German carmakers have netted a number of ‘Engine of the Year’ gongs over the last few years and the trend shows no signs of abating Stateside with the Germans grabing the top three berths in Ward’s Auto World’s 10 Best Engines list for 2009.
By Bijon de Kock
These awards reflect the diversity of powertrains set to play a vital role in the reshaping of America’s automotive landscape. This editors list marks the 15th year of the program, honouring the powertrain excellence of automotive engines.
Top honours went to the Audi’s freshly revamped 2,0-litre TFSI turbocharged engine. Developing 175 kW and 350 N.m of torque, this powerplant is considered one of the best all-round turbocharged 4-cylinders on the market.
There was also a double success for BMW’s EfficientDynamics-tweaked engines, with the BMW Advanced Diesel and BMW Twin Turbo petrol engine netting 2nd and 3rd places respectively. The new BMW Advanced Diesel with BluePerformance is based on a 3,0-litre six-cylinder direct-injection common rail unit with an all-aluminium crankcase and Variable Twin Turbo technology. This unit produces 210 kW and a stump-pulling 580 N.m of torque.
Third place went to BMW’s International engine of the Year 2007/8 – the twin-turbo six-cylinder 3,0-litre petrol engine. This is the third successive year this engine has made an appearance on Ward’s list.
In fourth place was Chrysler’s 5,7-litre Hemi V8 residing under the 300C. Condoned for its refinement and low end grunt, this motor also does service in the Dodge Challenger R/T and Dodge Ram Pick-up.
The diesels from VW (10th), BMW (Diesel-3rd) and the Ford Escape Hybrid (5th) all returned economy figures better than 7,8-litres/100 km during testing and often topped 5,8-litres/100 km. The diesels also met the strictest emissions regulations in the world.
GM’s 3,6-litre V6 engine from the Cadillac CTS for returned to the list for the second time as tested in the Cadillac CTS, and was joined by Honda’s 3,5-litre V6 engine from the Accord Coupe.
A first time on the charts for the Korean motor manufacturer; Hyundai made a worthy debut with its 4.6-litre dohc V8 in 8th position. Toyota took 9th place in its fourth consecutive 10 Best Engines appearance, with the Lexus IS300’s 3,5-litre V6 engine.
In 10th place, Volkswagen joined the clean-diesel party this year with the 4-cylinder turbodiesel powerplant found in the Jetta TDI sedan. Capable, both in power delivery and economy, the TDI poses a viable buy, even when compared to other larger petrol and hybrid powerplants.
The Ward’s 10 Best Engines of 2009:
Audi AG: 2,0-litre TFSI turbocharged dohc(A4 Avant)
BMW AG: 3,0-litre turbocharged dohc inline-six (135i Coupe)
BMW AG: 3,0-litre inline-six Turbodiesel (330d)
Chrysler LLC: 5,7-litre Hemi V8 (Dodge Ram/Challenger R/T)
Ford Motor Co.: 2,5-litre dohc I-4 HEV (Escape Hybrid)
General Motors Corp.: 3,6-litre dohc V-6 (Cadillac CTS)
Honda Motor Co. Ltd.: 3,5-litre sohc V6 (Accord Coupe)
Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd.: 4,6-litre dohc V8 (Genesis)
Toyota Motor Corp.: 3,5-litre sohc V6 (Lexus IS 350)
Volkswagen AG: 2,0-litre sohc I-4 Turbodiesel (Jetta TDI)