TheManInBlack

I dunno about the USA but here the M3 is over that $54k price cap (in adjusted dollars).

F23A4

* 2.4L Ecotec DOHC I-4 (Chevrolet Equinox)

Did they even bother to sample a K-series?

knavinusa

I can't stay out of boost on my 2.0T either, especially because I got the APR tune. Now stock mode feels boring.

DISRUPTV

good point

the m3 starts at 56k i believe

Moog-Type-S

Ecotec has better MPG than the K-series
Ecotec has better horsepower and torque than the K-series


Seems like the Ecotec has it beat by a lot

Costco

I don't know about the 2.4 Ecotec either. I've never driven a car with one, but I guess they've gotta mix it up a little. 32 mpg in a 3800 lb crossover is pretty good

majin ssj eric

Looks like anybody that put the word "Eco" into their engine name got an automatic award...

I am so sick and tired of this BS green movement...

dom

Not that I think the K should have won instead but the K in the TSX makes 201 and the EX Accord K makes 190. Doesn't the GM 2.4 top out at 182?

But it does make more torque and and on regular fuel while the TSX needs Premium.

Costco

I think the thing there is that there's nothing new with the K-engine, really. The Ecotec has direct injection, and as said, runs on regular. That specific 2.4 Ecotec hasn't been used in any other car yet, and the Equinox is the first model to get it.

F23A4

Thank you!! Maybe Honda should level the playing field with an ECO-iVTEC moniker in next year's models.

Aside from that, the Ecotec is NOWHERE near as refined a four cylinder motor as a K. Period.

dom

Have you driven the new DI 2.4?

F23A4

In all honestly I have not. Every GM NA I4 to date (that I have driven) have been thrashy and unrefined (and I've sampled pretty much every one since I started driving back in 1985). So, I have plenty of reason to doubt....mainly 25 years of doubt.

But at some point, fate may lead me to renting an Equinox (provided a Murano S is n/a) and we'll see if the 'ghosts of the past' are still haunting when it comes to the new "ECOTEC."

majin ssj eric

Lol! Yeah, or maybe i-VTECO!

phee

iTrader: (5)

phee

iTrader: (5)

or maybe they can produce better engines

F23A4

....I'll sample the current Equinox and CR-V in five years from now to see what the deal is with both motors after 45-60k of use. (I think I know how this will turn out.)

invisiblewar

nice representation of ford. way to lead the domestics. Im slowly becoming a ford guy though both gm and ford are putting out nice products.

I wana test drive that 3.0t engine in the new s4

TMQ

Sorry, I have to go with Car and Driver's 10 best. Ward's 10 engines seem pretty lame now. going green? tons of hybrid and diesel.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...t_-10best_cars

Hyundai?
Chevy I4?

they are in cheap cars (relative to its class).

Is Subaru's engine new (or revised)? it wasn't on the list last year.

Surprised they removed BMW's engines.

Costco

^I like that list a lot better too, though I'm a bit confused as to why they even bothered listing hp/L. One of the most pointless statistics for production cars maybe I'm just tired of ricers using it as fodder.

TSX69

Honda 3.5L SOHC V-6

A funny thing happened while Ward’s 10 Best Engines judges drove 590 miles (950 km) in the all-new ’13 Honda Accord Touring sedan: Without even trying, 7 editors – most of them with lead in their boots – overshot the window-sticker combined fuel-economy rating of 25 mpg (9.4 L/100 km) by a wide margin.

That’s what the Environmental Protection Agency says most drivers should achieve in city/highway motoring with the extensively reworked 3.5L SOHC V-6.

The WardsAuto team of hyper-miler flunkies averaged 29.4 mpg (7.9 L/100 km) in early November – outstanding for an engine this size – while editor Christie Schweinsberg set the high bar at 31.1 mpg (7.5 L/100 km) after a weekend road trip to northern Michigan.

“I saw 35.5 mpg (6.6 L/100 km) on the trip computer after the first 100 miles (160 km) on the freeway,” Schweinsberg reports. Factor out the 258 miles (415 km) she logged, and the combined mileage still exceeds 29 mpg.

Now, aren’t consumers complaining a lot of vehicles deliver disappointing real-world fuel economy, which suggests the EPA test cycle represents something other than the real world? Oh, the folks at Hyundai must be eating their hearts out.

For delivering exemplary fuel economy and simultaneously pulling like a freight train at hard throttle, Honda’s improved 3.5L V-6 earns its 4th Ward’s 10 Best Engines trophy since 2005.

We’ve always cherished this 60-degree titan as an unsung hero whose power easily surpasses the numbers on the spec sheet.

The latest iteration comes with several significant updates and makes a convincing argument that modern engines do not need direct fuel injection to achieve benchmark performance. Besides, port-injection engines such as Honda’s V-6, as well as Chrysler’s 3.6L Pentastar, are less expensive to build.

Honda has an edge with a new cylinder-deactivation system that saves more fuel than on the previous-generation engine. The Variable Cylinder Management system used to shut down 2 or 3 cylinders at a time, depending on driving load. Now, it only switches to 3-cyl. mode.

When maximum power is required, all 6 cylinders are firing, and transitions between the 2 modes are seamless. Enabling VCM to work more often is a new, more-robust 28-volt active engine mount system that minimizes engine vibration during the transitions. An active noise-control system cancels any other undue sounds within the interior. VCM is available only with the 6-speed automatic transmission.

For the 1st time, this new Accord application combines VCM with Honda’s heralded Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control (VTEC) system, which changes valve lift, timing and duration of the intake valves to deliver more torque earlier in the powerband.

Separate from VCM, the system is intelligent enough to vary valve operation based on the driving situation and engine speed. At low rpm, VTEC optimizes intake valve timing and lift for increased torque.

As the tachometer needle passes 5,150 rpm, VTEC transitions to a high-lift, long-duration intake-cam profile for superior power at high-rpm. With the manual transmission, this transition happens even earlier, at 4,900 rpm.

Each low-pressure cast-aluminum cylinder head incorporates a new “tumble port” design that enhances combustion efficiency, and an integrated exhaust manifold within each head requires fewer parts, improves flow and allows for closer coupling of the catalytic converter downstream, which reduces emissions.

Put all this technology together, and this new silky-smooth “Earth Dreams” V-6 positively storms. “It’s never lacking for acceleration,” writes WardsAuto editor Byron Pope.

tmurphy@wardsauto.com

Fibonacci

After this epic thread bump, my vote for engine of the year goes to the 4.0 monster in the S8. VAG for the win.

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

It's great to see that both engines in the Accord have won the award.

Ken1997TL

Both impressed me during the test drives. The CVT in the I4 is the first I found unoffensive. I even found it quite responsive. A pity I can't swap it into my TSX wagon, it has more than enough power on the highway and would get even better mileage.

Hapa DC5

Nice, glad Honda is getting a little mojo back. Still have a lot to do with Acura and other models, but the revised Civic, Fit, Accord, Odyssey, CR-V all seem to be doing well.

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

How does the power and responsiveness feel compared to your TSX wagon if you don't mind sharing?

Crazy Bimmer

The rest if anyone cares.... 2013.

• 3.0L TFSI Supercharged DOHC V-6 (Audi S5)
• 2.0L N20 Turbocharged DOHC I-4 (BMW 328i)
• 3.0L N55 Turbocharged DOHC I-6 (BMW 135is coupe)
• 3.6L Pentastar DOHC V-6 (Ram 1500)
• 2.0L EcoBoost DOHC I-4 (Ford Focus ST/Taurus)
• 5.8L Supercharged DOHC V-8 (Ford Shelby GT500)
• 2.0L Turbocharged DOHC I-4 (Cadillac ATS)
• 2.4L DOHC I-4 (Honda Accord Sport)
• 3.5L SOHC V-6 (Honda Accord)
• 2.0L FA DOHC H-4 Boxer (Subaru BRZ)

http://wardsauto.com/vehicles-amp-te...ficiency-gains

Ken1997TL

The TSX feels slightly more hesitant but has more top end. The Accord's low and mid range makes it feel punchier. The CVT really has no bad driving characteristics.

SSFTSX

TSX wagon on avg 300lbs heavier than current Accord sedan with wider 225 tires. TSX engine really opens up between 80 to 120mph.

SSFTSX

in other words engine with longest names and some kind of boost.

Edward'TLS

Finally, after all these years of miserable absence, Honda has come back on the Ward's 10 best engine list with a vengeance.

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

It's interesting to note that just a few years ago we were all thinking the J series was old and should be replaced with a new generation. It now seems like the J series can last for a few more years! This is not even the DI version.

dom

What took so long to add VTEC on the exhaust, that's what seems to have given it new life.

Legend2TL

My brother recently rented a 528 with the same Turbo N20 and he said it was really good overall motor in the low-mid rev ran. He's owned 5 BMW's (4 with straight six's) and was pretty impressed, especially the fuel economy.

Nice to see some US engines on the list.

Edward'TLS

For Honda application, yes; but for Acura application, no.

If Honda thinks this engine is competitive enough for the premium Acura line-ups, it won't have spend all that R&D cost on putting DI and other enhancements into the new 3.5L-V6 for the Acura flagship RLX model.

The aging J-series, in the current form, is simply not competitive enough for any mid-size and large-size Acura models, but only the upcoming 300hp DI 3.5L-V6 is.

However, this aging J-series, in the current form, is more than sufficient to be used on the economy-brand Honda line-ups, not just for a few more years, but even for another decade.

Note that only the HONDA Accord application of this 3.5L-V6 makes it to the Ward's list, and not the ACURA application of such.

Fibonacci

Fixed.

I just like saying Earth Dreams. It makes me feel...so...umm...dreamy.

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

Did they add VTEC to exhaust? I thought they only added proper performance VTEC to the intake. The 8th gen V6 5AT did not have real VTEC while the coupe V6 6MT did.

lol, I should have typed the second part of my post....I was wondering how the RLX engine would do next year...will it be in the 10 best? Obviously 278hp is not quite enough for Acura.

dom

My bad, correct.

Crazy Bimmer

This year's winners:

· 3.0L TFSI Supercharged DOHC V-6 (Audi S5)
· 3.0L Turbodiesel DOHC I-6 (BMW 535d)
· 3.0L Turbodiesel DOHC V-6 (Ram 1500 EcoDiesel)
· 83-kW Electric Motor (Fiat 500e)
· 1.0L EcoBoost DOHC I-3 (Ford Fiesta)
· 2.0L Turbodiesel DOHC I-4 (Chevrolet Cruze Diesel)
· 6.2L OHV V-8 (Chevrolet Corvette Stingray)
· 3.5L SOHC V-6 (Honda Accord)
· 2.7L DOHC H-6 boxer (Porsche Cayman)
· 1.8L Turbocharged DOHC I-4 (Volkswagen Jetta)

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/12/12/w...-engines-2014/

Yumcha

Hey Jesal...hope you don't mind if I merged it with the existing thread.

Crazy Bimmer

Not at all, was actually hoping you would.