Wards Auto announced its shortlist of 10 best engines for 2012. And it’s dominated by 4-cylinder GDI units.
Obviously fuel efficiency has a lot to do with choosing best engines these days and it was one of the most important factors in Wards selection as well. Editors scored each engine based on power, technology, observed fuel economy and noise, vibration and harshness characteristics. There was no instrumented testing.
And the only condition to be eligible, apart from availbility in the U.S. no later than first-quarter 2012, was a base price below $55,000.
As mentioned, direct fuel injection technology was the winning card this year and a record seven of the final tn engines feature this technology. It offers many economical advantages without any compromise on performance. Force induction was also very welcome, as there’s four turbocharged and one supercharged powerplant on the list.
Here’s the list of Ward’s 10 best 2012 engines. We don’t agree with all of them and would like to add a few. What about you?
- 3.0L TFSI Supercharged DOHC V-6 (Audi A6)
- 2.0L N20 Turbocharged DOHC I-4 (BMW Z4/528i)
- 3.0L N55 Turbocharged DOHC I-6 (BMW 335i coupe)
- 3.6L Pentastar DOHC V-6 (Chrysler 300S/Jeep Wrangler)
- 2.0L EcoBoost DOHC I-4 (Ford Edge)
- 5.0L DOHC V-8 (Ford Mustang Boss 302)
- 2.0L Turbocharged DOHC I-4 (Buick Regal GS)
- 1.6L DOHC I-4 (Hyundai Accent/Kia Soul)
- 2.0L Skyactiv DOHC I-4 (Mazda3)
- 3.5L DOHC V-6 HEV (Infiniti M35h)
