[Jason]

BIMMERPOST NEWS

BMW B58 Engine Picked as Wards 10 Best Engines of 2017

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SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Dec. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- WardsAuto's 23rd annual Wards 10 Best Engines list honors a diverse set of powertrains that appeal to a wide range of tastes and budgets.

Three electrified drivetrains make the Wards 10 Best Engines list for the second time in as many years, while all seven remaining honorees are turbocharged, illustrating the industry trend toward downsized powertrains with forced induction and direct fuel injection.

For the first time in 23 years of testing, no V-8 engines earned a spot on the Wards 10 Best Engines list, but many of the high-output turbocharged 6-cyl. engines in the competition, even some that didn't make the cut, generate enough horsepower and torque to fill the void. Two of the honorees are returning winners.

Since 1995, the competition has recognized outstanding engines and electrified propulsion systems, as well as the technology and engineering behind them. This year's field of 40 nominees include all new or significantly improved powertrains, as well as last year's ten returning winners.

The Wards 10 Best Engines of 2017:

3.0L Turbocharged DOHC I-6 (BMW M240i / 340i / 440i / 740i) ["B58"]
1.5L DOHC 4-cyl./Dual Motor EREV (Chevrolet Volt)
3.6L DOHC V-6/Dual Motor PHEV (Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid)
2.3L Turbocharged DOHC 4-cyl. (Ford Focus RS)
2.0L DOHC 4-cyl./Dual Motor HEV (Honda Accord Hybrid)
1.4L Turbocharged DOHC 4-cyl. (Hyundai Elantra Eco)
3.0L Turbocharged DOHC V-6 (Infiniti Q50)
2.5L Turbocharged DOHC 4-cyl. (Mazda CX-9)
2.0L Turbocharged DOHC 4-cyl. (Mercedes-Benz C300)
2.0L Turbo/Supercharged DOHC 4-cyl. (Volvo V60 Polestar)

"Automakers see downsizing, turbocharging and electrification as key strategies for delivering no-compromise powertrains that also are fuel-efficient, and this year's list clearly affirms that strategy," says WardsAuto Senior Content Director Drew Winter.

WardsAuto editors evaluated the 40 vehicles in October and November, driving to and from home, work, school, the hardware store and on weekend road trips. Vehicles must have a base price no higher than $62,000 to be eligible.

Editors score each powertrain based on horsepower, torque, comparative specs, noise attenuation, observed fuel economy and the application of new technology. The guiding principles: Does the engine or electric propulsion system truly sell the car or raise the bar for its competitive set?

The winning automakers will be honored at an awards ceremony to be held January 11 in Detroit. More information on the Wards 10 Best Engines program can be found at http://wardsauto.com/engines/10-best-engines

[Arcades]

but but... its not truly 2017 yet...

[jeremicium]

It's in fine company. Shares the honor with engines from the Chrysler Pacifica and Hyundai Elantra.

[No Boost]

No doubt the B58 is awesome but it's in pretty poor company on that list. The B48 is even better than most listed.

[Kreester]

The 2.0L Turbo/Supercharged DOHC 4-cyl. (Volvo V60 Polestar) is the winner :-/. It's the downsizing trend....

[Falafel Combo]

BMW inline 6 engines are the cats meow!

[Falafel Combo]

No VW's made the list? That's interesting.

[damnitBobby]

so these are the chosen ones based on how well they drive to the hardware store?

lol some scientific evaluations there.. this whole Wards 10 best engine thing is a joke

[Mak5th]

wow

[goj]

Looks like GMs new 3.6 fell off to what looks like Infiniti's new 3.0t!

[raysspl]

Good stuff. May have to try the B58 soon in a M240i 'vert

[insanecoder]

Two years in a row B58 tops the list of the outstanding engines .. no argument there.
Theres so much to love about it and knock on wood no problems either so far!

[Eddien123]

Not only is there no V8 but there is no N/A engines. Sad world we live in.

Edit: how did Mercedes 2.0 make it but BMWs or Audis did not? I heard that 2.0 in the C and E class is a dog.

[GuidoK]

Originally Posted by Kreester

The 2.0L Turbo/Supercharged DOHC 4-cyl. (Volvo V60 Polestar) is the winner :-/. It's the downsizing trend....

Well, 367hp out of a 2l engine is still impressive. Mercedes gets 380hp (a45 amg) but volvo has multiple systems in that engine to counter turbolag (first there is the supercharger, but it also has its own airbuffer to spool up the turbo).
So from a technical POV its a very complicated engine; much more complicated that the average prehistoric US V8 block.

They all do downsizing because they otherwise cant make any cars anymore. That goes for bmw too. IF they dont comply with a certain carbon footprint they loose their permit to produce cars altogether. That goes for every manufacturer except US car manufacturers (no Kyoto).

[Paul-Bracq-BMW]

Originally Posted by Stage IV

No doubt the B58 is awesome but it's in pretty poor company on that list. The B48 is even better than most listed.

Restriction is for cars priced below $60,000, so there will be superior engines that are not in there... The B58 is agreat engine though as seen here how it makes the G30 540i perform almost at the same level as the previous generation bi-turbo V8 from the 550i! http://g30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1333963

[boosted43]

surprised the new mercedes twin turbo v6 didn't make it to that list. I personally think it is a far superior motor compared to the n55/b58.

[Chihuahua]

Originally Posted by insanecoder

Theres so much to love about it and knock on wood no problems either so far!

Give it time, it's only been out for less than two years.

[GuidoK]

Originally Posted by kabawi91

surprised the new mercedes twin turbo v6 didn't make it to that list. I personally think it is a far superior motor compared to the n55/b58.

I think its surprising that the alfa romeo 2.9 V6 TT isnt in that list.
As far as specific output goes it blows that merc engine and the bmw engine completely away.
BMW b58: 144,7HP/L
MERc 3.0 v6 tt: 132,2HP/L
Alfa 2,9 V6 tt: 176,4HP/L !!

Looks like an easy choice to me regarding they are all engines designed to be used in sports sedans/coupes...

Ward has missed a lot of truely great engines many times before due to a complete lack of knowledge about engines outside the USA but the alfa QV comes to the US in this case....

[pokeybritches]

Standing by for Camaro ZL1 and Shelby GT350 owners to do a Chevy Volt motor swap...

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by GuidoK

I think its surprising that the alfa romeo 2.9 V6 TT isnt in that list.

The Giulia does not have a $62,000 or lesser asking price, a primary prerequisite of this particular award (as mentioned in the OP).

The premise is that these engines should be attainable, so they set a price limit.

[jpnh]

Originally Posted by Kyle B

Give it time, it's only been out for less than two years.

This is my biggest concern about the B58

IIRC instead of a sleeve in the cylinder it has some sort of coating on the cylinder bore

This raises the question of rebuild capabilities in my mind at least

What are they going to do down the line?

Sell a sleeve kit that can be installed in a bored out block or is this a truly disposable block?

[insanecoder]

Originally Posted by Kyle B

Give it time, it's only been out for less than two years.

True true but service is already saying for a new engine its been very very quiet on the issues front which is promising.. after all initial quality is some indication .. as far as which plastic parts fail down the line in years 3-5 we will find out.