“Is the volume swept by the piston(s) in a single movement. In the very familiar four-stroke piston engine (but also in the two stroke engine) this is the volume that is swept as the piston(s) move from top dead center to bottom dead center.”
In simple terms, displacement is the amount of gas or fuel that your engine can burn thus the maximum power output it can produce. There is a direct relationship between engine displacement and horsepower. Simply put, the bigger the engine displacement the bigger or higher the horsepower. Nowadays, engine displacement is generally used in the manufacturer’s nomenclature. For example, the 2009 Mercedes CLK550 Coupe. It has a 5.5 liter DOHC 32 valve V8 engine that produces 328 horsepower and can accelerate from 0-60 in 5.1 seconds. Next is the 2009 Mercedes CLK350 Coupe. The 350 has a 3.5 liter V6 engine that pumps out 268 hp. 0-60 in 6.4 seconds. As seen above, the 550 has an engine displacement of 5.5li and the 350, 3.5li . Based on acceleration alone the CLK 550 wins hands down. Though there are other factors that determine the cars performance/top speed such as curb weight, torque and such, engine displacement is one of the more visible indicators. This extra “oomph” does come at a price though in terms of fuel economy. The CLK 550 is at 15/22 mpg while the CLK 350 has a 17/25mpg rating.

Continued: I’m not much of a car enthusiast. I just want a vehicle for myself that looks nice, comfortable, performs well, safe and easy to maintain? I’m looking at Mercedes brand though.
Next we have the Coupes. Mercedes has 3 classes of coupes: the CLK, CLS and CL. In each class there are several body styles and each with its own makeup. The CLK series comes in either as a Coupe or Cabriolet. Fyi, Mercedes is one of the manufacturers that use engine displacement in the nomenclature.
• 350 series – 3.5L 268 hp V6 engine
• 550 series – 5.5L V8, 32 valve engine
• 7-speed driver-adaptive electronically controlled automatic transmission
It’s a rear wheel drive, 2 door 4 passenger car that’s classified as a subcompact by the EPA. Simply looking at both the 350 and 550, one can say that the 550 has a manly or sporty look to it whereas the 350 has an almost refined, cultured maybe even dainty look to it.
Looking in your eyes take in the active ventilated leather seats, the Harman Kardon seven-channel digital surround-sound stereo, the steering wheel mounted controls and the COMAND System with Hard Drive Navigation among other things. Tucked away are the Four side-impact airbags. The Coupes come with full-length side curtain airbags while the Cabriolets have front seat side impact airbags that provide head and thorax protection.