AutomobileMag Forums

I've gotten some good replies on the best looking cars post:

http://forums.automobilemag.com/70/6868073/general-automotive/best-looking-new-car-on-sale-today/index.html

But what about our favorite engines. It's easy to love a big and burly V-8 but there are some other gems out there.

Here are some of the engines that I love

-V-8 in the BMW M3 -glorious
-2.0T in the VW GTI -personality and tractability mixed
-BMW 3.0-liter twin-turbo -revs yet pulls from idle. Decent on fuel for performance
-Corvette Z06 V-8 -totally American and totally wonderful
-6.2-liter AMG Mercedes V-8 -NASCAR meets German precision

That's just a start, what engines do you love?  

I'm pretty impressed with my 07 Civic's 1.8 liter. Spirited,(just got a speeding ticket today) good economy and it's always willing to give a little more when I need to pass at highway speeds. I could not say the same about the normally aspirated 5cyl Volvo I traded for it. I admire the Z06's V-8, Chrysler's Hemi and any 6-cylinder Porsche engine.  

I wholeheartedly agree about the Z06's small block; a monster of a powerplant that brings out all sorts of goofy grins. Speaking of V-8s, the F430's V-8--especially at full scream--hits a lot of personal hot buttons as well.

One engine that I've come to appreciate and admire is Nissan's (there I go again) venerable VQ-series V-6. The rest of the car might be iffy (Altima, are you listening?), but oh the sweetness of that engine...

Of course, there's all those air-cooled Porsche powerplants...  

One of the better engines to come out in a while is the Tau V8. It's being used in the Kia Borrego and Hyundai Genesis Sedan. It churns out 337hp in the Borrego, so it gets my thumbs up  

I've just been reading about itand, yep, for sure, it gets my both of the thumbs too!!!    

My top 5 are:

1) GM small block V8.  No other engine has been used in as many applications (from boats to trucks to race cars) and have been around as long (since 1916).  The first V8 was a Cadillac unit and was a big block.  The small block was adopted in 1916 by Oldsmobile from Cadillac and displaced 244 CI.  Smart move, eh?  Has not changed in design much.  Same basic achitecture but technology infused over a century!

2) BMW I6 (before the turbocharging...any idiot can turbo a motor and make it powerful and all that).  These gems have been around for a long time and are very difficult to make well.  BMW have done a tremendous job of making an exquisite, perfectly balanced, and powerful I6.

3) Ferrari V-12s (from the late 50s to early 70s).  These products gave rise to an entirely new era of power development.  The technology that highlighted these engines eventually made its way down to smaller Ferrari engines and also to regular autos around the world.  These engines enriched our lives immesurably

4) Alfa Romeo I4 with VVT.  Fiat pioneered the first automotive use of this in the 60s.  Derived from aircraft engines, it ushered in a completely new era of naturally aspirated power development.  GM patented it in the 70s and Alfa Romeo was the first to use it on a production car and finally, Honda mass produced this technology and made it cheaper.  Now, it is a must have for any IC engine.

5) Porsche F6 engine.  An engine that refuses to go away.  Perfect balance, low center of gravity, and seemingly a new lease on life every year.  It has grown from a paltry 2.5 Liters to almost 4.0 Liters and from 160hp to almost 700hp in some applications.  A tremendous engine that comes to win every day.

I have had the honor of driving vehicles with each of the engines I have listed.  There are many, many more out there but these 5 have had a profound effect on the auto industry and our lives.  My current vehicle has the #1 engine on my list.  It is in an SUV a makes 300hp from 5.3 Liters of displacement.  I am sure if you look at your vehicle, it will have some of the innovations and technologies from the list mentioned above in some fashion or form.  

The Tau V8 is pretty amazing...375 tuned in the Hyundai Genesis Sedan also, yet its still capable of 21mpg in the Borrego. Something to definitely look at considering these awful gas prices lately  

I find that the Tau V-8 gets a bit coarse at the top end but it is an impressive first run for Hyundai.  

I'd really like to test drive it to see how it sounds on its top end. It would be nice to see it tuned back to 375hp in the future for the Borrego