10 BEST ENGINE QUICK HITS

AUDI AG

Advertisement

• 2.0L I-4 turbo (A4)
  + David to V-6 Goliaths
  - Where to next, Audi?
  = The model to follow

BMW AG

• 3.0L I-6 turbodiesel (335d)
  + The Anti-Hybrid
  - Pricey diesel fuel
  = Diesel's best emissary

• 3.0L I-6 turbo (135i)
  + Big power, no lag, tons of fun
  - Hard not to redline in every gear
  = One of the best ever. Period

CHRYSLER LLC

• 5.7L Hemi V-8 (Dodge Ram/Challenger)
  + Multi-talented muscle
  - If Chrysler dies, so does Hemi
  = Decadence has its place

• 5.7L V-8 (Chrysler Aspen Hybrid)
  + Yep, it's got a Hemi
  - Why not a V-6 2-Mode?
  = We hardly knew 'ya

DAIMLER AG

• 3.0L V-6 turbodiesel (Mercedes R320)
  + Ideal grunt for big CUVs
  - Lazy throttle response
  = BMW diesel spoiled the honeymoon

FORD MOTOR CO.

• 2.5L I-4 (Escape)
  + Serves a small trucklet well
  - Too thrashy
  = Where's the mute button?

• 2.5L I-4 HEV (Escape Hybrid)
  + 46 mpg not that difficult
  - NVH can be improved
  = Eco-friendliness, without dorkiness

• 3.0L V-6 (Escape)
  + Nothing lame about 80 hp/L
  - Wait, which Escape was this?
  = EcoBoost me, please

• 4.6L V-8 (Mustang Bullitt)
  + Steve McQueen would dig it
  - Where's the beef?
  = Great bark, needs more bite

FUJI HEAVY INDUSTRIES LTD.

• 2.5L H-4 turbo (Subaru WRX STI)
  + Classic boxer growl, turbo power
  - Daily commutes aren't rally stages
  = Another candidate for direct injection

GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

• 2.2L I-4 (Chevrolet Cobalt XFE)
  + Decent way to move small cars
  - Didn't even get 30 mpg
  = This is extreme fuel economy?

• 2.8L V-6 turbo (Saab Turbo X)
  + Sweet, smooth boost aplenty
  - Overpriced and too thirsty
  = A good turbo-4 works just as well

• 3.6L V-6 (Cadillac CTS)
  + Balanced, powerful and flexible
  - Can GM afford upgrades?
  = Deceptively effective

• 3.6L HEV (Saturn Vue 2-Mode)
  + Tons of power for a hybrid
  - Is this what America wants?
  = Performance HEVs a hard sell

• 6.0L V-8 HEV (GMC Yukon 2-Mode)
  + Seamless operation in big SUV
  - Price too high for 18 mpg
  = Superb engineering for a questionable payback

HONDA MOTOR CO. LTD.

• 1.5L I-4 (Fit)
  + Nifty for the thrifty
  - Careful in the fast lane
  = Fine argument against hybrids

• 3.5L V-6 (Accord Coupe)
  + Ain't no secretary's car
  - A little soft near redline
  = Loads of fun, yet practical

• 3.7L V-6 (Acura TL SH-AWD)
  + 82 hp/L not too shabby
  - Shoulda had a V-8
  = More bored than stroked

HYUNDAI MOTOR CO. LTD.

• 2.4L I-4 (Sonata)
  + Has potential to be better
  - We're waiting…
  = The plight of the World Engine

• 3.8L V-6 (Genesis)
  + Solid all-rounder
  - Annoyingly average
  = Flying coach in first-class field

• 4.6L V-8 (Genesis)
  + Purrs, then pounces
  - Volumes shamefully low
  = Welcome to the big leagues, H

MAZDA MOTOR CORP.

• 2.3L I-4 turbo (Mazdaspeed3)
  + Corruptively powerful
  - Runs out of steam at high revs
  = The future of muscle cars

• 2.5L I-4 (Mazda6)
  + Delightfully peppy, fuel efficient
  - A tad too pedestrian
  = Great I-4 workhorse

MITSUBISHI MOTORS CORP.

• 2.0L I-4 turbo (Evo X)
  + Firecracker power surge
  - Turbo spools up at glacial pace
  = Awesome, for about 15 minutes

• 2.4L I-4 (Lancer GTS)
  + Fun to thrash
  - Doesn't reward with much
  = Not that impressive

NISSAN MOTOR CO. LTD.

• 3.7L V-6 (Infiniti G37S)
  + Fast-revving, hot-rod gusto
  - Needs to attend NVH charm school
  = Come back and see us next year

SUZUKI MOTOR CORP.

• 2.4L I-4 (Grand Vitara)
  + Simple can be best
  - More noise than motivation
  = Merely adequate

TOYOTA MOTOR CORP.

• 1.8L I-4 (Corolla)
  + It's about efficiency, not power
  - Point A, meet Point B
  = Maybe GM still has a chance

• 2.7L I-4 (Highlander)
  + Decent alternative to small V-6
  - Hardly gets the blood flowing
  = A smart play by Toyota

• 3.5L V-6 (Lexus IS 350)
  + Swiss-clock precision, superb powerband, too
  - Needs vocal lessons
  = Technology tour de force

VOLKSWAGEN AG

• 2.0L I-4 turbodiesel (Jetta TDI)
  + Urea aftertreatment unnecessary
  - Took 12 years for TDI to return to list
  = A great deal, even without $1,300 tax credit