They may not be as sexy as the sheetmetal that surround them but engines often represent 30 percent or more of the cost of a new vehicle while defining its market niche
Twenty and counting
2014 marks the 20th year of WardsAuto World magazine's 10 Best Engines list. Not only is this the only award of its kind in the North American auto industry it is, according to WardsAuto, "considered by many to be the ‘Oscars' for automotive engines."
In deference to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences we'll let that comment slide for now.
This year, the list of ten best reflects the breadth of auto industry offerings as well as the strides it has made to meet new emissions and fuel economy requirements. But unlike the past when as many as four previous winners returned to the list, only Honda and Audi return from last year. "We weren't looking to throw the bums out, as they might say about an election. We were just really impressed with a flood of new powertrains," says WardsAuto World Editor-in-Chief Drew Winter. "What was great yesterday might be less impressive tomorrow because engine technology is changing so rapidly."
In order to qualify, each engine must be available in a regular-production U.S.-specification model scheduled to be on-sale no later than the end of the first quarter of 2014. Vehicles the engines are available in must have a base price of no more than $60,000 (up from $55,000 last year).
Here are winners (in alphabetical manufacturer's order):
Audi 3.0-liter TFSI Supercharged DOHC V-6 (Audi S5)
Back for the fifth time with 333 hp and 325 lb.-ft. of torque for the S5, this powerplant is mated to either a six-speed manual or seven-speed S tronic transmission.
BMW 3.0L Turbodiesel DOHC I-6 (BMW 535d)
2014 marks BMW's 30th win over 20 years this time with an inline 6-cylinder engine to its U.S. with a single variable geometry turbocharger and an output of 313 horsepower and 465 lb.-ft. of torque.
Chrysler 3.0L Turbodiesel DOHC V-6 (Ram 1500 EcoDiesel)
Sourced from VM Motori in Italy and mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission, the all-new 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V-6 generates 240 hp at 3,600 rpm and 420 lb.-ft. of torque at 2,000 rpm.
Chrysler 83-kW Electric Motor (Fiat 500e)
This liquid-cooled/heated battery-electric drive system produces 111 horsepower, 147 lb.-ft of torque along with a range of 87 miles on a single charge.
Ford 1.0L EcoBoost DOHC I-3 (Ford Fiesta)
Ford is the first automaker to win a Ward's 10 Best Engines trophy for a diminutive 3-cylinder engine that delivers 123 horsepower and 148 lb.-ft. of torque.
General Motors 2.0L Turbodiesel DOHC I-4 (Chevrolet Cruze Diesel)
The 2.0L turbo-diesel delivers an SAE-certified 151 horsepower and 264 lb-ft of torque (358 Nm).
General Motors 6.2L OHV V-8 (Chevrolet Corvette Stingray)
As the most significant redesign in the Small Block's nearly 60-year history the clean-sheet engine delivers an SAE-certified 460 horsepower and 450 lb.-ft. of torque
Honda 3.5L SOHC V-6 (Honda Accord)
2014 marks the 3.5L engine's fifth trophy since 2005 and even though the newest version still relies on more conventional port fuel injection, it still churns out 278 horsepower and 252 ob.-ft. of torque.
Porsche 2.7L DOHC H-6 boxer (Porsche Cayman)
Oddly enough, it's been 11 years since an engine from Porsche made Ward's list. But the boxer-6 more than makes up for that absence by generating 275 horsepower and 213 lb.-ft. of torque in the Cayman 2-seat coupe.
Volkswagen 1.8L Turbocharged DOHC I-4 (Volkswagen Jetta)
This engine represents VW's ninth appearance on Ward's 10 Best list and it produces 170 horsepower and 184 lb.-ft. of torque mated to either a 5-speed manual or 6-speed automatic with Tiptronic and Sport mode.
WardsAuto will present the awards on January 15th during a ceremony at the North American International Auto Show
