Force-fed engines best, says Ward's

The annual Ward's 10 Best Engines list has been revealed, with the vast majority of engines focussed on fuel-efficiency and CO2 emissions via forced induction.

Ward’s yearly list of 'best' engines has been running for 20 years and this year includes only two carryover champs from 2013: the Audi S5's 245kW/440Nm 3.0-litre supercharged V6 and, for the fifth time, the Honda Accord's 206kW/339Nm 3.5-litre V6.

For 2014, Ward’s chose a wide variety of winners, spanning petrol, diesel and even electric powertrains from Europe and the Americas.

Notable winners included a trio of diesel engines -- the highest number of oilers ever awarded -- which are traditionally unloved in the US market. The 180kW/570Nm 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel that powers the Dodge Ram 1500 got a gong, as did BMW's 230kW/630Nm 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder turbo-diesel from the 535d.

The 120kW/360Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine from the Holden Cruze, badged the Chevrolet Cruze in the USA, was a surprise entrant.

The sole electric motor that made the list was that in the Fiat 500e. Although only available for sale in California, the all-electric city-car pumps out 83kW/200Nm and has a range of 137km via its 24kWh lithium-ion battery.

Eight engines are new to the US-centric awards, which require eligible engines to be available in the USA by the first quarter of 2014, and must have a base price of no more than $US60,000 ($A67,000).

In 2014 only a pair of four-cylinder engines made the cut -- the Cruze's diesel and the Volkswagen Jetta's 1.8-litre 125kW/250Nm turbo-petrol mill.

Ford had just one entry in the 2014 list and the only three-cylinder engine. Its 1.0-litre turbo-petrol 92kW/170Nm EcoBoost engine, which is available in Australia in the EcoSport compact SUV, has also been praised in Europe, taking out the International Engine of the Year award in the past two years.

However, with BMW and MINI planning a three-cylinder engine onslaught in the next few years, we could see the number of triples growing in popularity in the coming years.

While the list includes a number of ultra-efficient powerplants, performance engines weren't forgotten either with the Porsche Cayman's engaging 202kW/290Nm 2.7-litre flat six-cylinder given a guernsey.

The new Chevy Corvette Stingray's thumping 339kW/624Nm 6.2-litre pushrod V8 was the highest-output engine in this year’s top 10.

2014 Ward’s 10 Best Engines

1.0-litre turbocharged inline-three (Ford Fiesta)
1.8-litre turbocharged inline-four (Volkswagen Jetta)
2.0-litre turbo-diesel inline-four (Chevrolet Cruze)
2.7-litre six-cylinder boxer (Porsche Cayman)
3.0-litre supercharged V6 (Audi S5)
3.0-litre turbo-diesel inline-six (BMW 535d)
3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 (Ram 1500)
3.5-litre V6 (Honda Accord)
6.2-litre V8 (Chevrolet Corvette Stingray)
Electric motor (Fiat 500e)