The liter is a measure of volume. When we apply volume measurement to engines, we are usually talking about the displacement in the cylinders of the engine. More displacement, though it consumes more fuel, increases power and performance (generally). We used to measure American cars engines' displacements in cubic inches, but we've shifted to metric units. Hence the liter. As an example, a Ford Mustang with 5.0 liters of displacement has an engine with just a shade over 305 cubic inches of displacement. There are other things about engines (and cars) measured in volume. Oil capacity, coolant capacity and petrol capacity are among the vital statistics.
Chat with our AI personalities
Engine size represents a measure of the volume of the combustion portion of all the pistons.
American cars used to measure engine size in Cubic Inch; thus 350 Cu-In.
European cars use the metric system, which has been adopted by most US manufacturers.
1 liter equals 61.037441 cubic inches in an engine. So a 3 liter engine is a 183 cubic inch engine as you always round off cubic inches.