V-12s will rev your engine (if you're loaded)

How many horses are under your hood? 100? 200? 1,000?

However many you have, the odds are that it's more than you need and less than you want.

It may seem counterintuitive, but high-performance vehicles that slurp up gas are increasingly popular at a time when gas prices are at an all-time high.

"That doesn't matter. People want to go fast," says Bob Golfen, auto reviewer for the Arizona Republic.

"Why do people buy cars that can go 90 or 100 miles per hour when the speed limit is 75?" Golfen says. "They just do."

The trend toward power has been going on for some time, Golfen says.

"Performance is becoming more the deal all the time," he says. "Even in regular four-cylinder cars, 140 horsepower is pretty common now. Electronics have a lot to do with that."

He points to Chrysler's Hemi V-8s that hark back to a golden age of power from before the energy crisis of 1973.

Phaeton Click image for larger view

"They're trying to bank on their heritage," he says. "It's old-fashioned engineering really, but horsepower and performance have become big in the market again."

Other V-8s are just as popular, and even V-6s can boast as much as 240 horsepower, he says.

So it's only natural that even higher-powered vehicles, 300 horsepower and up, would appeal to higher-end buyers who can afford them, he says. Gas prices are no obstacle in that heady market.

"There's a general horsepower war," says Joe Wiesenfelder, California-based auto reviewer for Cars.com. "For some reason, the numbers just impress: V-8, V-10, V-12, V-16."

V engines represent one of three possible cylinder configurations. The in-line engine lines up all its cylinders in a single row, the flat engine splits the number of cylinders into two rows on opposite sides of the engine, while the V engines place the cylinders in two rows that angle like a V into the engine.

V engines are associated with greater power, although physics argues that if the different types of engines are built to the same specifications, they should perform similarly. The differences will be in weight and size and how they fit into the engine compartment.

When you're talking about high-cylinder counts, the V engines can allow automakers to pack more power into shorter engine compartments. (In smaller cylinder counts, a transverse-mounted in-line engine saves more space.)

Volkswagen introduced a configuration that it calls "W," and a 450-horsepower W-12 was inserted into its Touareg SUV this year. (The production run is 433. None of them are targeted for the U.S. market, but the per-unit price tag in U.S. dollars is $108,400.) The W-12 is available this year in the United States in the Phaeton, carrying a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $96,100.

Wiesenfelder says the W name is a misnomer, and that it's pretty much a V-12 engine.

Aston Martin V12 Vanquish S Click image for larger view

Higher cylinder counts provide more than just horsepower, he says.

"More cylinders translates to more torque, that's the twisting force," he says. "The instant twisting force you get (from high-cylinder engines) just launches you. It provides engines with instant get up and go."

Although Cadillac floated a V-16 concept car in 2004, most observers say that the V-12 is probably the highest number of cylinders on the market for awhile.

"V-12s are really limited to high-end stuff," Golfen says. The likes of Mercedes, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Jaguar and BMW produce them. "You don't see them filtering down to the lower-priced market."

For instance, Aston Martin introduced V-12 Vanquish in 2002, but only produced 70 of them for the U.S. market, with a $228,000 sticker price. In 2004, Mercedes-Benz introduced a V-12 engine that was more powerful than V-12s of the past in its SL 600 convertible.

Whether they're the exotic brands, such as the Lamborghinis, or the luxury brands, such as the Mercedes, the V-12s are out of reach for most drivers, which also explains why they can be popular when gas prices are high, Wiesenfelder says.

"People who can afford these cars don't care about gas prices," he says.

Interestingly, he says, there are other ways to get power besides higher cylinder count, such as turbo charging and super charging. For instance, Porsche's twin-turbocharged V-8 engine in its Cayenne Turbo matches the 450 horses in VW's so-called W-12.

Bentley Continental GT Click image for larger view

VW owns the Bentley and Audi brands and puts its W-12 in the Bentley Continental GT and Audi A8, Wiesenfelder says. Meanwhile, BMW has a V-12 in its 7601. Expect prices to bottom out above $100,000.

The high end in more-affordable power is likely to be the V-10, he says.

"The V-10 will power midsize cars," Wiesenfelder says. "The Dodge Viper has had a V-10 all along. The Viper will cost you about $80,000."

Did we say affordable?

-- Posted: Feb. 15, 2005