Automakers Zeroing In On The 2.0 Liter 4 Cylinder, But Will It Become A Legend Like The V8?

An unmistakable trend emerged as WardsAuto editors cycled through 36 vehicles during evaluations for the 2012 Ward’s 10 Best Engines competition: Engines are getting smaller.

Not only are 4-cyl. engines ubiquitous and a lot more enjoyable to drive, they also are gravitating toward a universal displacement of 2.0L.

Yes, there are new 1.6L and 1.8L I-4s, but eight of 34 engines evaluated for 2012 displace 2.0L and four of them made this year’s list. Of all the trophies awarded over the course of 18 years of Ward’s 10 Best Engines, never before have that many engines of the same size made the cut.

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chewy - 1/13/2012 2:15:03 PM

+1 Boost

I think that has a lot more to do with Acura creating a bad turbo engine in the first place. As for the displacement, .5 liter cylinders appears to be the perfect size for production engines.

MorePower - 1/13/2012 6:20:33 PM

+4 Boost

The 3.5L V6 is today's V8, especially when forced inducted. The 2.0L Turbo four will become the yesterday's 3.0L V6's of the mid to late 90s.