There’s a reason inline four-cylinder engines ... being over 4.0 liters in size. Toyota Camry, RAV4, RAV4 PHEV, Crown HEV, Lexus ES, NX. With a long 103-millimeter stroke, the 2.5L variant ...
The power stroke extracts work from these gases as they expand and force the piston to BDC. In the exhaust stroke, the exhaust valve is open and the combustion products are expelled from the cylinder.
At its worst, a mass-produced four-cylinder engine is unenthusiastic, coarse, and just unpleasant. Joyless, frankly. The four-stroke four-cylinder will never be as smooth as, say, a straight-six ...