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 2 of 5)
Jim 2:55PM (12/07/2008)
The competition moved up, and the VQ's "pinnacle" (the GT-R) broke out of the criteria.
Joker 3:30PM (12/07/2008)
VR is a new engine VQ is still around.
hyundaifans.com 1:29AM (12/08/2008)
No VQ? Screw that list!
Juan 2:48PM (12/07/2008)
O sh**. Hyundai made the list but Nissan did not? What is this world coming to?
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Torrent 3:02PM (12/07/2008)
What is the world coming to? It's senses. Hyundai's "Tau" V8 is awesome.
RC 2:55PM (12/07/2008)
hemi really?
no corvette ZR1 LS9 ?
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Torrent 2:58PM (12/07/2008)
Congrats, Hyundai.
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TigerMil 2:58PM (12/07/2008)
Clearly, GM should pop the 502 marine engine into the Escalade or Suburban or GMC 2500 series, blow it to 800 hp (the marine blowers would work :>), and walk to the front of the class!
Do it while 93 octane is still under $2.00!!
LOL!
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Mobius_1 3:01PM (12/07/2008)
Don't let it near LA though, earthquakes...
ramsport47 3:48PM (12/07/2008)
GM hasn't supplied the 502 to the marine industry in years...they now supply the 8.1L 496 ci engine which is a MUCH better engine than the oil burning 502
Matty 3:16PM (12/07/2008)
They should release a second "money is no object" list to complement this one. I would imagine that Audi's 4.2L (R8, outgoing RS4) and 5.0L TT (RS6) would be good candidates, but that's just me giving into my biases.
I'm pretty puzzled about the Dodge Hemi engine showing up on this list. Hemi's are heavier, less efficient, and more polluting than traditional engines. Chrysler would lower the prices on some of their models if they moved away from using the Hemi. Ward's inclusion of this outdated sort of engine on the list makes me a little skeptical with regards to how much through they put into the candidates.
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why not the LS2LS7? 3:31PM (12/07/2008)
Here's the answer to your conundrum: the new "Hemi" is not a Hemi.
An engine with a hemispherical combustion engine basically cannot be made to pass emissions (something about not having a quench area). The new "Hemi" is a pent-roof derivative like all modern engines.
I have no idea why that engine is there. Tokenism?
EquinsuOcha 3:33PM (12/07/2008)
What? No Mitsubishi 411BT? Even the Audi and the VW engines can't produce the kind of horsepower / torque numbers from the same displacement.
Ok, so maybe they don't give love to the new Evo engine, but the 4G63 is still in production, and THAT didn't even make the list either?
This is such crap.
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montoym 2:44AM (12/08/2008)
I don't recall the list claiming that in order to be part of the 10 Best list that the engine had to only make more power than its competitors.
There is far more to the rankings than simply output.
That should help to clear up your confusion.
dougbshepherd 3:33PM (12/07/2008)
umm except the hemis not heavier less efficient and more polluting
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TH3 GAM3 3:38PM (12/07/2008)
Just because you have a good engine, doesn't makes the car good.
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why not the LS2LS7? 3:39PM (12/07/2008)
I don't get the Chrysler engine being there. The GM small blocks destroy it, even if you don't count the blown version (I don't) and think the short-run LS7 doesn't deserve to be there either. The LS3 alone puts the Chrysler on ice.
I don't get the Hyundai motor either. The Tau is only really an advance for Hyundai, it's far from state-of-the-art.
Maybe it is time for the VQ to take a break from being on the list. The engine has been enlarged so many times now, maybe it's time to start again with a fresh look. We're a long way from the 3.0L VQ now. It's still a good motor, I just think it's lost its way a bit.
It's too bad there's no space for the turbo Ecotec on this list. It produces slightly more output than the VW engine, costs less, has a twin-scroll turbo for reduced lag and it does it all on regular gas. Maybe it's suffering from not being mated to a 6-speed stick or dual-clutch auto?
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P.V. 3:49PM (12/07/2008)
The VQ is a great engine, but from what I've heard, it's somewhat noisy.
I agree with the HEMI being on the list (it shouldn't), but I'm not sure the GM V8 would be a great replacement for the HEMI (look at my post below).
dakota 6:39PM (12/07/2008)
So your comparing the high performance LS3 (6.2L) thats used in the Corvette, to say the 5.7 HEMI which is used from the Charger up to the Ram Pickup truck. Why not compare it to the 6.1 HEMI then?
Chryslers Corsair 4.7 puts the GM 4.8 on ice, the 5.7 HEMI puts the 5.3 and 6.0 Silverado to shame.
why not the LS2LS7? 9:58PM (12/07/2008)
dakota:
The LS3 is the only car-based version of the small-block left that I know of.
You can compare to the LS2 if you like, it doesn't suffer in the comparison in any way except for being discontinued.
How does the Chrysler Corsair put the small block 4.8L on ice? The GM 4.8L makes 10 more HP.
You wanna compare the Chrysler 6.1L to the GM 6.2L? Great. The LS3 makes 430-436HP. The Chrysler makes 420-425HP. The Pontiac G8 with the LS3 makes 15/24 mpg (17/25 with an auto), the Dodge Challenger 6.1L makes 14/22mpg (13/19 with an auto).
If you look, Chrysler doesn't fare noticeably better on trucks.
How's that Chrysler motor doing now?