The 2010 Ward’s 10 Best Engines winners have been announced with efficiency and downsizing the winning themes.
In North America’s only award program honouring engine excellence, the list of 10 symbolises the automotive industry’s swift movement towards smaller engines and greater technological advancements.
Among the winners were two hybrid systems, two diesels, six four-cylinder units, and just one V8.
The winners were selected from a group of 34 vehicles from 10 manufacturers, with six editors awarding points based on power, torque, refinement, technical relevance and comparative data.
Each engine was evaluated because it was all-new, offered significant technology upgrades or was a returning winner from last year.
Five new powertrains joined this year’s list:
- 2.0-litre TFSI Turbocharged DOHC inline 4 (tested in Audi A4)
- 3.0-litre TFSI Supercharged DOHC V6 (Audi S4)
- 3.0-litre DOHC inline 6 Turbodiesel (BMW 335d)
- 2.5-litre DOHC inline 4 Hybrid (Ford Fusion Hybrid)
- 3.5-litre EcoBoost Turbocharged DOHC V6 (Ford Taurus SHO)
- 2.4-litre Ecotec DOHC inline4 (Chevrolet Equinox)
- 4.6-litre Tau DOHC V8 (Hyundai Genesis)
- 2.5-litre Turbocharged DOHC boxer 4 (Subaru Legacy 2.5GT)
- 1.8-litre DOHC inline 4 Hybrid (Toyota Prius)
- 2.0-litre SOHC inline 4 Turbodiesel (Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI)
Ward’s AutoWorld Editor-in-Chief, Drew Winter, said the winners list was among the most impressive and relevant he had seen.
“This year’s list epitomises how the industry is responding to demands for higher fuel economy and lower emissions without short-changing performance.
“Auto makers are using innovative designs and advanced technology to boost horsepower and torque while downsizing engines and increasing efficiency,” he said.
New to the 2010 list is Audi 3.0-litre supercharged TFSI V6, the S4 a previous winner on three occasions in V8 form.
The new V6 packs 248kW while achieving 9.8 litres/100km during testing.
Ford’s EcoBoost V6 – the sibling of the four-cylinder unit that will power the Falcon from 2011 – similarly achieved V8-style performance (272kW) at 11.7 litres/100km.
The only V8 on the list was Hyundai’s 4.6-litre unit in the Genesis, the first time just one V8 has been honoured.
The Ward’s 10 Best Engines competition has been held annually for 16 years, and four V8s made the list in both 1997 and 1999.
In a sign of the times, Subaru’s boxer and the new Toyota Prius powertrain rounded out the new winners.
“Not since the dawn of the automobile has there been such a diverse array of compelling and affordable powertrains for mainstream vehicles,” Winter said.
“In coming years, we will be testing extended-range electric vehicles, pure electric vehicles, diesel-electric hybrids and numerous other types of powertrains.
“So much so that we likely will have to soon change the name of the Ward’s 10 Best Engines to Ward’s 10 Best Powertrains.”
If you’re wondering where Ferrari and Lamborghini are, to be eligible for the competition each engine must be available in a regular-production US-specification model on sale no later than first quarter 2010, in a vehicle priced no more than US$54,000 (around AUD$60,000).
The awards will be presented at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on January 13.
Three from VAG and BMW scored one too, well done.
Good to see the Genesis V8 on the list, well deserved, Hyundai has come along way.
* waits for Hung Low’s pathetic retort*
Just to re-iterate, well done to VOLKSWAGEN. Yet more proof that VOLKSWAGEN is the best car company bar none. Just goes to show how good their products are, no-one else comes even close, show your support, buy a VOLKSWAGEN!
@^^^^^
lol
In YOUR mind maybe!!
My mechanic friend has paid for all his first class holidays, 2nd floor extensions, private college fees and other thanks to working on vw’s “VW being the best car company bar none”
Its quality [lack of] is also about the leader……FROM THE WRONG END!! lol
Got to big to fast and the quilty suffered and still does
PASS
Cheers
F-0
When VW can keep the same spec engine that wins this award for over a decade then its worth raising your pecker. That would be the Nissan VQ35 if you did’nt know.
Till then your fascist ideology on car manufacturers can go suck the big one!
Umm. No. that would be Subaru’s EJ series engines. Which BTW actually won.
Hung Low? sound like a pathetic moron.
Yes, but not as pathetic as you grammar you knob jockey!
BRAIN DEAD TOOL
Grow up Hung Low seriously, no one likes you and no one thinks like you do so stop forcing in your stupid ideology on others.
1. Obtain a dictionary.
2. Research ‘irony’.
Nice try Hung but you failed, I wouldn’t recommend everyone buy a VW or other VAG product as I believe VW deserve decent people driving their cars. Take Toyota for example, they make very reliable cars, but I have found the majority of Toyota drivers are completely ignorant of basic road rules. At least Fordhum and Holden drivers when hogging the right hand lane drive at a speed that is acceptable.
No I only recommend VW’s to people with more than half a brain, that leaves you out Hungy boy.
ok, so basically we are dealing with a list of budget engines. *closes post window*
I doubt the 335D is a budget engine, nor the V6 TSI!
Whats up with all these aussie engines the falcadore crew keep harping on about, be it the 4.0T or the SIDI v6?? Where are they on the list??
Well Tomas, probably because according to Devil the 4.0 T and V6 SIDI aren’t budget engines.
If you bothered reading the article you will note that the awards are for North America.
If you bothered to understand Sarcasm, you would see what Tomas and I are on about.
If you and Tomas bothered to get a life instead of constantly posting your hatred towards aussie produced products , it would make reading the comments section a lot easier instead of having to scroll through your constant rubbish. Look we get it you don’t like holden/ford get over it pleeease.
It’s not that we don’t like Ford or Holden, infact Ford Euro has some great cars. It’s all about getting a bite from weak minded clowns like you. Soooooooo Easy
Aussie produced products.”Sigh”
Yea SC there dipsh-ts
Aussie cars line up like holden and fords are boganistic and people will continue to think that they are. It’s just the way it is…
Surely top notch engines such as 4.0 T and V6 SIDI these would be imported into the U.S by their parent companies, and therfore be elligable for the awards?!
By your logic Darren Lockyer is crap purely because he has never been considered for a NZ player of the year award……
Are you still bitter inside because Ford got twice as many mentions as Toyota???
Well dont worry, this list isnt the be all and end all.
back to the I6T, surely it would rank quite well if considered.
Just match it to the ecoboost motor that achieves similar power and economy, then factor in the better drivability of I6 motors
Andrew M says: “By your logic Darren Lockyer is crap purely because he has never been considered for a NZ player of the year award……”
Sorry I’m not into Sports Celebrity whorship and have no idea who he is?!
Andrew M says: “Are you still bitter inside because Ford got twice as many mentions as Toyota???”
I haven’t even noticed till you pointed it out?! And why exactly would i care?? VAG engines beat them all!!
Andrew M says: ”
back to the I6T, surely it would rank quite well if considered.
Just match it to the ecoboost motor that achieves similar power and economy, then factor in the better drivability of I6 motors”
But they haven’t considered them, because they din’t felt the desire to import them!!
Besides won’t they be killing them off soon cos they are just to dirty for the new emissions standards?
So you had nothing on the first 2 points so you pleaded ignorant…..
And the third point where you thought you had something, you opened your mouth and were incorrect.
Would have been better not to buck the trend and plead ignorant on all 3.
The I6 will be made compliant with new tougher emissions standards.
No Aussie engines will make it on that list, read the last paragraph, only US-production cars.
Aren’t they using the 3.0 V6 SIDI in the Buick La Crosse next year?
If so then they will consider an Aussie engine for the list! That’s if it’s good enough to cut the mustard
GM’s 3.6l LLT engine, as used in the MY10 VE Commodore, made the list last year.
Ah, good point
The 3.6lSIDI made the list last year o.0.
GM’s 3.6l LLT engine, as used in the MY10 VE Commodore, made the list last year.
So they did, guess Mr Quick got it wrong.
If the 3.6 made the list, the La Crosse engine should.
Excellent result from VAG.
BMW turbo diesel gets my vote.
Dont waste your time talking to these clowns Tomas79, I dont like it when you come home all worked up because internet people make fun of you. I wish you would just ignore these forums and focus on making sweet love to me every night instead like the good old days… *sigh*
How the hell did Toyota’s hybrid engine make the list? There must be an error somewhere, it’s complete rubbish…
Congratulations must go to all the other manufacturers.
I agree,This list is best engines/marketing purpose,not best engine/best engine.
“Ford’s EcoBoost V6 – the sibling of the four-cylinder unit that will power the Falcon from 2011 – similarly achieved V8-style performance (272kW) at 11.7 litres/100km.”
im confused here, i last heard ford was keeping the inline 6, and that they will keep developing it……
They will offer both.
the 4cyl ecoboost will enter the line up, and the I6 will also be offered in an upgraded emissions version
Hyundai’s mechanic achievement is pretty impressive.
No nissan and honda? hmmm.
VW is King of engine maker.
1 VW + 2 Audi (Audi is a division of VW)
Only 34 cars and 10 manufactures with 6 judges and you had to sell into the North american market.
This is a very narrow selection band. What if you dont sell into this market? then you dont get a look in.
There are going to be other manufacturers which have innovative technologies like Fiat Auto Group with its Multijet Turbo diesel and MultiAir technology which produce more power, less fuel consumption and lower Co2 emissions but fail to make the selection criteria because they are not sold in North America.
I believe the International Engine Of The Year awards has more credability and is a better balanced panel which looks at all makes with more judges.
I was going to post on the same thing you just bought up then about the Fiat MultiAir engine, its the biggest leap in engine technology since direct injection.
Overall, these engine of the year awards don’t have that much credibility. The International engine of the Year is a perfect proof of that. When I first heard about the TSI engine made by VW, I instantly thought that this has to win engine of the year. What happened instead was it didn’t, infact it was only a winner in its class, and only after 4 years after release, it was finally recognised and won the top award, even though it shouldn’t have. The MultiAir was out when this years results was released and wasn’t even recognised.
These awards are pretty irrelevant
SIDI, lol, what a breakthough, bah, lol.
Direct Injection has been used since WWII by the German’s, and used in mass production car engines for more than 15 years, including Volkswagen since 2000.
Well done VAG!
I laugh every time I see the commercial where Holden’s marketers say SIDI is the biggest thing to ever happen in the history of the Commodore! You have got to hand it to Holden’s marketers… I would say the VE in general when it was first released and it’s improvement over the VZ was a MUCH bigger leap, or when they achieved a 5 star crash rating, or fitted DSC/TC/ABS/Airbags etc no matter how primitive they were in their eary stages. These are only just a few. IMHO there have been many larger events/improvements in the history of the Commodore than fitting direct injection.
Unfortunatly joe/josephine average/bogan believes Holden’s marketing spin and blindly follows whatever they say because “Holden means a great deal to Australia” etc etc etc. Holden’s marketers would have to be the best in the Australian Automotive industry.
From an engineering perspective, Australian and American engines have no relevance in current development trends in any how.
@^^^^^^
These awards are a wank!
As leading engine [read complex] yes the Aussie engines won’t win a thing, BUT a better high torque donk aka low-down-grunt, effortless power and low running costs [both with fuel use and maintaince] together with low manufacture cost, the Falcodore engines CANNOT be beat, they are the real WORLD Chamions for the price/performance ratio, and by MILES
Cheers
F-0