Where is the engine located?
3 Answers
Engine is located at the front of the vehicle. This is the most common engine placement method. In front-engine front-wheel drive configurations, the engine can be mounted either transversely or longitudinally, and can be positioned outside the wheelbase, within the wheelbase, or above the front axle. Mid-engine: Mid-engine refers to the placement of the engine behind the front axle but in front of the driver's seat. This layout aims to achieve better weight distribution, but it requires lengthening the vehicle body due to space constraints. Rear-engine: Rear-engine placement is typically used for high-power rear-wheel-drive models, with typical examples including urban buses, highway coaches, and high-performance sports cars commonly seen in cities.
As someone who drives frequently, let me explain the engine placement. In most regular family sedans and SUVs, the engine is located in the front section of the car, which you can see by opening the hood. The specific steps are: find the hood release lever under the left side of the driver's seat, pull it, then walk to the front of the car, reach into the hood gap to flip the safety latch and open it. This area is commonly used for car washing or adding windshield washer fluid. However, some performance sports cars place the engine at the rear or behind the seats for better weight balance, like the Porsche 911 with its rear-engine design. Actually, you can roughly tell from the outside - cars with large metal cover panels at the front typically have front-mounted engines. When opening the hood, be cautious of the high-temperature coolant pipes and rotating fan blades - safety first.
I'm used to maintaining my car by myself and found that the engine placement is actually quite particular. The mainstream design still places it at the front under the hood, which is for easier maintenance and better heat dissipation. To open the engine compartment, you generally need to operate the interior release lever and the hood latch in two steps. Nowadays, hybrid models of new energy vehicles are quite special, with the electric motor and fuel engine placed side by side in the engine compartment. For front-mid-engine models like the BMW Z4, although the engine is also in the front compartment, its position is closer to the cabin direction. The underbody protection plate can also give clues—the plate under the engine is often larger and thicker. Regularly cleaning fallen leaves from the engine compartment is important; I once had a circuit moisture issue because leaves blocked the drainage hole.
