Cylinder deactivation is pretty easy to understand in, say, a V8 or V12, where not all the pistons need to be firing all the time. But cylinder deactivation on a four-cylinder engine? That’s something ...

Automotive engine makers have their fads: V-8s, boxers, and inline-six engines have all caught the public's eye at one time or another. For a while in the 2010s, in particular, it seemed like car ...