Chevy Bolt EV drive unit and battery (Chevrolet)
Wards Auto has revealed its 10 Best Engines list for 2018, and it’s a showcase of American engineering and electrification.
Four of the powertrains are from U.S. brands, and four include an electric motor in their mix.
There’s also a good old-fashioned V8 for muscle car fans, but if you’re looking for exotic V12s, keep in mind that Wards only considers engines in cars costing less than $63,000.
Here is the list in alphabetical, not ranked order:
Chevy Bolt 150-kW Electric Propulsion System - The all-electric drive unit in the $37,495 crossover was praised for its performance and 238-mile range.
Chevrolet Bolt EV Named to WardsAuto 10 Best Engines List (Chevrolet)
Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid 3.6L Pentastar DOHC V-6/PHEV – The plug-in hybrid powertrain delivers up to 33 miles of electric drive and an observed 35 mpg in the 7-passenger minivan.
(Chrysler)
Ford F-150 2.7L Twin Turbo DOHC V-6 – The F-150’s smallest engine proved to be very quiet, yet powerful enough for the full-size truck.
(Ford)
Ford Mustang GT 5.0L DOHC V-8 – The 460 hp engine is the most powerful one ever offered in a Mustang GT, but also efficient, especially paired to its optional 10-speed automatic transmission.
Honda Clarity 130-kW Fuel Cell/Electric Propulsion System – The 174 hp Clarity is powered by zero-emissions fuel cell that creates electricity by mixing hydrogen and oxygen and can go 366 miles between quick fill-ups, unlike a battery-powered car.
2017 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell (Honda)
Honda Civic Type R 2.0L VTEC Turbocharged DOHC 4-Cyl – Honda’s most powerful engine ever is rated at 306 hp in this very hot hatchback and is the company’s first turbocharged engine to make the list.
2017 & 2018 Honda Civic Type R Overview Front (Honda)
Infiniti Q50 3.0L Turbocharged DOHC V-6 – The 400 hp high performance engine was noted for its power and sophistication.
The INFINITI 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 engine was named to Wardâs 10 Best Engines list for 2018 model year. The VR-series engine has the distinction of being one of just two engines on the list to receive the award for a second consecutive year. (Infiniti)
Jaguar XF 2.0L Turbocharged DOHC 4-Cyl. – The first engine that Jaguar developed on its own since being sold by Ford is a winner, even in the least powerful 247 version that comes in the standard XF sedan.
(Jaguar)
Kia Stinger 3.3L Turbocharged DOHC V-6 – This twin-turbocharged mill is shared with sister company Hyundai, but Ward’s found its 365 hp output to be perfectly matched to Kia’s BMW-fighting compact sport sedan.
2018 Stinger (Kia)
Toyota Camry Hybrid 2.5L Atkinson DOHC 4-Cyl./HEV – The Camry is one of the finalists for 2018 North American Car of the Year, and this powertrain likely helped it get on that list, with an observed 40 mpg by Wards and no shortage of power in the midsize family sedan.
(Toyota)