Ward's Auto declares Ten Best Engines of 2009
Ward's Auto has released its annual list of Ten Best Engines for the new year, and our first assessment is that it's just as interesting for what isn't present as for what is. First of all, let's get the official list out of the way:- Audi AG: 2.0L TFSI turbocharged DOHC I-4 (A4 Avant)
- BMW AG: 3.0L turbocharged DOHC I-6 (135i Coupe)
- BMW AG: 3.0L DOHC I-6 Turbodiesel (335d)
- Chrysler LLC: 5.7L Hemi OHV V-8 (Dodge Ram/Challenger R/T)
- Ford Motor Co.: 2.5L DOHC I-4 HEV (Escape Hybrid)
- General Motors Corp.: 3.6L DOHC V-6 (Cadillac CTS)
- Honda Motor Co. Ltd.: 3.5L SOHC V-6 (Accord Coupe)
- Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd.: 4.6L DOHC V-8 (Genesis)
- Toyota Motor Corp.: 3.5L DOHC V-6 (Lexus IS 350)
- Volkswagen AG: 2.0L SOHC I-4 Turbodiesel (Jetta TDI)
[Source: Ward's Auto]
PRESS RELEASE:
Ward's Announces 2009 10 Best Engines Winners
SOUTHFIELD, MI – Amid plummeting vehicle sales, thousands of job losses, an economy officially in recession and pleas for federal assistance, a handful of auto makers have cause to celebrate.
Ward's Automotive Group announces its 2009 10 Best Engines list, which reflects the diversity of powertrains that will play a role in reshaping America's automotive landscape.
Selected by Ward's editors, the 2009 list marks the 15th year for the Ward's 10 Best Engines program, the North American auto industry's only awards honoring powertrain excellence and considered by many to be the "Oscars" for automotive engines.
The winners for 2008 (engine and tested vehicle):
* Audi AG: 2.0L TFSI turbocharged DOHC I-4 (A4 Avant)
* BMW AG: 3.0L turbocharged DOHC I-6 (135i Coupe)
* BMW AG: 3.0L DOHC I-6 Turbodiesel (335d)
* Chrysler LLC: 5.7L Hemi OHV V-8 (Dodge Ram/Challenger R/T)
* Ford Motor Co.: 2.5L DOHC I-4 HEV (Escape Hybrid)
* General Motors Corp.: 3.6L DOHC V-6 (Cadillac CTS)
* Honda Motor Co. Ltd.: 3.5L SOHC V-6 (Accord Coupe)
* Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd.: 4.6L DOHC V-8 (Genesis)
* Toyota Motor Corp.: 3.5L DOHC V-6 (Lexus IS 350)
* Volkswagen AG: 2.0L SOHC I-4 Turbodiesel (Jetta TDI)
Awards to be presented during Detroit auto show in January.
"A decade ago, few consumers in the U.S. paid serious attention to hybrids or diesels. This year, they have to, if they don't want to be pinched the next time fuel hits $4 a gallon," says Tom Murphy, executive editor of Ward's AutoWorld magazine."The diesels from VW and BMW and the Ford Escape Hybrid all got better than 30 mpg (7.8 L/100 km) during our testing, and often they topped 40 mpg (5.8 L/100 km)," he says. "And the diesels meet the strictest emissions regulations in the world. If Americans want to find a vehicle that consumes less fuel and is fun to drive, our list is a great place to start."
Among the winners is Ford Motor Co.'s redesigned 2.5L 4-cyl. hybrid-electric powertrain, which motivated President and CEO Alan Mulally's Escape Hybrid cross/utility vehicle to and from Washington D.C. for federal-aid talks, makes the cut.
During Ward's testing, the front-wheel-drive HEV managed to easily surpass the federal fuel-economy rating of 34/31 city/highway mpg (6.9-7.5 L/100 km).
BMW AG's new 3.0L inline 6-cyl. turbodiesel scores a slot on the list in its first year available in the U.S. Joined by the auto maker's twin-turbocharged and direct-injected gasoline I-6 engine, which returns for the third year, the diesel employs a sequential twin-turbocharger system that provides the 335d sedan with impressive fuel economy and a stunning 425 lb.-ft. (576 Nm) of torque.
Volkswagen AG joins the clean-diesel party this year, as well, with its new 2.0L 4-cyl. turbodiesel powering the Jetta TDI sedan. Fun to drive and frugal at the pump, the TDI is an affordable and entertaining alternative to many larger gasoline and hybrid-electric powertrains.
Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd. appears for the first time on Ward's 10 Best Engines list with its all-new Tau 4.6L DOHC V-8. Introduced in the new Genesis luxury sedan, the engine's velvety power delivery, competitive performance and attainable price epitomize the Korean auto maker's drive for world-class engineering.
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Chrysler LLC's venerable 5.7L Hemi V-8 returns to the rankings with added refinement, power and variable-valvetrain and induction technology. Its guttural roar and low-end grunt serves double duty this year in the all-new Dodge Challenger R/T and Ram pickup.
Toyota Motor Corp. scores its fourth consecutive 10 Best Engines win with its Lexus 3.5L DOHC V-6, a brilliant design that employs a unique, combination direct- and port-injection fueling system that helps generate 306 hp and 277 lb.-ft. (376 Nm) of torque.
General Motors Corp. and Honda Motor Co. Ltd. also make return appearances with their high-volume V-6 engines exemplifying practicality balanced with precision engineering.
GM's high-feature 3.6L V-6 with direct-gasoline injection returns for the second time. Tested in the Cadillac CTS, yet flexible enough to proliferate through the auto maker's CUVs, the advanced V-6 makes a hardy 304 hp on regular gasoline.
Honda underscores its longstanding reputation for great engines with the encore performance of its 3.5L SOHC V-6 in the Accord lineup. Merging exceptional performance with reasonable fuel economy, the engine employs advanced cylinder deactivation in the sedan and engaging power delivery in the coupe.
Audi AG's 2.0L TFSI turbocharged 4-cyl., freshly revamped with 211 hp and a mighty 258 lb.-ft. (350 Nm) of torque for the all-new A4, rounds out the list with a fourth-consecutive 10 Best Engines placing as one of the best all-around turbo-4s on the market.
This year, six Ward's editors nominated 32 different engines for the Ward's 10 Best Engines competition. The nominee list consists of the 2008 winners as well as all-new or significantly improved engines.
Over a nearly 2-month period, the editors evaluated and scored each engine against all others in a number of objective and subjective parameters. Each engine must be available in a regular-production U.S.-specification model on sale no later than first-quarter 2009, in a vehicle priced no more than $54,000, a price cap indexed to the average cost of a new vehicle.
The awards will be given at a Jan. 14 ceremony in Detroit during the North American International Auto Show.
Complete stories about the 10 Best Engines will be featured soon on WardsAuto.com and in upcoming issues of Ward's AutoWorld magazine and Ward's Engine & Vehicle Technology Update newsletter.
Ward's 10 Best Engines is a copyright of Penton Media Inc. Commercial references to the program and/or awards are prohibited without prior permission of Ward's Automotive Group.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
happy_penguin 2:36PM (12/07/2008)
Chrysler, Ford and General Motors made the list. :)
Reply
Flashpoint 3:11PM (12/07/2008)
I think Chrysler, Ford and GM's current state has been mischaracterized by people saying "no one wants to buy their cars".
that's not true. You can look at the monthly sales data and see people ARE buying their cars.
Problem is the credit crisis where its hard to actually get the loan to finance the car...as well as housing.
I live in NYC and I pay very close attention to monthly financial reporting. There has been a record number of REPOSESSIONS for Honda, Toyota, Nissan as well as the Big 3. Why?
BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE LOSING THEIR JOBS.
How can people purchase a car if Credit isn't given to them - or if they don't have a job as collateral?
even if 500,000 people right now wanted a Cadillac CTS...do you think they could buy one?
Toyota has asked Japan's government for a bailout too. Those asia car companies make a large amount of money selling their cars in America and if our people are losing thei jobs, not only can't they buy from the Big 3, they can't buy Japanese or German either.
This is whaht I suggest. You should do what I do...BUY GM AND FORD STOCK WHILE ITS LOW.
the Big 3 are going to get bailed out. PERIOD. There is no debate about that. America can sell cars in China and india as more of the Asian market matures to the point of buying cars and we can tax the Big 3 for SS and numerous other things. We absolutely need Economic protectionism in the short term. There is no such thing as the free market. That's been long dead.
We really need to work on our trade deficit. There is no good reason hyundai can sell 700,000 cars here but we can't sell over 10,000 cars in Korea. That's ridiculous.
What I hope Obama does is tells the right wing to S T F U and he breaks down the trade barriers between Cuba and North Korea. No nuclear proliferation and we'll drop sanctions on you. Let us open up factories to sell you cars...even in Iran.
hamburglar 3:49PM (12/07/2008)
Wait, so you want to engage in protectionism because "the free market is dead" on one hand, but suggest that trade barriers around the world be broken down so that we can promote free trade on the other?
WTF are you even talking about?
Sea Urchin 3:54PM (12/07/2008)
Flash, but GM has been declining for YEARS. This whole bankruptcy thing started popping up in 2004-2005.
Do you remember why Wagoner took over the position of head of North American market (prior to that he was a CEO of GM as a whole, still is but he is also a CEO of N.A.)???? Because the company was losing billions of dollars every month.
The credit crunch has simply made it easier for GM to die.
david 4:57PM (12/07/2008)
Lots of merit in what Flashpoint refers to. Though many trade agreements have been signed by Japan and South Korea, the markets are all but closed to not only the US, but the EU as well. South Korea only allowed 4,000 US cars in last year, while the number of cars in Japan saw just a few more. These two governments will protect their industry at all costs.
Ronald reagan, like him or not, figured this one out. That's part of the reason the Japanese auto makers started to build here in the first place.
And just my opinion, if the domestics fail, Japan and South Korea will have no reason to stay here and will beat feet to the nearest cheapest place to set up shop.
http:www.uwsa.com/issues/trade/japanyes.html
happy_penguin 7:36PM (12/07/2008)
"Wait, so you want to engage in protectionism because "the free market is dead" on one hand, but suggest that trade barriers around the world be broken down so that we can promote free trade on the other?"
Either/or. Either these countries remove the barriers to even the playing field or we should erect our own barriers, to even the playing field.
futurama 8:58PM (12/07/2008)
first of all, the tariff for foreign cars in Korea is 8% as opposed to 2.5%. then when FTA is activated, Korea's tariff is completely eliminated while US will have 3 years for cars over 3.0liter. also for trucks, currently while Korea is 8%, US has 25%. US definitely protects its truck market with high tariff. when FTA is activated, Korea's tariff is again completely eliminated while US will have 10 years for its truck market. So, US actually will benefit more from FTA.
also, both Korea and Japan produce cars in US and employ thousands of people in this country. and the number of imported cars from Korea include cars produced by GM Daewoo, Korean arm of GM.
the size of market is incomparable as well. US's new car sales number was 14.8 million in 2007. Korea's market is about 10% of that, or little over 1 million vehicles sales per year.
the market is also completely different. In Korea, foreign cars are positioned as cars for upper middle class and riches. they cost more and not for everyone (due to size of the market, dealer network/distribution channel...etc) However, the foreign car market has been enjoying a very healthy growth since year 2000. they now represent close to 10% of the whole car market.
The best sellers are European luxury brands (BMW, M-Benz, Audi, VW) and Japanese luxury and popular brands (Lexus, Honda, Infiniti) It is because of their reputation, brand perception, and THE PRODUCT itself! they satisfy very particular taste of Korean consumers.
US Big 3 cars are just not well received by Korean consumers (even though, there was a time when the Mercury Sable was the BEST selling foreign car in Korean market) As in everywhere, unless you have a good product, no body will buy it. period.
also, david, what do you mean by S.Korea only 'allowed' 4000 us cars? that is definitely not true and deceiving. there is no quota on imports.
all in all, it is all about the delivering products world consumers want with clever marketing to let them know and building your brand image/reputation, and having a great distribution system no matter where you are in the world.
FFS 8:21AM (12/08/2008)
thank you for clearing it up futurama,
im sure the cuban and korean market wont save the big 3 theyre to good at screwing up, cuba has no money thanks to the US blocking their economy and it has nothing to do with nuclear proliferation so i dont know what flashpoint's talking about, stop watching CNN and FOX,
jsjs 5:15PM (12/09/2008)
david has a POOR understanding of the Korean auto market.
For instance, Honda, alone, sold over 8K vehicles in SKorea during just the 1st 7 months of 2007 (don't know where david is getting the 4K or so "limit").
Sandeep 2:37PM (12/07/2008)
This is why no GT-R or ZR1:
"Each engine must be available in a regular-production U.S.-specification model on sale no later than first-quarter 2009, in a vehicle priced no more than $54,000, a price cap indexed to the average cost of a new vehicle."
Read your own posts, AB!
Reply
Jim 2:45PM (12/07/2008)
yep. I assume they feel that "Best" includes being able to build more than a couple hundred a year ;)
Eddie 2:47PM (12/07/2008)
If there was no price cap, I'm sure the Porsche 911TT flat-6 as well as a Ferrari engine would be on the list, maybe even the Bentley Speed's W12.
Mehul 5:26PM (12/07/2008)
Yes but the Nissan VQ is also used in other models which are cheaper than $54K
I think it deserves a spot like has done for the past 12 years.
Sandeep 5:28PM (12/07/2008)
Maybe, just maybe, the VQ's in the sub-45k cars just aren't as exceptional as they were, say, 12 years ago? Technology marches forward, this should be a battlecry for Nissan to come up with an even more impressive engine (in an affordable car).
Mehul 5:29PM (12/07/2008)
** like it has for the past 12 years**
Sorry about that. Autoblog, when are you going to let us edit comments?
Wyce 2:39PM (12/07/2008)
Interesting to see Hyundai's "Tau" V-8.
Reply
Flashpoint 3:15PM (12/07/2008)
the TAU is basically a competitor with the Hemi. I wonder if hyundai will make a 450 HP V8 for a "Genesis AMG"
Ford screwed up by not having their Ecotech V6 Twin Turbo ready for the launch of the MKS. It shoulda been offered in the Flex too.
Eddie 2:41PM (12/07/2008)
I do love the IS350's V6 and Audi's I4.
Reply
Ligor 11:22PM (12/07/2008)
give me the VQ 3.7 any day in front of anything Toyota has right now in a V6 form
shoot, i'd take the VQ over any V6 from Honda as well
Joker 2:44PM (12/07/2008)
No VQ? wtf?
Reply