10 BEST ENGINE QUICK HITS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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