Two Chrysler engines in Ward’s Top Ten

This year’s winners of the prestigious Ward’s Top Ten were (in alphabetical order) the BMW 5-series electric motor, the Corvette Stingray’s 6.2 liter V8, the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat V8, the Ford Fiesta three-cylinder, one-liter turbo, Hyundai Tuscon fuel cell vehicle, Mini Cooper 1.5 turbo three cylinder, the Ram 3-liter VM diesel, Subaru WRX four-cylinder turbo, VW Golf 1.8 liter turbo four, and Volvo S60 with a four cylinder turbo.

Chrysler was the only company to have two engines on the list, though one of them was made by Fiat’s VM.

Ward’s noted that most of the 37 engines proposed for their top ten award were turbocharged fours, with just a handful of naturally aspirated V6 powerplants. There were five diesels in the competition, down from six. Four electrics were included, and three V8s, and three supercharged, two hybrids, three V8s, a fuel cell, and a scattering of other engine types.

On the Hellcat, Tom Murphy said: “Despite brute force, you drive it, not the other way around… it was life-changing, that much torque… crept in under the price cap by $5, that’s with the gas guzzler.” It may have been the first vehicle to make the list despite a gas guzzler tax. They noted it was extremely quiet.

The Ram diesel V6 was “stout-hearted, sturdy… cold starts are no problem.” They praised its technology and quietness. “The real story is diesels in the light duty pickups.” They said the diesel had a 20% share though it has a high price premium. “They dealt with the NVH [noise/vibration/harshness] issues.”

As read on: http://www.allpar.com/news/index.php/2014/12/two-mopar-engines-in-wards-top-ten