 91.30HP/L (tie)
11. Mercedes E55 5.4L 469HP = 86.85HP/L
12. Pontiac Grand Prix GTP 3.8L 260HP = 68.42HP/L
13. Buick Park Avenue/Chevrolet Impala SS/
Monte Carlo SS S/C 3.8L 240HP = 63.16HP/L :huh?:

So the Cobalt has the 5th most HP/L out of all North American Supercharged Production cars. And if you notice 3 of the cars that beat it were Mercedes, whose AMG arm Supercharge everything under the sun. And the cars it makes more power then are a pretty good group too.

Now Turbocharging a car can make power easier and usually results in higher numbers of HP/L. I have made a list of ALL THE SUPERCHARGED AND TURBOCHARGED cars sold in North America rank best to worst. Again the Cobalt fares pretty well.

1. Mitsubishi EVO VIII 2.0L 276HP = 138.00HP/L Turbo
2. Porsche 911 Turbo 3.6L 457HP = 126.94HP/L Turbo
3. Audi TT Quattro 1.8L 225HP = 125.00HP/L Turbo
4. Subaru WRX STi 2.5L 300HP = 120.00HP/L Turbo (tie)
4. Volvo S60R/V70R 2.5L 300HP = 120.00HP/L Turbo (tie)
6. Mercedes Maclearn SLR. 5.4L 617HP = 114.26HP/L Super
7. Subaru WRX 2.0L 227HP = 113.50HP/L Turbo
8. Saab 9-5 Aero 2.3L 250HP = 108.70HP/L Turbo
9. Vovlo S60/ V70 2.4L 257HP = 107.08HP/L Turbo
10. Mercedes C230 1.8L 189HP = 105.00HP/L Super (tie)
10. Mini Cooper S 1.6L 168HP = 105.00HP/L Super (tie)
10. Saab 9-3 Aero 2.0L 210HP = 105.00HP/L Turbo (tie)
13. Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 3.2L 330HP = 103.16HP/L Super
14. Chevrolet Cobalt SS Supercharged
/ Saturn ION Red line 2.0L 205HP[/B ] = 102.50HP/L Super
15. Ford GT 5.4L 550HP = 101.85HP/L Super
16. Mercedes CL65/SL65 6.0L 604HP = 100.67HP/L Turbo
17. Subaru Legacy GT 2.5L 250HP = 100.00HP/L Turbo (tie)
17. Volkswagen/Audi Jetta/ Golf GTi/TT 1.8L 180HP = 100.00HP/L Turbo (tie)
18. Mazda Mazdaspeed Miata 1.8L 178HP = 98.89HP/L Turbo
19. Maybach 57/62 5.5L 543HP = 98.73HP/L Turbo
20. Mosler MT900 5.7L 560HP = 98.25HP/L Super
21. Dodge SRT-4 2.4L 230HP = 95.83HP/L Turbo
22. Saab 9-5 Arc 2.3L 220HP = 95.65HP/L Turbo
23. Audi/Volkswagen A4/Passat 1.8L 170HP = 94.44HP/L Turbo
24. Jaguar XKR/XJR/S type-R 4.2L 390HP = 92.86HP/L Super
25. Audi All Road 2.7L 250HP = 92.54HP/L Turbo
26. Volvo S80 2.5L 208HP = 92.41HP/L Turbo
27. Bentley Continnental GT 6.0L 551HP = 91.83HP/L Turbo
28. Chrysler PT Cruiser GT 2.4L 220HP = 91.67HP/L Turbo
29. Mercedes CL55/S55/SL55 5.4L 493HP = 91.30HP/L Super (tie)
29. Panoz Esperante 4.6L 420HP = 91.30HP/L Super (tie)
31. Mercedes CL600/SL600/S600 5.5L 493HP = 89.64HP/L Turbo
32. Mercedes E55 5.4L 469HP = 86.85HP/L Super
33. Saab 9-3 2.0L 170HP = 85.00HP/L Turbo
34. Vovlo V70/S80/S60 2.5L 208HP = 83.20HP/L Turbo
35. Volkswagen Turbo Beetle 1.8L 150HP = 83.00HP/L Turbo
36. Volvo S40/V50 2.5L 218HP = 80.74HP/L Turbo
37. PT Cruiser Touring 2.4L 180HP = 75.00HP/L Turbo
38. Pontiac Grand Prix GTP 3.8L 260HP = 68.42HP/L Super
39. Bentley Arnage 6.8L 450HP = 66.18HP/L Turbo
40. Buick Park Avenue/Chevrolet Impala SS/
Monte Carlo SS S/C 3.8L 240HP = 63.16HP/L Super

 

The numbers don't lie. Glad to see the SS S/C on top of the SRT-4.

Very interesting way to compare all the different forced induction vehicles out there.

 

Thats pretty sweet! Hah my N/A car makes only 40HP/L

With just intake and exaust on a 2.2L cobalt I could be at 77.27HP/L (65.9hp/L stock)

 

Nice numbers! It's something you don't often think of, but interesting to compare. I am happy with the stock numbers this car puts out, but the real kicker will be the driving experience and of course the ability to develop more power through staged upgrades and aftermarket mods.

 

LOL, my dad's 1995 Safari makes an amazing 44HP/L with a 190HP 4.3L

And a 1975 Camaro with a 5.7L V8......you don't wanna know

 

so your saying w/ intake and exhaust you gain 24hp? all i have to say is no. look forward to 5-10hp 10hp being with a header.

 

none the less nice to see the cobalt ranked 5th in supercharged vehicles in overall hp/l

 

My alero ecotec lost over .5 seconds in the quarter mile after a CAI, and catback exhaust. Not sure what the HP gains, but it has been estimated around 15HP. The ecotec really free's up with mod's.

 

Cool....now lets show a linear graph that plots HP/L vs. weight! That would be sweet

 

Wow, good to see the Cobalt so high on the list! I hope its going to be a respected car

 

The Ford GT actually dynoed at 565rwhp, which is closer to 650 hp, which is about 128 hp/litre. Ford greatly underrated this car, and the 03 cobra.

I've heard that this cobalt engine is also under rated. If it really makes 220 hp, which isn't much underrated, that would be 110hp/litre, which is pretty awesome.

I think the real world numbers will be even better than you show here.

 

Well this is going off of published numbers not dyno numbers

Dont forget the new STSV, 100HP/L even.

 

How do you think will reflect in the results of the comparison? Are you saying that the reported HP isn't a accurate figure?

 

No I just think that there is alot of hype in FI cars to say they are underrated when they are actually not.

Alot of people like to use generous drivetrain loss numbers, 12-15% is about right for a modern day car.

 

i calculated using 15% drivetrain loss. In real world tests the 03 cobra has been testing close to 18% drivetrain loss. I dynoed 385rwhp stock, and i've seen many more dyno stock in the 380-390rwhp range.

Yrs, reported numbers are not always the actual figure. A lot of performance cars have been under rated lately, because the company doesn't want cars not making as much hp as advertised, which happend to ford with the 1999 cobra. GM greatly underestimated the LS1 for example.

Your right about that new STS-V. That car is gonna rock. If only I had the money.

 

HP per liter is BS..

There are so many factors to compare..


Just because it makes more power per liter means nothing..

Its like when ricers say, my 2.0 liter engine makes more HP then a V8. But what they forget to tell you is that their engine has to rev twice as high to get that power..

 

The amount of HP/L being higher is not necessarily better. The higher the number, the less potential the motor has left, generally speaking. If you have more displacement you can generate higher numbers with less stress on the motor. With forced induction and higher RPMs you can make power, but in general these things cause more engine stress. The design of components is the limiting factor to the HP/L number. But it is nice to see that GM is using the potential that this 2.0 has. I've had my Cobalt for about two months, and i have no problems at all. I'm seeing 13 psi most of the time. Works for me!

 

k so some one needs to do that 1300 hp build gm has for the 2.2= 590.9 hp/l

 

Since most SS S/C dyno between 205 and 225, let's say average 215hp. 215hp / 2.0L = 107.5hp/L putting us in 2nd place behind the SLR. Sweet!

1. Mercedes Maclearn SLR. 5.4L 617HP = 114.26HP/L
2. Chevrolet Cobalt SS Supercharged
/ Saturn ION Red line 2.0L 215HP = 107.50HP/L
4. Mercedes C230 1.8L 189HP = 105.00HP/L (tie)
4. Mini Cooper S 1.6L 168HP = 105.00HP/L (tie)
5. Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 3.2L 330HP = 103.16HP/L
6. Ford GT 5.4L 550HP = 101.85HP/L
7. Mosler MT900 5.7L 560HP = 98.25HP/L
8. Jaguar XKR/XJR/S type-R 4.2L 390HP = 92.86HP/L
9. Mercedes CL55/S55/SL55 5.4L 493HP = 91.30HP/L (tie)
9. Panoz Esperante 4.6L 420HP = 91.30HP/L (tie)
11. Mercedes E55 5.4L 469HP = 86.85HP/L
12. Pontiac Grand Prix GTP 3.8L 260HP = 68.42HP/L
13. Buick Park Avenue/Chevrolet Impala SS/
Monte Carlo SS S/C 3.8L 240HP = 63.16HP/L :huh?:

 

The RSX Type-S beats bolth the cobalt and the srt-4 with 105 hp/l

 

yes, but he was comparing FI cars

 

With a drivetrain loss of 14 to 16 %, the Cobalt SS engine is good for 230 BHP based on the dyno runs previously saw.

And that's enough to put the SS on top of the first list, and fifth in the second list.

About the RSX-S, it produces roughly 30 WHP lower than the Cobalt SS / SC (when both are totally stock) on the dynos.

Even the fifth ranked WRX 2.0 L is dynoing roughly at 168 WHP, the SS has been dynoed several times at 200 + WHP.

About the STI, when being dynoed stock at 250 WHP stock, it gives 100 WHP per liter ...

Congratulations to the SS !

 

i don't know about the whole "the higher the number, the less the motor has in it" thing. the evo can put out a lot more than what it's rated at and i haven't heard of reliability issues or anything yet. AMS evo is 800 awhp that equates to 400hp/ltr. it's still streetable too. hell, if i know what john shepards talon had i'd could give you those numbers. but last time he dynoes at 900+hp and he was only running 9's. now he's in the 7's.

 

Pretty cool. But how many of those cars would the Cobalt SS actually beat in a race? lol

 

So my SRT-4 dynoed 234WHP stock, which with 15% drivetrain loss is 275 flywheel HP. This is 114.58 hp / l. Do I get a prize for beating the McLaren? How about torque per litre? You guys comparing AWD dynos also haven't got a clue.

HP/Litre racing means nothing. Dyno racing means nothing.

Side note : I saw a McLaren SLR parked in downtown Calgary yesterday... Nov 26!