Last weekend’s attempt at pinning down the Ten Worst Engines ever was lively, educational, and stayed very civil. So let’s take on the opposite end of the spectrum: the ten best engines ever.
Obviously, it’s a bit harder given the lack of criteria. Bad is…obviously bad. But what makes an engine exceptionally good? Performance? Efficiency? Durability? Running quality? Looks? Affordability? Well, I’m going to let you mostly sort that out, but I’ll suggest one or two things: First, any engine needs to be considered in its place in history; meaning its qualities should (obviously) be compared to its contemporaries. Second, realistically, it should to be the overall balance of qualities that makes a engine superior, and without any significant shortcomings. Yes, some engines might have excelled in one or two categories, but unless an engine was well rounded, it’s not really going to deserve to be one of the very best, in terms of passenger car use.
I regret putting a 1965 cut-off on the last debate, so the whole of passenger car enginedom is up for consideration, but realistically, it’s a bit harder for most of us to really debate the merits of the 1903 Lanchester, despite its many superlatives.
I’ve had a few I’d nominate, not having tried every engine… Mopar Slant-six, Toyota 2-TC, Volvo 2.3, Honda K-block…all worked well for me.
For a 4 cylinder, I’d say Fiat’s 1298cc SOHC motor used in the 128 and pre-1979 X1/9s. Over-square in design and nearly indestructible, as long as you changed the timing belt as recommended.
Having driven almost 350,000 in Yugos with same engine, I do have completely opposite view…
Distributor is so badly mounted that most deeper puddles should be taken with extreme caution. I have been stranded in the pouring rain several times….
Engines have no torque (due to oversquare design…), gaskets do fail without reason, as do auxilary belts (bad design).
Fuel pumps are not durable (membrane should be changed with belts…), they tend to burn oil ( and crankcase breather pipe is unplugged from the carb, usually around 50-60,000km, or carb gets chocked by vapours…) and there are at least 15-20 desing errors/improvements that should have been dealt with long time ago…
Granted, engine was never supposed to be produce worldwide well into 1990’s, but anyway….
Enthusiasts sing praises about these 1.1 and 1.3l, until they try small Honda, Mazda or Toyota engine….
Mercedes-Benz should not be excluded from this list, I only personally have experience with their more modern engines but they all seem to be exceptionally durable and smooth running.. All BMW straight sixes are exceptional engines as well
A few good ones come to mind for various reasons. In no particular order:
Chrysler slant six. Tough, durable, relatively efficient for the times. Oil in the crankcase was optional.
Ford 302. What did it not power at some point between 1968 and 1995? Not the most powerful, but could be. Quite efficient for what it was when fuel injected. Updated: Let’s say the Windsor series V8 family. The 289 and 351 were used in many applications and were the next populous next to the 302.
Chevrolet small block, particularly the 350. Going a step beyond the 302, what has it not powered?
The Ford 4.6 liter V8. An often misunderstood engine, it’s as stout as anything ever built.
Lastly, I’m going to include a drivetrain system, the hybrid system in the Prius, Camry, etc. efficient and able to take a beating in all types of uses.
Addition: The Ford FE series V8.
Good call on the Prius drivetrain
Yes indeed, certainly the most efficient of all time.
Yes to the Ford 302 (really all of the small-block Fords, especially the 289), once they had electronics to keep the emissions controls working while having a usable engine. The mid-70s 302 was horrid, but then what mid-70s Detroit engine wasn’t?
Also yes to the small-block Chevy.
Present-generation Mazda four-cylinder engines. Dead reliable, smooth running, good power, good mileage.
Late 80s-mid 90s Mazda-Ford 2.5 V-6. I had a couple of those up against the rev limiter a few times because they were so smooth and quiet I forgot to shift!
+I on the Mazda four.
I have to agree Don. Mid ’70s car engines could not pull the skin off a rotten banana. But they were old school designs, and reliable, maybe even more so given the timid power numbers.
I would go back 5 years earlier Jason and include the 289 with the 302. The 289 was winning races before most people had ever even seen one. Being on Fords, I also nominate the FE big block. Heavy, yes, but as reliable as an anvil. Not to mention the 427s that terrorized NASCAR in the 1960’s. Enough torque to tow a D9 Cat. on a trailer. Which is exactly what the 360FE in my brothers ’71 F-250 4X4 did for years before my brother bought it in ’79. Any engine with a 100+lb crankshaft like a FE is ok in my book…then there was mom’s ’68 Country Squire wagon with the 390… 🙂
Very good point about the 289 and the FE. I’m updating my statement!
And as a side note, if there was any gasoline engine that should have been converted to a diesel, the FE would get my vote.
“Chrysler slant six. Tough, durable, relatively efficient for the times. Oil in the crankcase was optional.”
Coolant was also optional. My buddy drove our work van about 20 miles with a smoked radiator core; NO coolant. It ticked for about 45 minutes while we went next door to the dealer and got a new rad. Filled it up and it was fine. They were still using it long after the body should have been scrapped.
Also:
-AMC 232/199/258/4.0 I6- indestructible.
-Mazda 12A and 13B Rotaries, after the seal updates for ’74. Ignore the redline.
-VW EA827 4 cyl. engines- often far better than the cars they were in.
-Mazda 2.3 4 cyl. Wow- chain-driven cams!
The Toyota UZ V8 engine family namely the 1 and 2UZ-FE’s. Very smooth, powerful and reliable. In everything from LS cars to Land Cruisers to Gen 1 Tundras.
I second the nomination. Derived from their ’80s CART/IRL racing engine, the UZ and successor UR are powerful, smooth, and seem just about indestructible.
In addition to the /6, I’d have to nominate the 3.3/3.8s. Decent power and pretty darn reliable. Our ’98 Grand Caravan made 279K before the transmission finally killed it. Engine was smoking a little but still reliable as a rock.
Chevy small block- self explanatory but imagine if it didn’t work and was quickly dropped
Porsche 2.0 flat 6- probably planned for VW 412 but instead had enough capacity for 911 to reach for the stars
Buick 3.8- shows the power of continued development
Mercedes TD 5-showed MB knew better in a newly austere world
Alfa twin cam four even in todays lemons races, a legend
Cadillac V8 368-500 big block, torque, still a real Caddy with that under hood. If the V864 version had just worked America could have kept a legendary big block.
Chrysler Slant 6 to give such durability in such cheap cars, what were they thinking?
Chrysler 360 so at the height of malaise a Duster is the fastest car in America, and 20 years later the fastest SUV in Jeep Grand Cherokee
Jaguar DOHC 6 sweeping up the dust of war Rule Britainnia
Lexus 4.0 V8 The LS400 showed a V8 that emphasized luxury without pushrods.
open chamber chevy 1963 427 -425hp race version 600hp
it was a street and track terror
/6… if the sheet metal were half as tough as their engines, old mopars would be still be everywhere.
I remember the GTX with a hemi or 440 with six pack scary fun cars
1970 gto 455 4 speed another take your breath away under hard acceleration
also 66 chevy 11 str 6 cylinder 3 speed on the column could barely hear it run great on fuel
justy 3 cylinder 5 speed awesome fuel mileage great in down town traffic like a go cart fun my friend called it clown car use to take to gym with buddys the weigh a least 250lbs had most leg room of any car i owned
Ford’s Modular 4.6 V8. Despite it coming up in the worst list, they’re absolutely bulletproof, 400K mile+ reliability, have adequate power in 2V form and plenty in 3V and 4V form, consistently get high 20s highway in car duty, in any configuration, are deceivingly simple to do major work on, and had bones good enough to serve as the foundation for arguably Ford’s best V8 ever…
Ford’s Coyote 5.0 V8. 400+ horsepower N/A with 5L. It wasn’t long ago the GM’s LSx series engines were top dogs on the street for making that kind of power in a smallblock package, and in LS6 form it a full liter to hit 400 horsepower. And Like the modular 4.6s it also gets great mileage, unlike the LSx engines(comparitively).
I’ve got an 09 F150 XLT 4X4 as my main driver and tow a 5500 LB camper with it. The 4.6 3V has plenty of power, gets 11-12 MPG towing, and with a light foot, gets 22 MPG on the highway. I love it. It works so smooth, and with the 6R80 it’s always got a gear to make power in.
Amen to the 4.6 mileage comment. My daughter has a tired 2000 Grand Marquis and gets 26-27 mpg on the flat highways of south Texas. And that is at 75-80 MPH.
You guys are lucky. Any of our 4.6 single exhaust Panther V8’s with the std 2.73 rear end are lucky to see 23-24 on straight highway trips with the crap ethanol gas in Upstate, NY.
I second this. I’ve owned four of them now in crown vics and F150s. At first I was loathe to work on them (spark plug wires and plug changes kind of suck), but other than routine maintenance, I’ve literally never had to complete a major repair. They just keep going. I can’t really agree on the mileage comments though. I’ve owned several lsx powered Tahoes that have equaled or bettered the mod motors mileage.
Speaking of, I have to throw the lsx for consideration in the top 10 list. What mine have lacked in trouble free-ness against their mod motored rivals, they’ve made up for in modability. I have jumped deep into a 5.3 for a cam swap, and it was a breeze. In fact, with the cam, an intake, full tube headers, and an exhaust, that little 5.3 made 420 hp on a dyno after tuning.
I was going to include the LSx engines as well, I was kind of hurried by the time I posted so I left it out. I may have touted the Coyote over them but they really set the bar high, in fact pretty much the only reason the 4.6 modulars gained an “underpowered” reputation was because of those concurrent LS engines, plus with the compact lightweight packaging they managed to even top the original Small Block Chevy for engine swap candidates.
As for the Modular mileage, I mainly meant car applications (Mustangs, MN12/FN10s, Panthers) The trucks and SUVs with them seem better suited to something bigger like the LS engines would offer.
The Mercedes OM617.950 Turbodiesel engine. And on a less three-pointed star note. The Toyota 22RE. Both are simple rugged powertrains that produce reasonable amounts of power.
I’d also like to nominate Ford’s 1.0-liter Ecoboost and the Honda C32B that powered the Honda NSX. Same reliability, amazing engineering to boot.
In no particular order –
*Chrysler slant six – Tough as nails.
*Chrysler flathead six – perhaps even toughter, and still built through 1968 for the Power Wagon, but certainly a niche choice.
*Chrysler 3.3 (I have no experience with the 3.8) – may go down as the toughest of anything built of its era.
*Ford 385 family (429/460) – durable as anything since the Model A
*Oldsmobile V8 – one of the allaround best tradeoffs between power, economy and durability.
*Jeep 4.0 inline six – a great engine
*Ford 4.6 – an engine that should have been used in more than it was.
Two other things – can we pleeze, pleeze go back to 1964 so I can nominate the Studebaker V8? What bad can you say about an engine that still used timing gears yet could set a record at Bonneville.
And I have not nominated the small block Chevrolet. I am going to be the curmudgeon here and say that it did not become ubiquitous because it was a great engine, but because it was not a bad engine in the best selling car for eons. I will acknowledge that it outperformed the Ford Y block and the Plymouth wide block, but it is nowhere near as durable as any of those listed above. The flipside was that they were so common that they could be rebuilt quickly and cheaply. So, Chevy should get the nomination for best all around tradeoff for the price.
I specifically said there was no age cut-off. Go back as far as you like. 1886 Benz? 🙂
The first engine that actually ran was automatically the best, since it was the only one. So if were talking the first 4 stroke gas engine, it would be the Otto cycle engine in 1864, if I can trust wiki’s info.
I will second the Ford 385 series. The 460 I had in my 1975 Thunderbird was smoother than butter and could get deceptively good fuel mileage if you kept your foot out of it. I squeezed 17 mpg out of mine a few times. Otherwise it was 12 to 13 mpg.
Chrysler’s 3.8 is essentially the 3.3 with a longer stroke crank. We’ve had 2 minivans with a 3.8. Seem to have a nice growl and a bit more low end torque than the 3.3. Been an awesome engine. I think someone here said the 3.3/3.8 were designed by the same engineer who did the /6.
Bob
I am with you JPC…I spent 28 years as a marine mechanic. Lot of small block Chevy’s in use as marine engines, where the loads are about the highest an engine sees. The Chevy’s are simply not as durable as other engines, and I attribute that to detonation from a combo of combustion chamber shape, and stupid owners running their boat on 3 or more year old fuel. And late SBC’s castings are so thin they will freeze crack from a cold stare… The SBC has put a lot of food on my table, as have OMC sterndrives…
1984 Camaro Z28 with the L-69 305 SBC motor and 5-speed tranny.
240,000+ miles without an engine rebuild in 15 years of daily driving.
I’d say that was pretty durable.
American manufacturers: GM 350 V-8, preferably Oldsmobile’s Rocket
Buick’s 3.8 SFI V-6
Chrysler Slant Six
Foreign manufacturers: Nissan 3.0 V-6
Honda 2.4 4-cylinder
From America: MoPar Slant 6 and Chevy Stovebolt 6.
From Sweden: any Volvo redblock, OHC or OHV.
From Germany: Mercedes OM616/617 Diesels.
2CV flat twin. Sounds fantastic, can be removed and rebuilt easily and cheaply. Fit for purpose. And they sound fantastic.
+1. Brilliantly simple to maintain (few mechanics I know usually take them out, put them on the bench, if for a change of plugs – save a lot of money on kyropractors:) ). Very frugal, charismatic, loves to be trashed (well, for any reasonable progres, it needs to be…) and sound is enchanting…:)
Nissan VQ in its many variants over the years. Have owned two versions, in the 99 Maxima and the current 2010 G37. Smooth, powerful, reliable. The VG in my 85 300ZX Turbo was terrific as well.
The Ford 460. Smooth as silk. And we’ll have to pretend gas mileage doesn’t matter.
There are several engines that check a few of the boxes but the GM 3800 V6 checks them all. Even though it was produced past it’s scheduled cancellation date due to popular outcry, it’s a shame GM didn’t just keep on building it. Did they really figure they would top it somehow?
The 3.0 Ford Vulcan is in my opinion a close second. Unlike the SBC, the block is made of quality material; I once saw one nearly 20 years old with the cylinder head off at 160,000 miles and the bores- complete with crosshatching- looked like they just left the factory. That engine will be in fine shape even when the rest of the car has rotted away around it.
One engine series that I wish was still around, being continually refined and developed for many decades like the SBC, is the 1.0 3 cylinder found in Metros. Light, durable, economical… it could have been a good powerplant for many, many more applications than it was used for.
I’ve always like the little 1.0 engines too, got to love 50+mpg. As an added benefit I think you could pull out the engine with your bare hands, minus the transaxle of course.
If I ran the world that 1.0 would be the SBC of this millenium.
Those were pretty good motors. I can’t wait to see if the ford 3cylinder ecoboost engine lasts as well.
I was hoping someone else knew and loved the Suzuki one-litre triple! 130+km/h at the hands of my daughter (that’s what she owned up to), and 60-65mpg when I’m at the wheel. Here’s my ’84 Swift, which my insurance company insists on calling an ’85. Been in the family since new! Currently doing duty as a farm to town runabout for my wife’s brother, and also a learner’s car for the grandchildren.
My bias is showing but I have to nominate the AMC straight 6. In production from 1964-2006, powered all kinds of different vehicles, super durable, decent mileage and power. Still cheap to work on. Carried the torch for straight sixes in North America when most others had abandoned them and improved dramatically when modernized in 1987. I’ve somehow never owned a /6 so I can’t say they’re definitely superior but they were both super durable .
I concur also on the small block Chev, and Ford, I don’t have much to add there.
Agree also on the Toyota R series. In production forever, super durable for an interference motor, cheap to work on. Never very powerful or got the best mileage but they were truck motors. These little motors (and Datsun’s 4cyl) got the whole mini-truck thing rolling.
Ford Model T 4 cylinder 1908 – simple design that put the world on wheels.
Packard Twin-Six – first production 12 cylinder in 1916.
Duesenberg Model J – DOHC-32 valve, 265 HP in 1929.
Marmon V-16 – all aluminum and the world’s best V-16.
VW aircooled flat-four – second most produced engine ever?
Offy 4 Cylinder – Indy champ for decades.
Chevrolet small block V-8 – 1955 – most produced engine ever.
Ford Cosworth V-8 – Indy and F1 champ for decades.
BMW M-30 inline 6 – world’s best 6 for over 20 years.
BMW N-20 inline 4 – currently the world’s best turbo-4 – most power with best economy.
Ford Model T 4 cyl. The engine that put America on wheels. Top notch technology for the times yet inexpensive. Anyone could work on them. Without this engine, as well as the entire Model T, automobile development would have been vastly different.
Also, Ford flathead V-8 deserves a mention. The hot rodders friend!
1. Porsche air-cooled flat-6
2. VW “Audi Fox” inline-4
3. Chevrolet “small-block” V8 (pre-LS)
4. Chevrolet “small-block” V8 (LS)
5. Ford “Cologne” V6
6. Mercedes-Benz “OM617” 5-cylinder Turbodiesel
7. BMW “M30” 6-cylinder
8. Ford “Kent” 4-cylinder
9. Nissan “VQ” V6
10. Chrysler “Hemi” V8
In no particular order. Criteria was a combination of performance, reliability and a long production run.
I’m going to take my time and come up with some single nominations over the weekend. My first is the Toyota A series four, specifically the 4A-GE and the later 4A-FE.
The DOHC 16 valve 1600cc 4A-GE arrived in 1983, at the tail end of the malaise era, making 112hp (US version), or more than some of the down-sized Big Three V8s. It’s power output was superlative for the times, but it wasn’t a finicky race-type engine. It turned out to be one of the most durable and reliable engines ever, and powered millions of Corollas and Prizms and other variants. Later versions made 12hp, and JDM versions went to 165 hp (5 valve heads). It was also supercharged, as used in the MR2. I can’t think of a small four that had such superlative balance of power, smoothness, efficiency,durability and reliability. And it looked good too! It instantly made every four cylinder made in the US obsolete, by a large margin.
The later 4A-FE version, although tuned a bit more for efficiency, still made similar power, and was even more frugal with fuel and had a thicker torque curve. It’s what is keeping untold numbers of Corollas still on the street. Almost impossible to kill, and fun to drive, with a stick.
Beat me to it! I absolutely love my 4A-LC. Scoots my little FX like a puppy.
There had been lusty DOHC multivalve fours before. There had been tough-as-old-boots engines in cheap cars before.
The 4A-GE was the first cheap, lusty, tough-as-old-boots DOHC multivalve four.
I think that’s a great choice. Did these power the AE86 Corollas of the early 80s, which were and are popular with the drift crowd and IIRC, were the last RWD Corollas?
Yes. https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-asian/curbside-classic-1985-toyota-corolla-gt-s-the-legendary-ea86/
Just what I need to hear, when I am looking at the ad for probably only Geo Prizm i eastern Europe, in rather good condition…thanks for the input, Paul!:)
Ford Windsor 302;
Ford 4.6 Modular V8;
Ford 1.0 Ecoboost;
GM 3800 V6;
Chrysler Slant Six;
AMC/Jeep Inline Six;
Toyota 4.0 Lexus V8;
Volkswagen/Audi EA827, particularly the 1.8;
BMW M-30 Inline six;
Jaguar XK6; particularly the 4.2.
PSA XUD engine family turbo or NA they are virtually bullet proof, Toyota A series, Chrysler 215,245,265, 6 cylinder tribe, Chevrolet small block, Nissan LD and RB engine whanau.
BMC 950 I4 (as used in the Mini)
Buick 3800 Series II
Chevrolet Small Block
Chevrolet Vortec V6 (especially those in use in the late Chevrolet and GMC vans)
Chrysler Slant Six (particularly in dual-carb form with short cam)
Ford 289 V8
Ford Flathead V8
Nissan L-Series I6 (A bit finicky, but amazingly strong and durable)
Toyota R-series
Volkswagen W12 (run in everything from the Volkswagen Phaeton to Bentleys to the venerable Bugatti Veyron)
Most of these engines either created an archetype or a new branch on the family tree of the automotive combustion engine. Others refined what were once considered beasts fit only for pulling stumps. Yet others solved problems everyone thought were ever persistant. All of them have a place in history.
Veyron is W16,though, but your point is valid…
3800 Series II/III
Slant 6
Chrysler 3.3L V6
Chrysler 2.5L
Chrysler 2.2L
This is tough, there are many good ones. It really depends on criteria (its hard to leave BMW off the list, and just the number of VW flat fours and Ford Model T fours built make them hard to ignore). Considering it all, I’ll go for some variety, but with a bias towards performance. In no particular order:
1. Small block Chevy (pretty much any generation; has to be on the list)
2. Small block Ford (key to Ford’s racing renaissance in the ’60’s; other Fords could be on the list too)
3. Chrysler Hemi (any generation could be on the list; 2nd generation is still the basic architecture for all of the amazingly powerful top fuel dragsters)
4. Toyota 2JZ six (where would the Fast & Furious crowd be without it? Nissan SR20 and RB25 get honorable mentions)
5. Porsche 911 flat 6 (many good variations to choose from… the 911 GT3RS might be best)
6. Jaguar XK six (prefer the 4.2 liter, but they’re all good… won LeMans 5 times)
7. Alfa-Romeo Twin-Cam four 1955-1998 (the Alfa V6- there are several versions- gets an honorable mention)
8. Ferrari “Colombo” V12 (like Alfa, Ferrari understands the engine is the heart of a car, so many good ones to choose from)
9. BMC “A” Series four (sometimes affordable and simple are best, used in many different cars for nearly 50 years, a ’60’s/’70’s influence on Datsun/Nissan)
10. Rolls-Royce V8 (one of Britain’s best… and more than “adequate”)
Buick 3800 (The later, EFI ones).
Nissan 3.0L V6
Small Block Chevrolet (Especially the Vortec ones)
Ford 300 (Carbureted ones ONLY)
American Motors 4.0L I6
Toyota 22RE
Toyota 4.0L
Dodge 318 (And the 3.9L V6 that was spawned from it)
4bbl Dodge 360 (In my mind, the best carb’d small block for towing/hauling)
American Motors 232 I6
Amen to the 318, that’s the best engine I’ve had with the possible exception of what ever was in my 2 1980 210’s (1.4?)
The Ford Flathead 8
The Ford 302
The Chrysler Slant Six
The Chrysler Hemi
The Chevy “Stovebolt”6
The Chevy Small Block V8
The Packard “Twin 6”
“Best” doesn’t necessarily equate to “greatest” so while the small-block Chevrolet would undoubtedly be on the “greatest” list for its versatilty, adaptability and longevity in production, it lacks on the durability end.
My experience is also very much with American engines, among the ones with I’ve had more than a passing acquaintance, the only standouts (other than the small-block Chevrolet which excels in sheer numbers):
Chrysler Slant Six
Chrysler 3.3L-3.8L V6
Cadillac 390 (1963)-429 V8
I wanted to include the Chrysler LA (273-318-340-360) in the list but having had to rebuild two of them at under 100,000 miles, I’d say their durability doesn’t match the other MoPars in the rather short list above.
I don’t know if the Dodge 3.9L V6 counts as an LA engine (It was 6/8ths of a 318), but we had one. It was a very good engine. I also have a 4bbl Dodge 360 in a D250- it’s a very strong, capable engine for a truck. I can’t speak to how they were in cars.
I’ve also owned two SBC’s- they were both very, very good engines. I much prefer the Vortec 350 to the 5.4L Triton, and am also happy with my TBI 305 for what it is (A small V8). Again, I’ve never had one in a car, only trucks.
While Cadillac’s modern engines have some shortcomings I would like to nominate the V16’s (both of them).
Just knowing it existed is reason enough to nominate it. Not to mention having the whatever-you-call-it to produce it through the Depression.
As far as engines I’ve owned, the most durable by far has been the 1.8 SOHC 4 cyl gas engine in my ’86 Jetta. 305k miles, still runs well uses 1/2 quart in 3k miles. The manual 5 speed trans has been trouble free as well. 161k miles on small block (307) Chevy in ’70 C10, still running well when sold but using oil about 1 qt every 500 miles. Heads were done at 100k, but only because of leaded fuel going away requiring hardened valve seat replacements. That engine was worked hard towing a lot of weight over long distances from time to time. 79k on ’85 Yamaha 700 CC inline air cooled 4 cylinder, still run well uses no oil. As far as other engines I know about, a friends Dad got 260k miles without problems on his ’77 Rabbit Diesel, still running well when traded in on a ’79 Diesel Rabbit. We had a ’95 DOHC Saturn that lasted until 264k miles, but it always used a lot of oil and was smokey in it’s later years. I know there are a lot of engines with good reputations out there, but these I can speak for from experience. I wonder if the amount of comments will be as high as the 10 worse engine’s post. I briefly had a ’93 Dodge truck with 237k on it’s Cummins Diesel that was still original and running well. It was used 75 percent of the time to tow a 36 ft Airstream trailer. The Nissan 5.6 V8 as in my Titan goes over 300k no problem according to forum’s. I only have 14k on mine, so no personal experience.
The durable, smooth Packard straight 8 needs some love. Given more time in development, their short-lived V8 could have become formidable too.
The Saab 2.3L 16V turbo was sweet and well ahead of its time. Everyone has an engine like that now, but who else had one in 1985?
Mazda’s Renesys rotary was a nice end-of-an-era effort.
Cadillac 472/500ci V8
Ford 390ci V8
Oldsmobile Rocket V8 (350, 455ci)
Ford 429ci V8
Buick 3800 V6
Nissan 3.0 Liter V6 (used in Nissan Maxima, Nissan 300ZX)
Toyota 3.0 Liter V6 (used in Toyota Camry, Avalon, Lexus ES)
Honda 2.2 VTEC 4
Chrysler 383ci V8
Chevrolet Small Block (327, 350ci V8)
Well it’s a fine kettle of fish you have us in now Ollie…. er Paul. I’ve owned a bunch of small blocks from the big three, sixes from two of the big three, and fours from more that that. I do not think you can have a clear cut winner by any set of reasonable standards. I have several that would come out tops in their category. Two truck engines stand out. The Ford 300 six in a long ford van and the Nissan pre-napsz engine in my 79 Datsun. A 350/350 combo in a cube van could not be killed although I think it was a 7 cylinder when I finally sold it.
I could go on and on but you get my drift. Easy to pick out a couple you don’t like. Very hard to get separation on those you do.
If that was a carbureted 300, they were very good. I don’t have much use for the re-cammed EFIs, but there are a lot of carb’d 300s out here. A lot were used in farm equipment- forty years later, they’re still working!
Any votes for the IHC V/8’s? They sure sound cool. Sound very durable with timing gears and no timing chain.
+1 Produced from the 50’s to the 80’s, significantly understressed, highly developed cooling and lubrication systems, high quality materials and construction with few trouble spots, able to run at rated load and speed for hundreds of thousands of miles with rudementary maintenance.
I wouldn’t say they have highly developed cooling systems, unless you are talking about the 392 IC. Now the bottom blocking bypass style thermostat was way ahead of its time, but the coolant flow is poor in the original form. Which of course is why the Improved Cooling 392 was developed.
One of my favourites too. Torquey, tough. If the starter would turn it over, it owuld go.
Definitely one of the best, it is a MD truck engine through and through so in light duty use they are virtually indestructible.
I remember these back in the 70s
In Australia our Readymix concrete trucks used them.
The noise they made going up the hills was just glorious.
V8s:
–Mopar 318 and 360. Common as dirt, strong runners near indestructible. Every bit the equal of what Ford and GM have been peddling alongside the LA motors.
–Modern Hemi. With its pentroof combustion chambers, argue the legitimacy of its ‘Hemi-ness’ all you want. But examples with 200 and 300K are emerging. And considering the power and effieciency these things are capable of while utilizing oldschool pushrod and 2 valve per cyl tech….nothing short of amazing.
–340 gets a mention. While other muscleheads ramble on about the 426 hemi, and the Max Wedge…Ive always felt that in smaller musclecars (which are more true to the formula anyway) the 340 makes for the best balanced car.
V6:
–Buick 225 and 3800. The longevity of this motor is testament to its being a solid design. Over the years its had its ups and downs, but in Kaiser era Jeeps its a minor legend. In newer fwd applications its a solid motor, and of course we all know what it did for the Grand National.
–GM 4.3. S-10 pickups and blazers equipped with this little motor were like a resurgence of the muscle car.
I-6:
–AMC 258 and 4.0 Jeep. Theyre heavily related, but no news here. One of the greatest motors ever put in a Jeep.
–Mopar /6. You know it. You love it.
–Datsun I-6. Made the Z car a legend.
4cyl:
–Willys Go-Devil: Picked over Ford or Bantam designs for the WWII MB. Nearly indestructible.
–Mopar 2.2/2.5: Initial headgasket woes solved, these are some solid little 4 bangers. In turbo guise, they had up to 225 hp and powered the fastest fwd cars in the world at one point, and the performance holds up even now.
–Toyota 20R: Found its way into many products but legendary in the solid axle pickups.
–Air cooled VW: Very durable and infinitely rebuildable. Still infesting the roadways even today. Gave rise to one of the greatest sports car marques on the planet.
Ok that’s 12. But there are a LOT of good engines out there.
Ditto the Willys Go-Devil. I had a ’50 pickup with the F-head version. Lively and durable.
Also I’d add Buick’s straight 8s. I never owned one, but Grandpa always had Roadmasters. He hated cars and did everything wrong, including often driving full speed in 2nd because he didn’t notice. The quiet straight 8 ALLOWED him to not notice, and didn’t punish him later.
1. AMC/Jeep 4.0L inline six
2. Ford 240/300 inline six
3. Volvo 4 cylinders from the 1960s and 1970s
4. VAM 282 inline six
5. AMC/International 258 inline six
6. Toyota 3.9L F series engine from toyota J40 Landcruiser(copy of a GMC 235 inline six)
7. Mopar slant six
8. Mercedes Benz diesel engines from the 1970s and 1980s
9. Dodge Cummins 5.9L 12valve inline six
10. Buick 3800 V6
11. GMC 305 60degree V6
12 Offenhauser 4 cylinders
13. Ford 427 cammer
14. Chrysler 426 Hemi
15. Chevy 302 small block
This is too hard. I can’t limit it to only 10. As I look at my post I am angry at myself for leaving off some engines that I like very much.
Continental fours and sixes
Hercules sixes
The Iron Duke
Honda 4cylinders built after they quit using rubber timing belts.
John Deere 2 cylinder engines
I don’t know if tractor engines count, but I think there was better than the Johnny Poppers. I’d rather have a Perkins 6-354, an Allis-Chalmers 433I, a Deere 404, or a Cummins 5.9L.
The two cylinder was outdated by it’s end. I’d much rather have the Power Crater out of the WD-45 or even the International engines if we’re limited to that era of machinery.
There was no better engine than the johnny popper in terms of cost per plant planted/harvested.
My father owned a 730. To this day, he still hates that engine. He traded it for a used International H. The only good thing he has to say about that tractor was “At least it wasn’t the Deere”.
Value for money, the best engine in my mind from the era was the Allis Power Crater.
I’m afraid I was not clear. the 2cylinder Deere was king in terms of fuel economy.
I’ll mention the Aussie Chrysler Hemi Six – a proposed /6 replacement which was made in the land of Oz for the Chrysler A-bodies. More ‘grunt’ than a yard full of pigs!
My daily driver is a 2002 Ford Mustang GT ‘vert with the 4.6
I also have a 1966 Impala 4 door hardtop with the 283/powerglide.
In my opinion, both are unkillable & rock-solid reliable.
I think there needs to be at least an honorable mention for the Buick aluminum V-8. As troublesome as it was when it first appeared, it spawned three long-running derivatives, two of which have lasted into this century.
Is this the Rover V8? That’s going on my list?
Jeep inline six 4.0, great engine, makes you forget the rest of the Jeep parts. (I love my XJ even if the mechanic and me are friends now, after he has had to replace several parts from the Daimler era).
My personal favorites are all Toyota engines that I have owned over the years.
R-series. I’ve owned numerous cars and trucks with the R series with hundreds of thousands on the clock and never had one engine issue ever.
The Lexus 4.0 in my 90 LS400 was superb. More than adequate power, rugged, and I once managed 29 mpg on a road trip.
And my current favorite: the 4A-LC in my 87 Corolla FX. Sips gas and yet boots this little rig around in a hurry.
Im basing my list strictly on 1960s and later gas engines that I know routinely go 200K+ miles with only routine maintenance and few repairs:
Chrysler LA small block
Chrysler B/RB big block
Chrysler /6
Chrysler 5.7 Hemi
Jeep 4.0L inline 6
Ford Windsor V8
Ford 300 inline 6
Ford 4.6 2V
Chevy Stovebolt 6
Chevy small block
Chevy big block
Oldsmobile Rocket V8
GM 3800 V6
Toyota R-series 4 cyls
Honda B-Series 4 cyls
BMW inline 6
OK that’s 16 but whatever, theres a lot of good engines out there!
Oh and honorable mention: the Chevy Vega 4 cylinder (I kid, I kid)
I haven’t seen it on anyone’s list so I’ll add the Hudson straight 6. Anvil tough.
Ford 300
Ford 302
Ford 351c
Chrysler slant 6
Amc 4.0
Cadillac 472
Ford 200
Ford 351w
Ford 460-429
3.3 Chrysler
Toyota 20r
I liked the ’67era Ford 200. Plenty of torque, for those times when the column shift left you unable to change down.
I am a huge fan of the Ford 4.6 liter V8. Good power, decent fuel mileage, and virtually bulletproof.
One I forgot to mention is the 153/181 Chevy II engines. (please do not call them Iron Duke, they are not the same and I do own a firearm). Great marine engines, used in small trailer boats. Gear drive cam. Rarely freeze crack. The 181 (3.0L) was only available as a marine/industrial engine here in the States.
Buick 3.8l V6 ( this engine’s story alone makes it one of the best(brought out by GM to be used in base model cars, sold to AMC after the big V8 wars, bought back by GM to help the company weather the post gas crisis fall out of the 1970’s) )
Ford 3.0l Vulcan V6- came in with the 1986 Taurus but was used in many cars until 2008.
Buick 3300 V6 (basically a Buick 3.8l with smaller bore and no balance shaft). While a bit harsher in the NVH department then the 3.8l (due to lack of a balance shaft) it was a very reliable engine)
Ford Duratec V6
Ford Modular 4.6l (a few issues with bad intake manifolds but once replaced the engine was golden)
Volvo Red Block engine(B21)
Cadillac 4.5l V8 and 4.9l V8
Chevy 350
AMC inline 6
Ford 300
Ford 289-302 Windsor
Ford 390-428 FE
Ford 4.6
Ford Vulcan
GM3800
Mopar slant six
Mopar 2.2/2.5L
Toyota 20R
Mazda 2.2L (mine went 375,000mi)
Currently have six of these engines now running 9 cars. Judgement on my 2.3L/4 Focus pending.
Pretty hard to beat the Chevy 6.0. We run them in our service trucks, and they just seem to go 300,000 KM plus with very minimal maintenance.
While looking at cheap VW’s for a winter car last fall, there seemed to be an awful lot of 99-05 Jetta/Golf with well over 200,000 KM on them. I ended up with a Beetle with the 2.0/5 speed…lots of fun…pull to red line, OK power, made a good noise.
4.6 3 Valve – Plenty of power in a F150 and decent mileage as well.
How about the Navistar 7.3 (Powerstroke)?
Good call on the 7.3. I’ve seen otherwise worn out F-550’s sell for crazy money at auction simply because they had the 7.3.
Plus, they were in everything from F250s to farm tractors to OTR semi tractors to Wayne Lifeguards. In the diesel market, I’d say it ws the best- yes, better than the 5.9L Cummins.
Don’t shoot!
The T444/T444E was not used in OTR semi tractors or ag tractors. The only thing that IH put it in was MD trucks.
I could have sworn that I saw one in a tractor at some point. Aftermarket swap?
I counted the IH 4900 as an OTR tractor. Probably shouldn’t have. Still a versatile engine, though!
Lots of great engines so far, but one of the top one on my list would be the Ford 335 series engines, specifically the 351 Cleveland. It really incorporated the best of American V8 engine design in one engine. Unfortunately it was released just as the muscle car era was ending and only a few truly high performance versions were released, while the majority ended up as lo-po smogger engines.
There are many great engines and “The Best” is obviously a very debatable subject. However, I have a nominee which I propose should hold the title until someone produces a contender which can surpass the gestault of its history, output per liter, AND advanced (for its era) technical specifications:
In production in varying displacements (1.3 to 2.0) without fundamental changes from 1954 to 1994.
Four cylinder in-line all-aluminum block (with steel liners)
All aluminum-DOHC hemi-heads using a double-row timing chain.
Sodium-filled valves
Forged, nitrated crankshaft with 5 main bearings
Finned bat-wing aluminum baffled sump holding seven (7 !) quarts of oil
Sustainable Red-line of 6,000 – 6500 RPM without modifications
Mechanical fuel-injection from 1969 and later BOSCH electronic fuel injection
World’s first production engine with variable valve timing in 1980 (VTEC before VTEC)
Used in many winning racing applications with few modifications beyond a twin-plug head
122HP from 1779 CC in 1967
132HP from 1997 CC in 1973
Final 1994 1997 CC engines were turbo-charged for European cars for 153 HP.
Consider the gauntlet thrown – any challengers who think they can beat this overall record?
Indeed, some pretty strong credentials for those Alfa motors.
…and yet being stranded by the roadside is something Alfisti don’t find particularly annoying….;)
I reckon reliability should be high on the the list for “the best” engine, though…
No idea what you’re talking about… ” Stranded on the side of the road…”.
My Alfa is my daily driver, has 218,889 miles and climbing, and has NEVER left me stranded… The starter went for a dump while it was garaged, but with a new one, NEVER fails to start and run.
First, turn of the key, every time.
Overtaken an Audi S4 twin turbo, Juke turbo, Volvo T5, Mustang GT on the highway. The expressway is where the 3.0 V6 Alfa Cloverleaf sings.(Award winning engine numerous times… Look it up)
Sure, some of those cars are quicker at a light, but they run out of steam on the top end.
Trust me, Alfas have their issues, but these engines have a mystique about em that makes Italian cars fun to drive.
You say you owned a Yugo? Your AAA roadside assistance must’ve loved you.
Just kidding. 😉
🙂 🙂 Actually not, I would never called them, as almost anything short of snapped cambelt is do-able on the side of the road 🙂
Seriously, joke in Europe is that if you haven’t been stranded at least one by your Alfa, you haven’t owned it. Trust me, I see a lot of them around here, know few people who owned them and I tell you, you are lucky 🙂
Alfa engines do have certain attraction (especially noise they make 🙂 ), but with Alfa electrics, they can’t win all battles. And really, winning “The best engine…” competitions, especially those by “reputable car magazines” is rather unimportant, because it say nothing about reliability…take Northstar or even worse, VW tsi 1.4 170hp….
All jokes aside… I wouldn’t call the Alfa 3.0V6, the best or most reliable engine, misha…
It is very strong and energetic, but without proper maintenance… It will surge and run like crap, and not even think twice about letting you know it.
When I first saw my Alfa 164S, I was attracted to it’s sporty looks, I test drove it, and then wanted it even more.
Even though, in my mind, I was like “Awesome car, but this is too good to be true, this car is probably only reliable like 3-5 months out of the year… Afterall, it IS Italian and they certainly aren’t known for their reliability.”
Wrong was I. My Alfa is my autumn/winter car, usually taken over for my Datsun 200sx, which after being restored and painted, is my spring/summer car… So my Alfa is usually garaged part of the year.
My Datsun hasn’t come out since last October 2014, and my Alfa hasn’t gone in the garage, yet… It’s working overtime, and getting ready to face another winter.
If that doesn’t buck the trend of “unreliable Italian cars”… I don’t know what does. 😉
Harley-Davidson Evolution. they would have been dead without it.
For their historical significance.
VW flat 4 boxer
Ford V8 Flathead
Chevy Small Block.
A very short list indeed.
I’d add the Ford Kent and Touota 20/22R motors to that list. The former for its motorsport longevity, and the latter for just plain longevity anywhere gasoline Toyota pickups/Hiluxes were used.
This will draw some flak I’m sure but the Rootes 1390cc – 1725 engine family same motor built from 55 untill 79 47hp through to 120hp in factory fitted tune, very robust and reliable they suited being hotted up by shadetree circuit racers.
A few that no one has mentioned yet:
The Cosworth-Ford DFV formula one engine, the Offenhauser sprint car and Indy car engines (which were mentioned by John but I need to “amen” that one), and the Hall-Scott 6 cylinder and V-12 truck engines.
Citroen 2cv, the essence of what engine must be.
I don’t have broad enough (or technical enough) experience to have a definitive list but:
I have no complaints at all about the two GM cars I’ve had with the 3800 (one series I, one series II) and the current one is over 225,000 miles.
I had an Aerostar with the 3.0 Vulcan V6. It went through 2 transmissions, 3 steering racks, and eventually just completely rusted away, but at 310,000 miles ran like new, and the engine was untouched except for tuneups and one waterpump.
Honorable mention to the Chrysler B/RB big block V8.
Good enough to remain in production for 20 years.
Versitile enough to go from 350 to 440 cubic inches.
Pretty indestructible in its smaller versions. (my 1965 383 was rebuilt once at 100K and is approaching 200K these days)
The basis for the 426 Hemi.
Reasonable power and efficiency for its era.
Reasonably easy to work on. (distributor and oil pump right up front, water pump is separate from the housing, etc)
Ford flathead v8, brought multicylinder power to the masses, 1949 Cadillac OHV V8, grandfather of every modern V8 to follow, 1955 Chevy V8 an engine family that was fully developed over a couple of generations. Falcon light inline 6, reliable, cheap to build and fix. Mopar slant six a tough mill even if it didn’t have seven main bearings. 1970 Datsun OHC six, classic power for the most iconic Japanese car of all time. Jaguar V12, over twenty years of enduring production, the most successful supercar engine in history.
I have not seen it mentioned yet, but the Honda F20C as used in the S2000 sports car. I have one, so I’m somewhat biased 🙂
240HP from a normally-aspirated, 2-liter (120 cubic-inch) engine. At the time it was introduced, I believe it set a record for highest specific output of 2hp/liter of a NA engine in a passenger car.
Also not mentioned so far is the Toyota 1GR-FE, a 4.0 V6 used in 4Runners, FJ Cruisers, Tundras, etc. for the last 13 years or so. Designed specifically for truck use, it’s a very durable, torquey engine. I have one in a 2008 4runner and it’s been trouble-free and returns decent mileage even pulling a trailer.
Chevrolet “stovebolt” inline 6 engines introduced in 1929 and used until the mid 1950s. At the time of introduction, it was OHV design when competitors were still using flathead designs. By the 1950s still compared favorably with the modern engines. In souped-up form, it gave the Chevy V-8s a run for their money. Same for the GMC inline 6 truck engines. Rugged and robust.
The 1960s Chevrolet inline 6s were also good reliable and bulletproof engines.
I may be biased having owned so many cars with it, but I’m going to go with Mazda’s K V6 engines. Co-developed with Suzuki (The 2.5/2.7 in the XL7/Grand Vitara was distantly related), it was very smooth, free revving (The KLDE variant had a 7k redline), and sweet sounding with the right exhaust (honestly one of the best sounding vee-sixes in my opinion). The supercharged KJZEM version (as seen in the Millenia S) is one of the only Miller cycle production engines around. The K8 (as seen in the MX-3 GS) was the second smallest v6 ever produced. The hi-po KLZE version has been swapped into everything from Proteges to Festivas to Tracer wagons to make for one helluva sleeper. Most versions are very reliable too, and the non-interference design means no engine damage if you stretch the timing belt change too far. It was discontinued before it’s time when the Duratec replaced it in Mazda products to cut costs. It’s a shame, I would’ve loved to see how it would’ve evolved in the mid-late 2000s with additions like DI, VVT, etc.
Also, I’m surprised that the SR20 only received one mention so far. I’d also like to mention the Nissan FJ fours, and the VH45DE after the timing chain issues were resolved. The AMC six has been mention many times already, but it too is one of my favorites. I’d also like to nominate certain versions of the PRV, despite the bad reputation that the early Volvo versions received. An aluminum v6 in the mid 70’s was pretty cool stuff, and my uncle (a former Peugeot mechanic) has seen examples with 300k+ in 505s.
I think someone has already mentioned this engine, but the Honda 2.4 liter 4-cylinder VTEC engine in the 2003-2007 Accords. Accelerates like a V6, good fuel economy for its time (24 city, 34 highway) absolutely no problems in 12 years and 150K miles, chain driven and almost maintenance free except for a scheduled spark plug change at 120K miles, valve adjustment and valve cover gasket replacement at 145K miles.
1) Pushrod I4 – Ford 2.3 HSC (May be a cheat since it’s a derivative of the Falcon I6)
2) OHC I4 – Toyota 20/22R
3) Pushrod I6 – AMC/Jeep 4.0L
4) OHC I6 – BMW M30/M88
5) Pushrod V6 – GM 90 degree Family
6) OHC V6 – Alfa Romeo
7) Pushrod V8 – Ford Windsor Block
8) OHC V8 – Ford Mod Family
Chrysler 318 LA block. Had a couple that had high miles and would run great.
Chrysler Slant Six
Mercedes OM601. It just won’t die, it is relatively efficient to boot and not stressed in any way. Can’t find fault with it even if you wanted to. 6/700000 miles easy, when properly fed with fluids and filters (which are stocked at any mb dealer, no appointment necessary). It can withstand deferred maintenance many moons as well, I have seen lots never skipping a beat while being mistreated for years. This would be my choice for the modern era.
Here’s one with 500000 km on the clock.
I don’t know how close the Mercedes 636 is to the om 601, but they would wear out, in about 25 thousand hours, I remember many times standing on a ladder in very cold weather pumping up injectors with a pair of jumper cables and a pair of vicegrips hanging off the glow plug switch on old TK reefers!
you are talking about an engine introduced in 1947 and I bet you see they have nothing in common other than that they are both engines
I would like to cast a vote for the current Aussie Falcon straight six.
DOHC VCT, durable and high performing.
Has dominated taxi duty for years,and Turbo versions are V8 killers.
Have owned a couple and have one now and love its smooth power.
Not sure,but some of its some of its design may be traced back to 1960 ?
It will be sadly missed when production stops next year.
I forgot about the Aus variants of the Falcon I6. Between those and the 2.3L HSC I4 developed off of it, it certainly was versatile.
If I could edit my list I would definitely add it (Also drove two cars with the 250 CI 1V versions, both late-70s Granadas. It was a smooth and rugged unit.)
These are the Top 10 on my list:
1) Toyota 3TC 1.8 Hemi… With less money to build than a muscle car, you can have an 8-9 second 1/4 mile car, that’ll make V8 owners cry like babies. Check You Tube, doubters.
2) Toyota 22RE- bulletproof 2.4 Toyota workhorse turned fuel injected, from the reliable 22R… Top Gear couldn’t even kill one with their Toyota pickup tester
3) Nissan VG30E- Made the list of Top 10 best and most reliable engines NUMEROUS times
4) GM 3800 V6- Very reliable power plant, GM hit a home run with this one
5) Chrysler Slant 6… You simply can’t kill em
6) Ford 250 inline 6- Very dependable engine, tons of Ford F150s can’t be wrong
7) Alfa Romeo Cloverleaf 3.0 V6- Modeled after Formula One race car engines, often imitated never duplicated by others, came in 12v, 24v and the rare Turbo… With chrome intake runners to boot, and sodium filled, too
8) Volvo inline 4- Used in the Volvo 144, DL, GL and 240 series… Very capable of 500,000 sometimes
9) Mazda 13B Rotary- 1.3 rotary, with some performance enhancements will eat many a V8, and ask for more
10) Chrysler HEMI V8- A winning formula that dominated races in the 60’s- early 70’s
* Honorable Mention-
One man achieved 1,000,000 miles on his 1990 Honda Accord’s original engine… Honda heard this and gave the man a NEW Accord… He still prefers to drive his old one. Maybe this is one of the best ever? 🙂
Anyone know the details behind prematurely high oil consumption with the Mazda 2.3, as it (somehow) relates to the PCV valve? With no visible oil smoke…
Given Paul’s generous waiver of the age limitation, I’d first nominate the Ford Flathead, [1932-53] that launched innumerable rodder innovations and gearhead legends.
Second, I offer the indefatigable Chrysler Slant 6 which was a steadfast mill until falling prey to the emissions gerbils.
Lastly and based on my current experience, Toyota’s A Series 4. A tireless and trouble free power plant requiring little care and feeding by its owners and most importantly, avoids angst and grief.
Cadillac V8 – 429/472/500/425/368
Olds Rocket V8 – 350, 455
Chevrolet L05 350 V8
Chrysler 318
Buick 3800-II V6
Ford Windsor family
Ford 385 family
I certainly agree with all the comments here – and would just add;
– Pre WW II: Dusenberg DOHC straight 8, Ford flathead V8
– 1950s: Hudson straight 6 (Twin H), Olds OHV V8, Chevy small block, Jaguar DOHC 6
– 1960s: Ford small block, Chrysler slant 6, Chevy 396/427/454, Chrysler 426 hemi
– 1970s and up: Toyota 22R, Honda CVCC, Toyota JZ, Toyota UZ, Ford Voodoo 5.2
Here are a few based on personal experience, in addition to the usual information and belief:
1. BMC A-Series: Flexible, adaptable, and made for nearly 50 years. Nissan adapted it and made it for decades. A success in economy applications (Minor, Mini, Metro), sports cars (Sprite, Midget), rally racing (Mini Cooper) and track racing (Mini). Great breathing characteristics, strong, robust, and has a nice exhaust note. The low end is very strong—best on any four I’ve driven—which makes shifting less onerous.
2. SBC: What more needs be said?
3. Toyota A-series four: Smooth, quite and amazingly economical. My wife had a 1989 Corolla when were were dating and first married. High miles, carb, with the 3-speed auto. And it was still smoother, quieter and more economical than the Quad 4 in my 1997 Cavalier with the 4-speed auto. Not to mention much more reliable. Easy to work on. Unkillable. Ran many more years after we sold it.
4. Olds Rocket: The Cadillac OHC gets credit for being the first, SCB for sheer versatility and numbers, but I think the Olds was better then both. Growing up around Lansing, MI, we were swimming in Olds V8s. These things would go on forever, with minimal maintenance. Cars would rot out around the powertrain, which is what happened to my 1978 98 with the 403, which my step dad eventually took over. Many remember the doggy 307—a good workhorse, but sadly defanged. The earlier 350 and 403 engines were great, even in the late 70s.
5. Buick 3800: It’s all been said. My step dad had one of these in an Olds 88. Put nearly 300K on it until the rest of the car slowly died. But the 3800 still ran smooth and strong, and gave about 30 MPG on the highway.
Some honorable mentions:
Buick Big Block 455: Amazing low-end—total torque monster. A smooth and quiet brute. Had on in my 1976 Electra when I was in high school. I beat the life out of that car, tranny and engine. Unfortunately, I did succeed in killing it, hence the honorable mention. But it really was me, not the engine: Low on oil, it overheated after hitting over 100 and having the throttle stick wide open. Once the brakes went out, the only recourse was to shut the car off and down shift. Came to a stop without injury, but the engine was damaged beyond repair.
Chevette: Far too crude and underpowered to make a greatest hits list, it really was a tough, tough engine. Despite my best efforts to kill this thing, I didn’t quite succeed. Have to say, when I first got it. It sounded like a sewing machine, albeit a loud one. I soon dispelled that sound, with hooning and lax maintenance. But it still started every time and ran well.
Although it’s too early to tell, I really like the 3.7 in my Mustang. Economical—will hit 28 MPG highway—and strong at high RPM, it’s almost ideal. Nice exhaust note, but the engine itself is muted. I hope it has longevity to add to its other virtues.
I’ll back you on the old Buick V8s as I have a car with the Buick 350, which I understand is virtually identical to the 455 in appearance. It is one of the smoothest engines I’ve ever experienced. When I bought my ’75 Ninety Eight I was also considering Electras and wish I’d had the chance to drive one to experience the engine in its largest size.
My understanding has always been the Buick engines have 2 major weaknesses: an external oil pump, and a funky gear related to the timing. The oiling certainly is quirky…on mine you have to keep the oil level about 1/4 quart below full, or it will aerate and starve the top end, causing lifter tick. I thought it was just me, but apparently this has been a problem for others, too from what I’ve seen on the Internet boards.
yes I have heard bad things about the big block buicks….enough to make me kind of hesitant to ever purchase one (if I was shopping for a 1970s luxo barge)
Lots of good engines mentioned. One I didn’t see yet: the Volvo modular engine, particularly in 5-cylinder form in the 850. Highly durable (frequently do 500k+ km), reliable, power aplenty, smooth delivery, and to top it off the sound it produces is just magnificent.
SAAB H engine. Some have gone 1,000,000 miles with nothing other than preventative maintenance.
One of the true measures of greatness has to be longevity and breadth of use. In those areas the Chevy Stovebolt 6 surely qualifies. It was manufactured into the ‘90s in Brazil.
I’m also going to take advantage of a loophole (Paul wrote “engine”. He didn’t specifically restrict things to car engines.) Maybe the greatest engine of all was the GM 6-71 diesel. It powered everything under the sun for well over fifty years and was only dropped because of emissions laws. Name another engine that was manufactured for as many years and found as many uses in as many places as the great 6-71.
Breadth of use in passenger cars in diesel could be the PSA XUD engines it was an OEM fitting in vehicles as diverse as Lada and Suzuki even the Honda/Rovers and its replacement is used in Fords Citroens Landrovers Jaguars Peugeots and BMWMinis the GM series didnt spread all that far really.
I nominate the search engine. I use it every day, its free and it never fails.
+1 🙂
Mopar LA v8’s
Slant 6
Jeep 4.0
Toyota 22r
Nissan 3.0 V6
Ford 300 I6
GM 3800
GM 4.3L
Knight engine (the one I’ve seen taken apart was from a Willys Knight)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight_engine
Not sure it’s a best but it’s certainly cool.
Something made by General Electric or Pratt and Whitney hanging under a jet.
Or a Burmeister and Wain or M.A.K, Wärtsila, you name it any engine sitting in a ship
This is a vast subject ,
can only be treated by decade ,
And listed for each country,
My vote goes on as follows for US built engines :
1910s
Cadillac Flathead V8
1920s
Lycoming I8
1930s
Ford Flat Head V8
1940s
Oldsmobile OHV V8
1950s
Chevrolet Small blocK V8
1960s
Mopar slant six
1970s
Ford Windsor V8 series
1980s
Buick 3.8 V8
1990s
Cadillac Norhstar V8
2000s
not decided
I’d call the engine of the 2000s The Chevrolet LS motors like the 5.3 and 6.0
Personally, I’d also move the Buick 3800 to the 1990s (Series II ones were superb!), and I’d call the engine of the 1980s the AMC 4.0L I6. It’s a great list that’s hard to argue, though….
The southstar does not belong on a 10 best list. Yes they made good power for their time but there are just too many reliability, durability, and service issues.
+1
The Northstar belongs on the GM crap list along with the Cadillac V8-6-4 and 350 V8 diesel of 1978-early 80’s.
Northstar? good engine? hahaha!
The Northstar was a Ward’s 10 best engine for more than one year!
However, while a very good design some problem with either the aluminum alloy or the basic design of the head bolts did make its longevity very iffy. I am not sure if all of the engines are doomed, or just a large number of them. One thing that can be said is that eventually any engine will fail (it might take a million miles).
Lists are for sheep… Cars and products should be bought and rebought on experience, not on one’s opinions, sometimes. 😉
The 1971 Chevy Vega and 1980 Chevy Citation made Motor Trend’s Car of the Year “lists”.
Imagine, the naive car buyers, who bought those POS, because of Motor Trend’s say so?
Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Unfortunately new car buyers do not have access to hindsight. And of course the used car factories don’t build cars.
I meant other consumer experience(friends, neighbors, mechanics)… Not, sometimes, paid biased opinions of these car publications.
Your hindsight remark is like, saying they should have a crystal ball or something?
No need to be cheeky.
Has anyone been keeping tabs on just how many nominations we have for the top ten? I lost count when I reached sixty! 🙂
The Austin A-series, better known as the BMC A-Series..
Made for nearly 50 years, it was an engine of the old school, yet it survived emissions requirements that killed its brethren from its era, from 803cc and 28hp (A30) to 1275cc and 94hp (Metro Turbo, although you could get 90hp NA with the Cooper Si package in the 90s) from a tiny SU to multi point injection it powered just about everything during its lifetime.. well over a dozen different cars.
Various attempts to replace it were made, and most failed, nothing could really match its temperament, both free revving and fantastic low end grunt, in addition to fantastic fuel economy, even by modern standards.. Surprisingly durable considering most were run into the ground during their lifetime, when cared for they are quite durable. They also sound fantastic even with a stock exhaust system (single muffler)
The only thing that killed it was the disembowelment of Rover by BMW when they terminated production of the original Mini before disposing of the gibbets of Rover…
Meant to say giblets..
+1 for the A series.
Concur–my favorite four. Successful in every use–racing, rallying, sports cars and economy cars. Cancels out the innate gremlins provided courtesy of the Lord of Darkness. All else will fail on a British car, but not the A-series.
I have to mention the Nissan KA24DE. It’s been a great motor in my Altima, good performance and decent economy, and has only ever needed a distributor (due to an oil leak past the O-ring) in 200k miles. Also fairly noteworthy at the time for being an OHC motor with a timing chain when most were using belts.
I am surprised to see the GM LS motors only mentioned once. I have had zero issues with mine in 135k, and routinely see them with upwards of 250k without needing any major work.
Pretty sure both will outlast the vehicles they are in handily, especially with the heavy winter salting here in Michigan.
My father had a 1931 Auburn sedan with the Lycoming straight eight, and he thought it one of the best engines ever made. My own choices? Ford 289 V-8, Ford modular V-8 and the Ford Kent. I’ll be a contrarian, too, because I had a Ford V-6 Vulcan in my ’94 Taurus that felt a lot stronger than its rated 135 bhp. And it lasted and lasted…Yes, I’m a Ford fanboy, but GM deserves some respect from me, too, so I’ll nominate the Olds Rocket V-8.
Top 3:
1) Chevy Gen III/IV/V (aka LS) V8.
2) Chevy SBC V8.
3) Mopar slant 6.
It seems that putting northstar in the best engine list produced live emotions among curbsiders.
The Northstar was a controversial engine from inceprtion,
It had serious toothing problems ,Hot rodders hated it because it could not be salvaged ,it could not be repaired it could not be tweeked and there was no aftermarket speed parts available for it.
But the fact is that this engine was a technological tour de force, some of it problems are inherent in fragility of aluminium block when coupled with careless owners .
Nortstar saved Cadillac,it would have been doomed without it.
As usual GM style ,as soon as they made it right , they replaced it by a more conventional small block V8 , not because it was a bad engine ,but because it was too expensive to build.
Things change , but GM stays the same, what was done to Buick Aluminium V8 was done to Northstar V8.
The Northstar V8 has for the most part been replaced by an OHC V6.
Lancia V4 engine
Lancia world’s first production V6
Any Lampredi Engine
Any Colombo Engine
Any Jano Engine
Any Busso Engine
Many of you have suggested that the Buick 3800 V6 is best engine. While for worst engine I think reliability is an important consideration (the lack of reliability and engine failures to be more precise), I don’t think reliability is the only requirement to get on the list of best engines. Where the 3800 is lacking is design. After a number of refinements the peak horsepower (without turbo/super-charging is just over 200 hp. GM developed a pushrod V6 of 3.9 liters that was rated at 240 hp. The 3800 was an expedient design when it first went into production (at nearly 200 CID). The best version was the FWD port fuel injection version for the 1985 model year. At this point they could have and should have designed something better.
The 3800 V6 was the ugly duckling of the GM family,
It started life as a harsh , shaky and gutless bastard
but finished its life as a tough , refined and hearty aristocrate ,
This long evolution from 1965 to 2005 is unique in the automotive history
It deserves to be on the 10 best list , to honor its 40 years of continuous ascent , , it served millions of car owners, made fortune for car renters and fleet operators,
was used by nearly all GM divisions ,
Then it would make sense that Chevy’s inline 6 deserves to be on the list as it was in production from 1929 until the 80’s.
Chevy in line 6 cannot be on the list :
Remember its babbit eating habits of pré 1954 engines, (stove bolt years) .
Between 1954 – 1960 it had dropped its babbit eating habits , but it was not tough enough with four main bearings , it was not as good as the ford I6 of the same vintage who had seven main bearings.
In 1961 it got seven main bearings but then the slant six was already out, which was better in every aspect,
In the seventies the 250 chevy engine was OK, but not as esteemed as the AMC I6
The chevy I6 was never the best in class , it was always overshadowed by engines of the same vintage from other manufacturers.
My opinion of the 3800 is that it is not really the best 6 of its time either. Not the worst, but not the best, and could have been replaced by something better.
Over the years I became a fan of the straight six – Ford 300 and Jeep 4.0. I’m surprised there isn’t some love for the Chevy 235 6cyl. Except for intake manifold gaskets, I have excellent service out of a number of the 3100 CC (3.1L) V-6 in the GM W bodies.
I’m surprised to see the Chevy 350 mentioned so often. I always understood those to have camshaft problems and not very economical.
I mentioned the 235 Chevy. I guess you didn’t read my post.
I havent had time to read every suggestion here but a few that have not a lot of mentions
Jaguar V12 and XK 6 cylinder
BMC A series (noted by some others but simple can work)
The Buick/Rover V8
The Alfa twin cam 1750/2000
Fiat twin cam
Citroen/Peugeoit XUD series diesels
and I always had a soft spot for the 5 cylinder Audis as well.
had a 65 plym belvedere six it would throw two quarts of oil out the breather a week,so it usually didnt have any oil in the crankcase stop at a light the oil light comes on rev it up so the light goes out how it could run with no oil i will never know no coolant no oil ,
gotta be the toughest six ever !
The Toyota 1MZFE V6, Chrysler 3.3, 3.8l Engines, Gm 60 degree V6 Buick 3800, 3300, Gm 151 iron duke and the Honda V6 and inline fours.
The 3800 series II is a very good engine but I wouldn’t quite lump it in with the series I and III engines which corrected several issues starting with the upper and lower intake gaskets, the intake itself which had an EGR tube that was too small and warped causing ingestion of anti-freeze and of course the brittle plastic elbow that broke causing coolant to gush out potentially overheating the motor. Still the after market has solved most of these issues with a steel elbow and a steel re-enforced EGR tube hole with a larger diameter that resists warpage.
It’s also worth noting that GM was supposed to upgrade the 3800 Series III engine with around 240 HP and possibly alloy heads to make it lighter but magazines like CR made it sound like this engine’s OHV architecture was from the stone ages so GM instead decided to upgrade it’s OHV 60 degree V6 family as the High value series and also offer the Global DOHC engines for Cadillac and Buick and later Chevy and the SUV’s as the High feature line.
It is truly a joke to see all these domestic engines listed as “best”. A huge joke. Obviously, dependability wasn’t in the criteria. Yeah, those Fords, Chevys, Buicks. Olds’s and Pontiacs were dependable…as long as you worked on them every day when they broke down. Experience with GM tells me that, and nothing will ever change my mind.
The best engine ever is one that everybody has overlooked, and I had 200,000 miles of experience with two of them (combined mileage..one with 93,000 and one with 83,000..very close to 200,000 total) in the mid to late 80’s, and that is the Toyota 4A-GE Twin-Cam 16 valve 1.6 litre. Nothing before or since has compared to the technology or dependability of that engine for the time it existed. And no one has mentioned it. Those little guys would take a thrashing and just come back for more. In those almost 200,000 miles, neither engine needed one cent worth of repair work. Also, no one mentioned the parent engine of the 4A-GE, the 4A-C, the 4A-FE and the 7A-FE used in the 1982-1997 Corollas. Between my wife and me we owned 3 Corollas with the 4A, and one with the 7A, and the one in the 1992 Corolla went almost 300,000 miles. All the others were flawless and needed only routine maintenance. (The 1992 was bought used with 247,000 miles and had been overheated and had had the head shaved due to the previous owners’ abuse. Sometimes too much abuse is too much even for the toughest engines. We put another 50,000 miles on it before the head repair came undone.) When talking “best” engines, one needs to come down off his “buy ‘Murrucun” soapbox and look subjectively at what is really best.
I put over 90,000 on my RWD Northstar with only oil changes. The Aurora’s Northstar did need (under warranty) a leaky valve cover gasket replaced. The FWD Seville’s Northstar needed nothing but oil changes. That totals about 200,000 miles in the dreaded Northstar V8 which everyone knows is nothing but trouble.
I guess you missed my comment specifically nominating that engine.
I agree you need to consider performance, durability and reliability in equal measure before assigning any engine to a “best” list. I disagree that American engines fall short, even though all of the units on my list were available on mass market, affordable cars.
Sure the Lexus V8 or BMW M30 offered more specific output and had, at least for the Lexus, comparable durability but at what cost? You couldn’t get either of those on what would be equivalent to a $30,000 transaction price Dodge Charger w/ 5.8L HEMI. That Charger gives you fantastic performance and great fuel economy for less money than the cheapest BMW, which has a stressed out, thirsty little four.
The Europeans have struggled with their more affordable designs for a long time. The ’70 Audi 100LS motor is one example.
As for the Toyota 1.6L DOHC if that’s the one in the original MR2 I loved it too but only when driving like the little prick I was back then. Even as a kid that motor sucked with the 4-speed auto around town, there was no low end at all.
For a 4-cylinder I prefer the VW SOHC that debuted on the ’73 Audi Fox. Good low-end torque and also very smooth at higher revs. The Kent 1.6L I had in my Fiesta was similar. The 2-bbl carb helped a lot and I never understood why the Pinto and Capri 1.6L only had 1-bbl but I digress.
The domestic approach of a relatively larger, lazier and torquier engine is good for overall performance feel and also longevity. High strung engines can overcome their limitations but with expensive band-aids like turbos, variable induction, variable valve timing, etc, etc.
Construction needs to be robust ($$$) with these designs as Cadillac found out the hard way with the Northstar. They shoulda stuck to what they knew because the LSx performed at least as well, didn’t have the head stud issue and was much, much cheaper to build. Which means cheaper to keep on the road when it’s old.
I’m one of those guys who had a lot of domestics on my list and upon further reflection I wouldn’t change a thing. #11 would be the GM 3800 and #12 the Volvo redblock, which has to be one of the most “domestic” European engines ever. The Toyota 1.6L DOHC can place no higher than #13 because the overall performance was lacking. As a car guy that’s important to me.
I give the Toyota major kudos for ushering in the modern multi-valve era and for its long production run and broad application, though it can’t match the VW or Kent engines in that regard.
Your ignorance of domestic engines is showing…and even more bewildering is your quickness to boast about engines you never even put 100,000 miles on.
Sorry, but 176,000 combined total on two different engines is NOTHING. I’ve driven crap engines further than that.
I have 180.000 miles on my original Buick 430 from the 60s. I owned a 1977 Cadillac Coupe DeVille as a daily driver with 270.000 miles on it’s original drivetrain (425).
My neighbour has a 1993 Cherokee 4.0 with over 400.000 kms on it, still runs fine.
Yes Toyota had some good engines, and some bad. The best of them all was probably the 2,4 Diesel with 79 hp. The worst, you can ask anyone with an oilsucking 1,6 or 1,8 VVti with a new shortblock.
I forgot to mention the Honda F23A1 and the Nissan KA24DE. Those proved themselves to me too. And while we’re at it, there is also the SR20DE first used here in the 1991 Sentra SE-R and the Infiniti G20. Now THAT was a great engine. That 1991 SE-R of mine was way overpowered, but they meant it to be that way and I loved it that way!
A note on the above post: the 7A-FE was only used from 1993 to 1997 in the Corolla DX and LE. The 4A-FE was in the base Corollas and in 1996-1997 the Corolla CE. Sorry about that.
The KA24DE is rubbish, they’re known for blowing head gaskets, and burnt valves.
If they were so great… WHY would most 240sx owners go for the SR20det or RB20/25/25det(t) swaps? Yes, these are turbo engines… But if the KA24de is so great, why not turbo that?
The KA24e single cam, is a much more durable engine:
1) They take to boost a lot better… No building up of the bottom end as necessary as the KA24de
2) Higher hp numbers attained on boost with the KA24e
3) NON adjustable valve lash… So no adjusting of the valves necessary, unlike the KA24de twin cam
4) The D21 Hardbody trucks run the KA24e… Very durable workhorse of an engine
I loved the KA24e Turbonetics on 10lb boost, I had in my 90 240sx hatchback…NEVER a problem.
Somehow the notion of reliability and repareability is confounded by some curbsiders ,
the Northstar was a reliable engine , 100 000 miles without an issue was common,
but they were not repairable ,once the Northstar broke down it was scrap aluminium .
In some, and perhaps most, cases that is true, but some engines were repairable. I found something in the Cadillac Forums that suggest the alloy was changed and this led to more failures in the late 90’s. It is also suggested that most Northstar engines do not fail.
The Northstar was not the engine that the 1949 OHV engine was. Nor was the 472-500-425-368.
AMC 232/258/4.0 six tied with the Dodge /6. The predecessor Rambler 199 was a tough old beast too. The ’61 Rambler beater I drove in the 90s out of poverty ran on maybe 4.5 cyls and blew a lot of smoke, but it just kept wheezing along.
Toyota 20/21/22R four. I had one in a ’79 HiLux and despite terrible abuse from a 17-year old idiot, it refused to fail.
Volvo Redblock in all incarnations. The B230E in my ’91 240 that I’ve had for six years has never let me down. Even after sitting for six weeks, it fires right up. Idles like crap but it always has.
My current main ride has a BMW N55 six. While it’s been voted Engine of the Year several times, I’m not sure it’ll achieve the longevity of any of the above, but it is by far the most entertaining engine I’ve eve experienced.
The 4 cylinder engine in my 1997 Toyota Camry. Not one oil drop in 110k miles.
Only issue was getting the timing belt changed on a routine basis. One Toyota dealer installed it wrong which caused the timing to be off causing pinging. Took it to another mechanic who fixed the problem.
No question – Mopar Slant Six – the 225 – incredibly gas efficient for its time. When I was buying parts at junkyards, they would tell me “the body will fall off long before the engine will die.” The engine from my beloved 68 Dodge Dart made it to Feb 1, 2006 – when my husband asked to borrow it and disregarded my “yes, but check the oil”. He’s still in the doghouse! 🙂
Late to the party, but here is my list:
1. Buick 3800
2. Cadillac 472-500-425-368
3. Ford 460
4. AMC 4.0
5. Mercedes diesel (2,0-2,4-3,0) without turbo
6. Toyota Diesel 2,4
7. Chevrolet smallblock
8. Ford smallblock
9. BMW I6
10. Navistar 7,3 Diesel.