May Be the Best in 14 Years: Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.'s 3.7L DOHC V-6

By now, Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.'s all-conquering VQ V-6 architecture needs no introduction.

The 3.7L variant's 2008 10 Best Engines award marks the 14th consecutive win for the VQ, and it is the only engine to do that

It features refinement and ultra-low noise, vibration and harshness levels.

Like many rivals, however, Nissan has not resisted the temptation to increase displacement, and over the years it grew into three distinct iterations: the original and oh-so-smooth 3.0L, the 3.5L introduced in 2002 (and still powering the majority of models from Nissan and its premium Infiniti brand) and the new 3.7L DOHC V-6 (VQ37VHR), which wins the 10 Best Engines award for 2008 and for now is available exclusively in the '08 Infiniti G37 Coupe.

But this latest 3.7L variant of Nissan's special VQ V-6 may be the best in 14 years.

ENGINE SPECS

Engine type: 3.7L DOHC 60° V-6

Displacement (cc): 3,696

Block/head material: aluminum/aluminum

Bore × stroke (mm): 95.5 × 86.0

Horsepower (SAE net): 330 @ 7,000 rpm

Torque: 270 lb.-ft. (366 Nm) @ 5,200 rpm

Specific output: 89 hp/L

Compression ratio: 11.0:1

Assembly site: Iwaki, Japan

Application tested: Infiniti G37 Sport (6-speed manual)

EPA Fuel economy, city/highway (mpg): 17/26