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2019 Wards 10 Best Engines: Gasoline, Diesel, Electrification Honored
“I never thought I’d live to see the day when a fuel-cell car and a battery EV would make the list the same year as two burly V-8s and a sophisticated 4-cyl. engine with variable compression,” says WardsAuto editor Drew Winter.
For the first time ever, three pickup-truck engines appear on the Wards 10 Best Engines list, while four electrified powertrains make the cut for the second consecutive year as well.
Rounding out the field in this 25th year of the Wards 10 Best Engines competition is a muscle-car V-8, a German luxury turbocharged inline 6-cyl. and a groundbreaking turbocharged 4-cyl. with variable compression ratio.
WardsAuto editors chose the winners after spending October and November evaluating 34 engines and electric propulsion systems during routine commutes in metro Detroit.
Other notable trends this year: Ford wins two trophies for the second year in a row, and Hyundai wins two awards in the same year for the first time ever. A hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vehicle makes the cut for the third time, and two V-8s earn trophies in the same year for the first time since 2015.
“I never thought I’d live to see the day when a fuel-cell car and a battery EV would make the list the same year as two burly V-8s and a sophisticated 4-cyl. engine with variable compression,” says Drew Winter, WardsAuto senior content director.
“Automakers and their powertrain engineers are being pushed in different directions: Governments around the world want low emissions and electrification, while customers want vehicles that meet their every need without compromise. We believe this year’s list represents the industry’s ability to deftly satisfy both demands.”
This year’s winners (in alphabetical order by brand):
3.0L (B58) DOHC Turbocharged I-6 (BMW X5)
6.2L OHV V-8 with DFM (Chevrolet Silverado)
5.0L DOHC V-8 (Ford Mustang GT/Bullitt)
3.0L DOHC TurboDiesel V-6 (Ford F-150)
2.0L DOHC Atkinson i-VTEC 4-Cyl./HEV (Honda Accord Hybrid)
120-kW Fuel Cell/Electric Propulsion System (Hyundai Nexo)
150-kW Propulsion System (Hyundai Kona EV)
2.0L DOHC VC-Turbo 4-Cyl. (Infiniti QX50)
2.0L DOHC Atkinson 4-Cyl./HEV (Lexus UX 250h)
3.6L DOHC Pentastar eTorque V-6 (Ram 1500)
Wards Intelligence data confirms falling take-rates for big V-8s, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy a few last hurrahs. And the latest iteration of the 5.0L V-8 in the ’19 Ford Mustang GT – and in particular, the pitch-perfect version in the Bullitt – makes us smile every time we punch the throttle.
We have no complaints with the 460-horse powerplant in the standard GT, but there’s something extra-special about the Bullitt, which breathes through a wider throttle body borrowed from the Shelby GT350 and gets a freer-flowing active exhaust that’s music to an enthusiast’s ears.
On paper, the Bullitt engine picks up a mere 20 hp over the GT, but on the road the Bullitt demonstrates how small changes and careful attention to tuning can bring new life to mature technology and create a whole new level of firepower.
Rest of release can be read at https://www.wardsauto.com/2019-10-b...gines-gasoline-diesel-electrification-honored
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