Rotaries, hybrids and Hemis; oh my! Ward's top 10 engines
Mazda's Renesis rotary engine
by Lisa Yeung posted Dec 9, 2003
Well folks, it's that time of year again: top-ten list time. Not surprisingly, the winners of the 2004 Ward's Ten Best Engines have been announced. And this year's group has some unusual surprises.
The winners' circle of the 10th anniversary edition of Ward's reknown list includes Mazda Motor Corp.'s all-new Renesis rotary engine and Toyota Motor Corp.'s more-powerful hybrid-electric Prius drivetrain, two "non-traditional" engine systems, according to a statement released by Ward's on Dec. 9, 2003.
The Renesis is the newest incarnation of rotary engine for Mazda, the only company to currently offer a rotary design, according to Ward's. A rotary engine is an internal combustion engine in which power is transmitted directly to rotating components, as opposed to the individual pistons that move back and forth in a traditional combustion engine. Ward's said the Renesis engine features "significant and exciting new improvements to the design."
Toyota's Prius hybrid-electric drivetrain combines a four-cylinder gasoline engine with an electric motor that enhances the gasoline engine's power. Ward's commended the Prius engine for its "high mileage, excellent responsiveness and remarkably low emissions."
Other winners included Subaru's high-performance horizontally opposed "boxer" four-cylinder engine, which powers the Subaru WRX STi; Audi's 4.2L DOHC V-8, which powers the S4; DaimlerChrysler's 5.9L inline six-cylinder turbodiesel engine, as well as its 5.7L Hemi Magnum V-8 engine, which was "the best- marketed, best-advertised engine in the industry," according to Bill Visnic, Ward's senior technical editor.
The Ward's Ten Best Engines for 2004 are:
Engine (and tested vehicle)
Audi AG 4.2L DOHC V-8 (S4)
BMW AG 3.2L DOHC I-6 (M3)
DaimlerChrysler AG 5.7L Hemi Magnum OHV V-8 (Dodge Ram)
DaimlerChrysler AG 5.9L Cummins 600 OHV I-6 turbodiesel (Dodge Ram Heavy Duty)
Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. Subaru 2.5L DOHC turbocharged H-4 (Subaru WRX STi)
General Motors Corp. Vortec 4.2L DOHC I-6 (GMC Envoy)
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. 3L DOHC V-6 (Accord Coupe)
Mazda Motor Corp. 1.3L Renesis rotary (RX-8)
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. 3.5L DOHC V-6 (Infiniti G35)
Toyota Motor Corp. 1.5L DOHC I-4 Hybrid (Prius)
