What is the difference between transverse and longitudinal engines? Why do most luxury cars have a l

Generally speaking, the front engine will be arranged in two ways, transverse and longitudinal. Most of the models on the market are horizontally laid out, such as Volkswagen, Toyota, Honda, Ford and domestic brands. Most luxury cars such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi have longitudinal engines. Seeing this, some people may have questions:

Why do luxury cars use longitudinal engines? Isn't it so much better than tapping? The old driver said:

Both horizontal and vertical make sense.

To put it simply, a transverse engine is placed parallel to the front axle of the vehicle, while a longitudinal engine is placed perpendicular to the front axle of the vehicle. That is, if you stand in the front of the car, if the engine is placed horizontally in front of you, it is a transverse engine, and if it is placed vertically, it is a longitudinal engine.

And when it comes to the difference between transverse engine and longitudinal engine, we can analyze it from the perspective of mechanics:

The engine transmits power to the transmission through the crankshaft after doing work, and the transmission loss of force is proportional to its transmission distance and the number of times the direction of the force changes. The power output direction of the engine is related to the direction of the engine, that is to say, the transverse engine is transverse work, and the longitudinal engine is longitudinal work.

Then for the front-wheel drive car, the use of the transverse engine can get a good power output, because the crankshaft of the transverse engine, the input and output shaft of the transmission and the front axle are parallel, so that the direction is consistent, the power transmission distance is short, and the transmission efficiency is higher. It's just that the transverse engine will make the weight of the whole vehicle concentrated in the front of the car, which will affect the handling to a certain extent, and it is easy to cause pushes in intense driving, but it will do well in the departmental models, such as the Golf and Passat, although they are transverse engines, but their axle load distribution has reached the level of 58% in the front and 42% in the rear.

For rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive models, the longitudinal engine is quite important, because the power needs to be transmitted to the rear axle, but the transmission distance from the front engine to the rear axle cannot be shortened, so we can only improve the transmission efficiency by reducing the direction change of power. Because the longitudinal engine can make the crankshaft parallel to the transmission shaft, this reduces the change of transmission direction and reduces the loss of energy. However, compared with the transverse engine, the longitudinal engine will occupy more longitudinal space of the body, which will affect the passenger space in the car.

This is also why the general front-wheel drive family car will use the transverse engine, and for many luxury cars that use rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, the longitudinal engine will be used, mainly without changing the engine output steering can be directly output to the rear axle, to achieve the effect of fuel economy and power. In addition, the large displacement engine will also be longitudinally positioned, if it is transverse, the engine size will occupy the entire cabin, and the gearbox will have nowhere to place.

Overall, the way the engine is laid out can also be seen as a watershed between a regular brand and a luxury brand, but there are exceptions, after all, the Volvo S80, the flagship model of the family, has always insisted on using a transverse engine.

Longitudinal engine placement rear-wheel drive Sport luxury car longitudinal engine Longitudinal gearbox to solve the weight of the body Transverse engine shortens longitudinal space Transverse engine is easy to push the head Advantages and disadvantages of longitudinal and transverse engines.

Use different spaces:Transverse engines need to occupy very little space in the passenger compartment, and the interior space of cars with transverse engines is generally larger. In addition, the transverse engine has high transmission efficiency and lower cost, so it is suitable for use in some family cars or urban SUVs.

Longitudinal engines need to take up more space in the car.

Longitudinal four-wheel drive is the perfect choice, but the cost, and fuel consumption are the highest. The longitudinal front-wheel drive or longitudinal rear-wheel drive at the center level is a high-end and sporty choice, and this part of the model is mainly in the mid-range. Transverse front-wheel drive is the most demanding, cost-effective choice for people-friendly family cars.

Features of transverse engines.

The crankshaft of the transverse engine, the input and output shafts of the transmission and the axle are all parallel, so if it is a front-wheel drive car, the most suitable is the front transverse engine, the power transmission distance is short, the direction is consistent, so the transmission efficiency is very high, which is the first reason why most cars use transverse engines. In rear-wheel drive vehicles, because the power is transmitted to the rear axle, the direction change of power should be reduced as much as possible when the transmission distance cannot be shortened.

If transverse positioning is adopted, because the direction of the crankshaft and the transmission shaft is perpendicular, it is necessary to change the direction once to transmit power through the transmission shaft, but the direction of the transmission shaft and the direction of the rear axle are also perpendicular, so the direction of rotation needs to be converted again on the rear axle, which undoubtedly reduces the efficiency of the transmission system.

Engine longitudinal means that the engine is perpendicular to the front axle of the car, and engine transverse means that the engine is parallel to the front axle of the car. To put it simply, you stand in front of the front of the car facing the engine, and if the engine is placed horizontally in front of you, it is a transverse engine; Vertically placed in front of your eyes, it is the longitudinal engine, the position and arrangement of the engine determine the performance of the vehicle Since the front start.

Placed in different ways.

The engine is longitudinally and horizontally, but the engine is placed differently, and the drive is also different. Generally, cars with longitudinal engines are rear-wheel drive, and cars with transverse engines are front-wheel-drive.

The engine is longitudinally and horizontally, but the engine is placed differently, and the drive is also different. Generally, cars with longitudinal engines are rear-wheel drive, and cars with transverse engines are front-wheel-drive. Generally, the interior space of longitudinal engine cars is not as large as that of transverse engine cars.

The engine of a common family sedan or SUV model is transverse, and the engine of a high-end luxury sedan or sports sedan is generally longitudinal. Family cars pursue low cost and large interior space, not sportiness and handling, so general family cars will use transverse engines.

1. Transverse: short transmission distance, high transmission efficiency, layout suitable for front drive, longitudinal layout and rear drive combination, can achieve one-way conversion, good power transmission;

2. Longitudinal positioning: the front and rear axle counterweights can be optimized, and the balance of the chassis shaker bench under the limit can be improved, but the transverse position occupies a small area and can be replaced with a spacious driving space;

3. From the perspective of performance, there are no absolute advantages and disadvantages between horizontal and longitudinal positioning, and each model adopts a more reasonable layout according to its own characteristics.

The difference between longitudinal engine and transverse engine is:

The engine of the car is normally placed in the front engine compartment. If the engine crankshaft axis is arranged in the same direction as the wheel half axis, it is a transverse arrangement; If the axis of the engine crankshaft is crossed with the axis of the wheel half-axis, it is longitudinal.

Transverse engine: When a car uses a front-engine front-wheel drive, the engine is generally arranged horizontally. Because in this way, the gearbox and reducer can be arranged in the engine compartment, which makes great use of the interior space.

At the same time, the transversely arranged engine has more direct power transmission, which reduces a lot of unnecessary transmission parts, and the transmission loss is also smaller, and at the same time, it can also reduce the manufacturing cost. (Transverse engines have the inherent advantages of front-wheel drive).

Longitudinal engine: When the car uses a front-engined rear-wheel drive, the engine is generally arranged longitudinally. Because front-rear wheel drive needs to transmit engine power from the engine compartment to the rear wheels, the longitudinal arrangement of the engine can greatly simplify the power transmission mechanism (when the longitudinal arrangement of the engine, that is, the flywheel end, is directly towards the rear wheels of the vehicle, it is more suitable for front-wheel drive).

In the cabin of the longitudinal engine, the left and right space is abundant, and the vehicle can use better front suspension; At the same time, the front-rear wheel drive is arranged longitudinally, and the front and rear mass of the body is more balanced.

Compared with the longitudinal engine model and the transverse engine model, the installation of the engine is slippery in different ways, and the drive form is also different. The engine of the car is normally placed in the front engine compartment. If the engine crankshaft axis is arranged in the same direction as the wheel half axis, it is a transverse arrangement; If the axis of the engine crankshaft and the axis of the wheel half shaft are arranged in a cross arrangement, it is longitudinal.

The vast majority of Hengyan shed-mounted engine models are front-wheel drive, and the vast majority of longitudinal engine models are rear-wheel drive. Transverse engine car engines are installed horizontally in the engine compartment, while longitudinal engine car engines are placed vertically in the engine compartment. Rear-wheel drive cars with longitudinal engines are generally sports cars or luxury cars.

As a result, longitudinal rear-wheel drive cars cost more. The transmission of a car with a transverse engine is also transverse, and most of the weight of this type of car is concentrated in the front of the car, so the handling and driving pleasure of this type of car is not as high as that of a car with a vertical engine. However, the empty compartment of the transverse engine is relatively large, and the transverse engine will not occupy the empty compartment.

The gearbox of the longitudinal engine model is also vertically mounted, so that the engine and gearbox take up a portion of the empty space. Therefore, the general family car will not adopt the vertical rear-wheel drive layout, because this is not conducive to expanding the space of the car. The empty compartment of the luxury car is large.

Even if the powertrain takes up part of the empty compartment, the empty compartment inside the car is still large. Longitudinal engine models have a more balanced front and rear weight ratio, which can improve the car's handling and driving pleasure.

Millions of car purchase subsidies.

The difference between longitudinal engine and transverse engine: different placement directions, different driving modes, different power output directions, different space occupations, and different driving feelings.

1. The placement direction is different

In a longitudinal engine, the engine is perpendicular to the front axle of the car, and the vehicle transmission is placed longitudinally behind the engine. The transverse engine is parallel to the front axle of the car, and the vehicle transmission and the engine are placed side-by-side.

2. The driving mode is different

The longitudinal engine is generally front-mounted rear-wheel drive, and the transverse engine is generally front-wheel drive.

3. The direction of power output is different

The power output direction of the longitudinal engine is parallel to the direction of travel of the car, and the power output direction of the transverse engine is perpendicular to the direction of the car.

4. The space occupation is different

The longitudinal engine occupies a large cab space, while the transverse engine occupies less space.

5. The driving experience is different

The longitudinal engine layout space is relatively flexible, the body balance is good, and the driving experience is good, while the transverse engine is affected by the layout and the driving experience is not good.

Cars are already an indispensable tool for our daily travel, but in the process of use, some problems are unavoidable, such as: the difference between the horizontal and vertical position of the engine. If you are also interested, let's take a look at Bian Xiao's introduction, Mengyuan hopes to give you some help.

The vertical and horizontal positions of the engine are just different in the way the engine is placed and driven. Most cars with vertical engines are basically rear-wheel drive, and cars with horizontal engines are basically front-wheel drive. Most longitudinally mounted vehicles do not have as much interior space as transverse engined vehicles.

The engines of family cars or SUVs that we often encounter are basically horizontal, while the engines of high-end luxury cars or sports cars are mostly vertical.

Family cars are looking for low cost and large interior space rather than sportiness and handling, so most family cars will use horizontal engines.

The interior of a luxury sedan is inherently large, so it doesn't care about the space taken up by the engine and gearbox. Therefore, most luxury sedans are basically designed with vertical engines.

Some sports cars will also be designed with longitudinal engines, as these cars will have rear-wheel drive.

In the eyes of many car fans, rear-wheel drive represents driving pleasure and the most reasonable way to drive.

The front wheels of a rear-wheel drive car are only responsible for steering, and the rear wheels are responsible for driving the car forward.

In the case of a front-wheel drive car, the front wheels must be responsible for driving and steering. I feel that this driving mode will reduce the driving pleasure of the car.

There are also four-wheel drive vehicles with horizontal engines and four-wheel drive vehicles with vertical engines, but these two four-wheel drive structures are different.