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Ward’s announces 2012 Best Engines: list loaded with direct injection and 4 cylinder models

Ward’s Auto today announced their 2012 winners for Best Engines. The awards will be officially presented at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January.

Direct injection gained popularity more than a decade ago with the arrival of modern clean turbodiesel engines, especially in Europe, and now high-pressure gasoline direct injection is sweeping across the industry in everything from entry-level compacts to luxury cars and fullsize pickups.

Direct injection, whether deployed in diesel or gasoline engines, has been proven to reduce fuel consumption and improve low-end torque, which makes for quicker acceleration.

This year’s winners and the applications tested:

  • 3.0L TFSI Supercharged DOHC V-6 (Audi A6)
  • 2.0L N20 Turbocharged DOHC I-4 (BMW Z4/528i)
  • 3.0L N55 Turbocharged DOHC I-6 (BMW 335i coupe)
  • 3.6L Pentastar DOHC V-6 (Chrysler 300S/Jeep Wrangler)
  • 2.0L EcoBoost DOHC I-4 (Ford Edge)
  • 5.0L DOHC V-8 (Ford Mustang Boss 302)
  • 2.0L Turbocharged DOHC I-4 (Buick Regal GS)
  • 1.6L DOHC I-4 (Hyundai Accent/Kia Soul)
  • 2.0L Skyactiv DOHC I-4 (Mazda3)
  • 3.5L DOHC V-6 HEV (Infiniti M35h)

Of those engines, the only ones using conventional multi-port injection rather than direct injection are the Infiniti hybrid, Chrysler Pentastar and Ford V-8.

The 2012 list also is populated with five 4-cyl. engines, compared with three last year. But five is not a record: In 2010, six 4-cyl. powerplants took Ward’s 10 Best Engines honors.

Forced induction also is well-represented, with four turbocharged and one supercharged powerplant on this year’s list. In each case, forced induction enables a smaller, more fuel-efficient engine to deliver outstanding performance.

News Source:  Ward’sAuto.com

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