Beating Hearts: The 10 Greatest Engines You Can Buy Today

The all-important question among gearheads has always been, “What’s it got?” If the answer is one of the 10 engines listed here, it’s got a lot. The best engines available today, these automotive powerplants offer a winning combination of performance and personality, and they span a wide variety of configurations, with three, four, six, eight, or even twelve cylinders. You’ll notice, however, that we steered clear of the gasoline-versus-diesel debate by concentrating exclusively on gas-burners. We’re big fans of diesels, too, but that’s a discussion for another day. Without further ado and presented in no particular order, here are our 10 favorite current production engines.Dodge Supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 | Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, Dodge Charger SRT HellcatDodge Supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 | Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, Dodge Charger SRT HellcatFord Turbocharged 1.0-liter Inline-3 | Ford Fiesta, Ford FocusFord Turbocharged 1.0-liter Inline-3 | Ford Fiesta, Ford FocusVW/Audi Turbocharged 2.0-liter Inline-4 | Too Many Vehicles to ListVW/Audi Turbocharged 2.0-liter Inline-4 | Too Many Vehicles to ListFerrari Twin-Turbocharged 3.9-liter V-8 | Ferrari 488GTB, Ferrari California TFerrari Twin-Turbocharged 3.9-liter V-8 | Ferrari 488GTB, Ferrari California TLamborghini 6.5-liter V-12 | Lamborghini AventadorLamborghini 6.5-liter V-12 | Lamborghini AventadorMercedes-Benz Turbocharged 2.0-liter Inline-4 | Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG, Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMGBMW Twin-Turbocharged 3.0-liter Inline-6 | BMW M3, BMW M4BMW Twin-Turbocharged 3.0-liter Inline-6 | BMW M3, BMW M4Porsche 3.8-/4.0-liter Flat-Six | Porsche 911 GT3, Porsche 911 GT3 RSPorsche 3.8-/4.0-liter Flat-Six | Porsche 911 GT3, Porsche 911 GT3 RSGeneral Motors Supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 | Cadillac CTS-V, Chevrolet Corvette Z06The engine’s overall dimensions are barely larger than those of the non-supercharged Chevy V-8—the blower adds less than one inch to the overall height of the regular small-block—and weight is up by just 75 pounds. A technical tour-de-force, the LT4 not only powers the Z06 coupe to 60 mph in 3.0 seconds (the convertible can do 3.1), but it also can now be found under the hood of the 2016 Cadillac CTS-V. While it makes slightly less power in the Caddy, the blown V-8 nonetheless is capable of punting the big sedan to a claimed 200-plus-mph top speed. —Alexander StoklosaMercedes-Benz Twin-Turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 |Mercedes-AMG C63, Mercedes-AMG GT SMercedes-Benz Twin-Turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 |Mercedes-AMG C63, Mercedes-AMG GT S

Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.