Turbocharged Engines Dominate 2017 10 Best Engine Awards

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, a V-8 fails to earn a spot on the 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 return winners.

The Class of 2017 in alphabetical order:

3.0L Turbocharged DOHC I-6 (BMW M240i)
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)


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MDarringer - 12/12/2016 3:01:37 PM

0 Boost

And if you drive a turbo like a non-turbo engine it will not last as long. All these turbos are well and fine, but people do not realize that to make them last, they are higher maintenance. From what I see, vehicle maintenance is an anathema to most buyers.

Agent009 - 12/12/2016 4:23:36 PM

+2 Boost

Mine have never had a problem with one over 220,000 miles.

HOWEVER I only used synthetic oil and quality filters.

Those that cheap out pay the price. Turbos in big rigs are not typically an issue so they shouldn't be in a car.

MDarringer - 12/12/2016 4:45:08 PM

0 Boost

@Agent009...and I quote: "HOWEVER I only used synthetic oil and quality filters..." my point proven. You did preventative maintenance by attending to higher quality products to prolong the life of the turbo

Turbos in big rigs are not an issue BECAUSE truck drivers tend to be on top of preventative maintenance BECAUSE downtime is money out of their pockets.

The fact is that most owners drive turbos like regular engines and right around 100K miles the engines begin to exhibit signs of failure (drastically increased oil and coolant consumption due to head gaskets getting ready to blow).

To this day, warming up a turbo engine before letting it go full boost and letting it cool down before shutting off are still good precautions.

I wouldn't own a turbo without a turbo timer to be honest.