10 Best Engines Quick Hits

Audi AG

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• 2.0L TFSI I-4 turbo 211 hp (A4)

  + Small package, massive potential

  - Mileage always can be better

  = 4-cyl. benchmark

• 3.0L V-6 TDI 225 hp (Q7 TDI)

  + Diesel works well in big CUV

  - Specs clobbered by BMW diesel

  = Moves like stampeding buffalo

• 3.0L TFSI V-6 333 hp (S4)

  + 24 mpg in 4.9 seconds

  - Exhaust note needs more spice

  = Don't even miss the V-8

BMW AG

• 3.0L I-6 turbodiesel 265 hp (335d)

  + Move over, hybrids

  - Gotta top off the urea tank

  = Best 6-cyl. diesel ever

• 3.0L I-6 turbo 300 hp (135i coupe)

  + An engine for the ages

  - Must wait for new version

  = Sitting on laurels this year

Chrysler LLC

• 5.7L Hemi V-8 376 hp (Challenger R/T)

  + Exhaust note sweet as lullaby

  - Can Chrysler afford any updates?

  = It's not you, it's us

Ford Motor Co.

• 2.5L I-4 HEV 191 hp (Fusion Hybrid)

  + Better tech, less pricy than Escape HEV

  - MPG still trails Prius

  = No-compromise hybrid

• 3.5L EcoBoost turbo V-6 365 hp (Taurus SHO)

  + Rivals V-8 specsv

  - Pudgy platform hamstrings fuel economy

  = Ford delivers the goods

• 3.7L Duratec V-6 273 hp (Lincoln MKS)

  + Runs on regular unleaded

  - Barely better than original 3.5L Duratec

  = Needs more power, refinement

• 5.4L supercharged V-8 540 hp (Shelby GT500)

  + Highway fuel efficiency up 2 mpg

  - Who said 500 hp wasn't enough?

  = Pamplona bull run

Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.

• 2.5L turbo H-4 265 hp (Subaru Legacy GT)

  + Turbocharger smartly moved closer to exhaust

  - Raspy idle off-putting for some

  = Cure for the common car

• 2.5L H-4 170 hp (Subaru Outback)

  + Good base engine for small ute

  - Meager specific output of 68 hp/L

  = Different, in a good way

General Motors Co.

• 2.4L DI I-4 182 hp (Chevy Equinox)

  + Terrific bread-and-butter engine

  - Can GM produce enough of them?

  = A very pleasant surprise

• 2.8L turbo V-6 300 hp (Cadillac SRX)

  + New larger compressor adds 20 hp

  - Old-school turbo lag

  = Enough power for Cadillac CUV buyers?

• 3.0L DI V-6 270 hp (Cadillac CTS)

  + Proof that downsizing works

  - Smaller engine, less power

  = Newly bred for workhorse duties

• 3.6L DI V-6 304 hp (CTS Sport Wagon)

  + Still a proud achievement

  - Mileage just doesn't stack up

  = Caught standing still

• 5.3L Vortec AFM V-8 326 hp (GMC Sierra)

  + AFM improves mileage, slightly

  - How long can pushrods survive?

  = Even T-Rex faced extinction

• 6.2L AFM V-8 400 hp (Chevy Camaro SS)

  + A voice like butta

  - Never close to 25-mpg highway rating

  = Nice to have you back, Camaro

Honda Motor Co. Ltd.

• 1.3L I-4 HEV 98 hp (Insight)

  + Capable of high mileage

  - Rarely runs only on electricity

  = Call of the mild

• 3.5L V-6 271 hp (Accord coupe)

  + It's refined, versatile and strong

  - Numbers lag the competition.

  = Still stout, but a little tired

Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd.

• 2.0L turbo I-4 210 hp (Genesis coupe)

  + Kudos for downsized offering

  - Not enough Tau magic rubbed off on it

  = Strong, but unrefined

• 3.8L V-6 306 hp (Genesis coupe)

  + Runs with premium V-6s

  - Premium V-6s suddenly out of style

  = Floats like butterfly, stings like bee

• 4.6L Tau V-8 385 hp (Genesis sedan)

  + Small V-8 at head of class

  - Needs more applications

  = New V-8 paradigm

Kia Motors Corp.

• 2.0L I-4 156 hp (Forte)

  + Trumps rival I-4s, at least on paper

  - Fails to raise the bar

  = Pound for pound, a great value

Mazda Motor Corp.

• 2.0L I-4 167 hp (MX-5)

  + Induction Sound Enhancer for sporty exhaust

  - Not demonstrating huge improvement

  = Needs more power to go with sound

Suzuki Motor Corp.

• 2.4L I-4 185 hp (Kizashi)

  + Good effort, impressive numbers

  - Old-school port injection

  = Still needs tweaking

Tata Motors Ltd.

• 5.0L DI V-8 375 hp (Land Rover LR4)

  + Dazzling technology, refinement

  - Who can afford one?

  = Too patrician

Toyota Motor Corp.

• 1.8L I-4 HEV 134 hp (Prius)

  + Monumental technological achievement

  - Takes the fun out of driving

  = Benchmark efficiency

• 2.5L I-4 179 hp (Camry)

  + Does its job

  - Not as impressive as big-brother 2.7L

  = Tastes like chicken

• 3.5L DI V-6 306 hp (Lexus IS 350)

  + Sophisticated fuel injection strategy

  - No one needs both belt and suspenders

  = Evolution has stalled

• 3.5L V-6 275 hp (Lexus RX 350)

  + Competent, quiet, high-volume V-6

  - Tiny improvement over four years

  = Competent but dull

• 3.5L V-6 HEV 295 hp (Lexus RX 450h)

  + Exhaust-heat recovery system quickens warmup

  - Hard to quantify gain over last RX hybrid

  = More tortoise than hare

• 4.6L V-8 310 hp (Tundra)

  + Nice to see focus on smaller V-8

  - Trip computer lacks MPG calculator

  = Good effort

Volkswagen AG

• 2.0L I-4 turbodiesel 140 hp (Jetta TDI)

  + Torque in all the right places

  - As regulations loom, will diesels survive?

  = Saving fuel can be tons of fun