What makes an engine great? Horsepower might be the first thing that comes to mind – no surprise there. Certainly a great engine is a reliable one – can’t discount that. And when it’s time for maintenance, those of you who do your own wrenching surely assign additional greatness points to engines that don’t make you remove a chassis crossmember to access the oil filter. And then there’s smoothness, throttle response, and sound. And what the heck, let’s add “looking cool” to the engine-greatness checklist. It’s not a box everyone is concerned about checking, but if you like looking at engines, cooler-looking ones are better. So let’s hear it:
What are the best engines you’ve experienced?
[Editor’s Note: Torque curve and ability to handle more power are also key. I’m going to say that the AMC straight six and, surprisingly, the VM 425 diesel in my Chrysler Voyager have been the best engines I’ve experienced. (I’ve also loved the Chrysler Slant-Six “Leaning Tower of Power” and the Australian “Hemi Six,” but I haven’t driven those as far. -DT]
Last time around, we asked you what car you would never buy again. The answers included Mercury Monarchs and minivans, Explorers and Eagles and Elantras, BMWs and Buicks. But the heat a few of you had for Volkswagen really jumped out, especially as you were talking about newish and relatively low-mile cars. Most notably, here are Nsane In The Membrane and staffma with their Very Woeful tales:
Thanks in advance for your comments, we’ll do it again tomorrow!
Many will post on the M54, but I like my N52 even more.
Much love for the 2GR-FE in the minivan, and my first (engine) love will never be forgotten… The LL0 (Saturn DOHC I-4).
BMW’s N52 is a great motor. My son’s X3 3.0si has it. Too bad it’s connected to that terrible GM 6 speed auto.
I have a strict BMW rule of only manuals!
The 2GR-FE is also in the Evora and Emira. It’s pretty sweet.
I hate to say it but I did love the 2GR-FE in my RAV4. Fastest vehicle Toyota made at the time. Would rev high in manual mode, and only ever needed a water pump and front main seal (real easy to get to) for 155k miles.
Even worse is I like the LGX in my Acadia I bought to replace the RAV4. Revs even higher than the 2GR-FE, and if you really want to you can throw the Camaro/CTS tune on it for +25 hp, but the transaxle can only handle so much power in this application.
The high-feature motors were very good at the time… their main downfall was the timing chain stretch issue. My family had a Saturn Outlook with that motor and it was impressive when new.
I had a quick go in an Evora a couple of weeks ago – that engine was FANTASTIC!
Came here to sing the praises of the N52 motor (especially with the 3-stage intake manifold & 130i tune). Linear power delivery, winds up nicely to over 7k with silky-smooth inline-six action. Mated to a 6MT and it’s an absolute joy to drive.
(I’ve also driven the M54, which is an extremely nice mill as well, but the N52 is just that much better)
Isn’t the N52 horribly unreliable? Or was it the N54?
N54 was the twin turbo nightmare.
Honda civic SI MK6, 1600ccm 160hp 8500tr/min a sound amazing, probably the best L4 non turbo I owned!
Easy answer, the Toyota 2AZ-FE. Having owned 4 Camrys with this engine (I, my mom, and my dad each currently own one; my sister bought an Impreza and gave hers to a friend looking for a car for their daughter to use for school), my family has some good familarity with it. They’re kinda boring and undramatic, but it’s exactly what you want for a DD. Guaranteed to last more than 200k miles (three of them are above 200k with the forth being purchased a few months ago at 98k) and able to easily keep up with “modern” traffic. The only common problem we’ve had is the valve cover gasket which has occured on 3/4 of the cars, but it’s very easy to repair and has only occurred once each vehicle. They may not have the “heart” of a Busso V6 or the support of the LS, but it’s a great engine for many situations.
I had an 04 Camry with this engine. Lasted 210K before it was involved in a collision. Insurance didn’t want to fix it, but I’m 100% certain that it’s out there with a salvage title still racking up miles.
Paired with the 4-speed auto, it was kind of gutless when trying to accelerate up a steep onramp, but the engine was the one thing on that car that never gave me trouble. I even autocrossed that car once; with no front sway bar, it would pick up the inner-rear tire in each turn. I ran the entire course in first gear, banging it off the rev limiter in a few places. The engine didn’t care at all.
Ford Duratec/Mazda L 4cyl.
Great combination of Ford durability/parts availability and Mazda rev-happy character.
Been bulletproof in my Focus, and manages to deliver the rare experience of being both no fuss AND reasonable/real-world fun. For 85% of driving (for me anyway), that’s what I want.
Agree, the 2.0 Mazda MZR-LF VE in my “NC1” generation Miata is just nothing but fun.
Owned 2 cars with different flavors of this engine, a Focus and a 6. Both were 100% reliable. Great engine.
Yeah have to agree, we had an ‘05 and an ‘08 focus with the 2.0L duratech.
both cars ran for 180k/14ish years with a variety of annoying issues after they were 10 years old, but the engines and transmissions were just as good as day one with only routine oil, transmission and coolant flushes.
That is:
– the 05 zx3 had a manual with a heavy flywheel that made the 1-2 shift slow but was terrific in 3rd through 5th.
– the 08 sedan had a 4-speed AT that was great in 1st through 3rd, but you didn’t want it to shift into 4th below 70 unless you were on flat ground and in absolutely no hurry (cruised nicely at 75+ though). OD button ftw!
I don’t have a lot of experience with “special” engines necessarily but I will shout out a few that I’ve really enjoyed.
LT1 V8-just a magnificent powertrain. There’s torque all over the rev range and at wide open throttle it’s a symphony for the senses. Also simple and reliable as it’s a descendent of the LS. The GM small blocks are venerated for a reason.
Audi’s supercharged and later turbo’d sixes-I’ve driven an A6 3.2 with the supercharged 6 and an SQ5 with the current turbocharged one. Most of all these things are smoooooth…but they also sound really good for a luxury 6 cylinder and they make great power down low. I wouldn’t touch one out of warranty…but they’re still excellent. Although I have yet to experience a B58 and apparently it’s such a gem that it pretty much ruins most other German engines.
The turbo Theta 2 in Hyundai Ns-obviously I’m biased here since I wound up buying one but I think this is the most characterful 4 cylinder currently on the market. They sound incredible for what they are, they rev freely, they’ve got torque all over the power band, and they’re still pulling at redline. A lot of turbo 4s lose steam up high but these don’t. Highly recommend.
5.3 L LS
She’ll go
The LT1 is a fantastic engine, sounds amazing, torque and power like the hand of a god pushing you along, compact size, respectable fuel economy, from an engine family with multiple wins across WEC, IMSA, and much smaller series, yes it’s popular for swaps, because IT. JUST. FUCKING. WORKS.
Seconded
must be talking about the current LT1 and not the reverse cooled Optispark nightmare from the 90’s. My only gripe about the current LT1 is the cost to remove the terrible DFM system. if it is even possible ass some the very latest version do not offer a way to do this.
They make LT1’s without DFM
The F20c in my S2000 was by far the most fun to drive. The transmission and shifter were a big part of the experience. They meshed so well. Why oh why did I ever sell that car?
I have 219k on my AP1. Every time I think about selling it, I take it up to 9000 and I no longer want to get rid it. Great engine. Great car.
BMW Inline 6s. Doesn’t matter. Turbo or not. Creamy smooth, that awesome ripping sound.
5th gen Honda VFR. No VTEC, but gear driven cams in a V4 with a 13K redline is a whole symphony of sounds I can’t resist. It’s a unique sound that doesn’t seem to have a contemporary equivalent. And besides, gear driven cams are always The Best.
Ducati 916 era superbikes. Simple and powerful, they make a sound like no other motorcycle. The drumbeat of the big twin. The rattle of the dry clutch at a stop. That sort of raspy sound they make at 7 to 9k is just intoxicating. On the track, I could always hear them and my brain would just slump a little. “Another freaking Ducati has caught me.”
Any Porsche flat six. I dunno what it is, but there’s nothing like that sound; a kind of cross between a big crackly American V8 and something far more exotic. Few vehicles respond as well to exhaust system mods, IMHO.
Ages ago I was lucky enough to volunteer in the pits at Laguna Seca. When the Ducatis came back into the pit area they sounded great. When they went around turn 11 and headed up the straight they were AMAZING.
I totally agree on the Bimmer sixes. I’ve had cars with an M20 (325ix), M52 (328ic), N52 (X3 3.0si), N55 (X3 35ix), and now a B58 (440ix cabrio). It’s not just the power those engines make, but the sound is sublime. That’s coming from a man the grew up on American V8’s.
The N55 is underrated and seems to get a bad rap from the N54, it still has the oil filter housing gasket issue but other than that it has been a great engine so far in a 335i.
Or any any of its various applications. I have one in my ’02 Mustang, and it’s a great all-rounder: well-engineered from the factory, reasonably easy to fix/parts are plentiful, and decent power for what it is.
I’ve had precisely one major problem with mine, and it was a (small) big problem – a molded-in plastic coolant outflow nipple (I don’t know what’s it’s actually termed) disintegrated, necessitating a new intake manifold. Sigh. But which now has that nipple in cast aluminum instead of plastic. 😉
And million police cars and taxi cabs can’t be wrong!
The Jeep 4.0L – easy to work on and pretty much bulletproof.
I’ll also say the BMW M54 I-6, buttery smooth and a great runner. I had the ZHP version in an E46 330i.
I’ve had some good ones. Jeep 4.0- mine is the early iteration, with the Renix electronics still good.
But I will fight for this one- the late Ford Essex V6. While most know the 3.8/4.2 as a headgasket eater from early SN95s, MN12s, and Supercoupes, the later ones were great. The split portion design boosted power to a reasonable (for the time) 190hp, 225tq. Mine has never needed anything engine related replaced- brakes yes, but never burns oil, ticks, overheats. On mustangforums, there was a gentleman with over 600,000 miles on a stock never opened Longblock.
Mine survived a high school and college students driving. It’s survived being converted to run on E85, and a positive displacement supercharger. It still gets over 20mpg on ethanol, and always starts. The biggest issue was a bad tune that screwed up shiftpoints led to the automatic failing. But I stand by- the ford 3.8 is great.
This is a good under-the-radar choice. Like the best of Ford when it’s doing things right, they kept it around and methodically worked out the bugs until it was bulletproof.
Sound wasn’t too bad either, all said and done. Drove any number of Mustangs with it, and while not a V8 grumble, it sounded good for what it was I thought.
Gotta say, I’m a big fan of the 1.9 ALH TDI. 40+ mpg in a relatively heavy car, many hundreds of thousands of miles of reliable service, and lots of gumption, as well as huge tuning potential. What’s not to like?
I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the f22 in my Accord. Not the smoothest but sings at 6500 rpms and pulls better at 1500 rpm than a Honda has any right to.
Similar is the Ecotec 2.2 in my Cavalier. Butt ugly car, trash interior, pleasant motor. Strong low to mid rpm guts, but redline is only like 5200. Smoother than the Honda. I rather like it.
Ford Modular v8s (the crown Vic 4.6 and the much maligned triton 5.4) are really really smooth and have a lot of torque from really really low rpms. As in, more so than a pushrod Ford or Chevy. They drive nice.
I like the mod motors as well. There was annoyance with them at first in the Mustang world b/c Ford shifted the torque up in the RPMs compared to the outgoing 5.0 so it felt slower, but once they moved to the performance improvement (PI) heads in I think ’99, everything was fine again.
Some engines I’ve loved:
BMW M20B25 SOHC 2.5 i6
BMW M30B34 SOHC 3.4 i6
Nissan L28 2.8 i6
Porsche 4.8 V8
Audi 4.2 V8
BMW B58 3.0L i6
Honorable mention: Honda F22C1 2.2 L i4
Yay L28! Was it in a Z?
Any Toyota product with the 2gr just serves as a showcase of how damn good that motor is. Revs good, sounds good, GOBS of torque, as well as that wonderful N/A throttle response. It’s a damn shame that they are phasing it out, rather than making a hybridized version like the days of yore.
2GR-FKS is the best engine I’ve ever owned. Idles a bit rough in my opinion but other than that it is a masterpiece.
Great car engine, horrrible truck engine IMHO. Tacomas were better with the 4.0l. My coworker’s Camry just sings however!
Jeep 225 odd fire v-6 was fantastic.
78 rabbit 4 cyl with FI was great for 100K miles and no problems
My Dad swore by Ford 300 I-6 motors.
I currently have 2 vehicles with the 3.6L Jeep/Chrysler v-6 motors that are rather good.
It’s no secret I love my six cylinders. I would turn down ANY V8 for a great V6, which Mercy mocks me endlessly for lol. Anyway, here’s my list:
For fuel efficiency, power and reliability you can’t beat a gm 3800. Best balance of all 3.
Except a diesel, which will outperform it in all 3 simultaneously.
I can see your parents never rocked up in an early GM LF9 350c.i. diesel. That thing was shit. Horrible reliability. It was in the malaise era, so power was low on everything, but it was rated lower than the standard GM 350 for torque and HP. It was not bad on mileage, when it wasn’t shitting itself due to the cost cutting measures that GM took in developing the engine.
Well obviously small diesels are the better choice for most automotive applications; but after the gm 350 diesel debacle you will probably never get the majority of Americans in diesels ever again. I personally prefer old mechanical pump diesels.
So good that Ford copied it and did a worse job. GM 3800s just did what was written down for engine requirements, did it well, and didn’t complain. I think their biggest problem (along with most 90 degree V6’s) is that they don’t sound good and don’t run as smoothly as a 60 degree V6.
You beat met to the 3800. Probably not a popular pick but 100% my top.
Jeep 4.0. That’s the best. Hands down. Full stop. Honorable mentions are the Mercedes OM617 5 cylinder turbo diesel, Ford 300 straight 6, Gm 3800. Honorable Honorable mention Mazda rotary. Terrible reliability and fuel economy, but most fun per cc you can have in a car.
Currently own 3 4.0s and a Ford 300. The 4.0 has a much wider powerband and 40hp more, so I kind of prefer it. Both will run forever.
Fun fact: you know how a flat tappet cam will destroy itself without high zinc oil? Well that’s not necessarily true. Both the Ford 300 and the Jeep 4.0 kept flat tappets until the end of production. Mine has 225k and going strong running whatever 10w30 was cheapest, forget about high zinc.
Mine is currently at 368k, I use 15w40 rotella.
Rotella T4 in all my old Iron except the 454 in the 68 Camaro, Royal Purple make a fairly high ZDDP variant that offers modern oil efficiencies with the zinc already in there for these higher performance flat tappets.
I use it in all our current fleet which are all non vvt pushrod engines.
I will ask though, did your 4.0’s all not have the TUPI heads or the later non lubricated distributor shaft?
I’ve only owned one newer than 1996, a 2001 and that was a steaming pile. Only xj I’ve ever sent to the junkyard. The other dozen or so I’ve owned were all HO era.
I really like the OM603 that was in my Mercedes 300 SDL. Stock, it made only 149 horsepower and 209 lb-ft of torque, but with some upgraded injector pump threads, it is capable of double those figures. This 3,800 lb tuna boat of a car with its brick-like 0.36 Cd value could get 30 mpg at 70 mph with this engine. This means in a car with half the mass and CdA value, fuel economy could double! It’s also a dumb engine with minimal electronics, and doesn’t even need them to run, and the injector pump is mechanical.
I’ve seen videos of these engines swapped in lightweight cars. Here’s a video of a tuned one in a Datsun 240Z:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RghY0For0Q
Were money no object, I’d love to build a streamliner out of another Triumph GT6(I already have an electric one), put this OM603 engine in it, run it on waste fryer oil, tune it to 300-ish horses, and proceed to have an 11-second car at the drag strip that gets 70 mpg at 70 mph on the highway, can carve corners with competence, and break 200 mph on the salt flats. And with a 20 gallon tank installed, the range would be incredible.
Plus it would be fun to pull up next to a Ferrari or Lambo or Porsche or Tesla at a stop light, sounding like a farm tractor, then blow its doors off.
And think of the hoonage potential!
I thought the 603 had crank issues? I prefer the om617.
Depends on which 603. I like the 6-cylinder Mercedes diesels because they had better thermal efficiency than their 5-cylinder predecessors. The 3.5L version of the 603 had the crank/rod bending issue, and it occurred at random as not all engines were affected. The 3L did not. Albeit neither 6-cylinder variant was as robust at the OM617 3L 5 cylinder.
I love the 425 big block in my ’68 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 clone. When I bought the car in 1995 it had an Olds 350 which lasted less than a year. When I found out the rebuild cost for a 350 and a 455 was basically the same, I started looking for a 455. I found one in a junkyard that was still running and had it brought to the shop. It wasn’t until the rebuilt when we knocked the pistons in that we discovered it was a 425 with the wrong air cleaner label on top.
It turned out to be the best mistake ever. Same bore as the 455, but a shorter stroke and a guaranteed steel crank. The only pistons available we high compression and we dressed it up with an aluminum intake and topped it off with a Holley 650 that had been jetted. I’ve been enjoying this engine for more than 20 years – plenty of power, just the right amount of torque and never lets me down.
Plus it looks really cool. Wide deck on top and the accessories arrangement is nicer than the typical 455 with the alternator and power steering pumps up high.
I’ve driven Porsche’s 4.0 liter once. Haven’t stopped thinking about it since.
I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for the Mitsubishi 4G63. It pairs nicely with a turbo, manual transmission, and AWD.
The junior brother of that engine, the Mitsubishi 4G61 is one I’ll always remember fondly. I thrashed the hell out of three of those engines during 13 years of driving pizza, and never heard a peep of trouble from any of them.
There are a lot of other great engines I’ve experienced, but the Mitsu 4G61 is only one that’s given me almost three quarters of a million miles of hard service without complaint.
There are dozens of engines that have given me good service over the years, and a few that haven’t. But the little Mitsu 1.5l is special to me.
Obviously! (Slaps myself in the forehead just for forgetting that gem.)
Price no object is obviously the Dodge/SRT V10. No turbo engine can compare to the feeling of running 500+ ci through the gears, or the “big cam” throwing you back in your seat. Bonus points for reasonable serviceability/reliability metrics for an exotic car. If your budget allows for it, you can easily make 2000 rwhp in a streetable package, or more in a dedicated drag car.
As for something reasonably priced, it’s the Toyota 2GR 3.5L V6. Smoothly powerful, extremely reliable, decently fuel-efficient, very cheap to run. It’s everything the 3800 was, with 100 more hp and less ’90s GM vehicle attached to it. Buy one while you can.
But isn’t it a tractor engine?
*runs away laughing hysterically while protecting man area*
I’ll have you know that Porsche and Lamborghini have both built tractors. No shame in it.
But actually, there is some Chrysler 360 DNA in there, honestly not sure if that venerable motor was ever put into farm equipment.
There’s also some Lamborghini in the Viper V10 heritage as well but I’m sure you knew that long before I did.
Really very little.
Chrysler used their Italian subsidiary to help them learn to cast aluminum blocks, but Lambo did no work on any engine internals or anything.
I feel like the Honda J35 probably has a slight edge over the Toyota motor in smoothness, and with a new variant out in the Pilot, will remain available longer while Toyota picks off the V6 offerings. But, the Honda V6 doesn’t have the 3800like attribute as you put it the way the Toyota V6 does, with a timing chain and no cylinder deactivation and all.
I’m on my second vehicle with a J35. The first was a Saturn Vue and the second is a Honda Ridgeline. They are the two most reliable vehicles I’ve ever owned. All I’ve ever done to them is change the oil.
Might be because i work at a Toyota dealership but i’m not a huge fan of the 2GR myself. Eats too many headgaskets for my taste. Then again it might just be another case of “dealership syndrome” where you see all the problems of one brand and go “ewwwwww”…
Slant 6. No real surprise there…it may not be powerful but it’ll keep running til the sun cools.
Similarly, the 2.3 Lima as found in my FIL’s Ranger. Unbelievably rugged and surprisingly efficient.
Yamaha’s three cylinder engines. Any one just take your pick. I had alot of experience in the early 2000’s on a two stroke triple Yamaha Viper snowmobile, now ride a four stroke naturally aspirated Viper, and have an 850 FJ-09 motorcycle. All three cylinder and all fantastic! You can pile miles on them, mod the snot out of them, turbo them, neglect them, and they will always deliver an amazing experience.