More muscle from Hyundai

A brief tour of Hyundai's engine facility in Korea this week has given Australian journalists confirmation that one of Ward's best engines for 2009, the 4.6-litre 'Tau' V8, is set to receive a significant power boost early next year when Hyundai ups the output from 287 to 320kW.

The naturally-aspirated bent eight is currently found beneath the bonnet of the Korean manufacturer's flagship Equus sedan (pictured), a model that is unlikely to land in Australia until the next generation is released in "three or four years time", Hyundai says.

But with sporty cars firmly in the brand's sights, the new 5.0-litre V8 could also be shoehorned into Genesis sedan from early next year.

The increase in output comes courtesy of bolstered capacity (from 4627 to 5038cc) and the addition of direct injection. Torque figures have not yet been released, but with the current model developing 451Nm, our estimates place the new normally-aspirated mill's twisting power somewhere in the vicinity of 510Nm.

To put the Tau 5.0-litre performance figures in to Australian perspective, Holden's 6.0-litre V8 produces 270kW/530Nm and Ford's new supercharged Coyote V8 335kW/570Nm.

Tau GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection), as it will be known, will be mated to an in-house developed eight-speed automatic transmission, effectively replacing the current six-speed Sachs-sourced ZF unit.

The lightweight all-aluminium eight tips the scales at just 216.9kg and features double overhead cams with dual continuous variable valve timing and a variable induction system that rises high above the valley, a good 100mm higher than the cylinder heads (perhaps an XR8-style bonnet bulge will be in order). Hyundai says the high precision bent-eight requires 98RON or better unleaded fuel to make the claimed power figures, but will run with reduced performance on lesser fuels.

Though not displayed, Hyundai is also reported to have a 5.5-litre version of the Tau in its arsenal.

Likely to go on sale in the North American and South Korean markets from quarter two next year, Tau's fuel economy and CO2 emissions figures have not yet been confirmed, though Hyundai says it aims to match those achieved by the smaller capacity 4.6-litre unit. More details will be announced closer to launch.

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