"The supremely smooth Pentastar has impressed us in muscle cars, SUVs, CUVs, minivans and luxury sedans, and now it turns in another stellar performance in the fullsize Ram pickup." wrote the WardsAuto editors.
Despite the Ram's two-and-a-half tons, the WardsAuto editors said, "..the Pentastar summons a boatload of low-end torque and can tow 6,000 lbs. (2,271 kg), all the while sounding burly and confident and delivering best-in-class fuel economy."
Ward's also called out the new thermal management system that brings engine and transmission fluids to operating temperature more quickly, which cuts down parasitic losses and improves fuel efficiency 1.7%.
Noteworthy this year is the fact that all the 2013 winners are internal combustion engines: there are no electric vehicles; hybrids or diesels on the the list.
Ten WardsAuto editors selected the winners after evaluating 40 new or significantly upgraded engines in daily driving in the Detroit metropolitan area from October to early this month. To be considered, the engines must be offered in regular-production, U.S.-spec vehicles with base prices below $55,000 that are or will be offered for public sale no later than the first quarter of 2013.
Engines were rated on power, technology, observed fuel economy, relative competitiveness and noise, vibration harshness characteristics. Since the goal is to get real-world experience with the engines, there is no instrumented testing.
This year’s winners:
- 3.6L Pentastar DOHC V-6 (Ram 1500)
- 3.0L TFSI Supercharged DOHC V-6 (Audi S5)
- 2.0L N20 Turbocharged DOHC I-4 (BMW 328i)
- 3.0L N55 Turbocharged DOHC I-6 (BMW 135is coupe)
- 2.0L EcoBoost DOHC I-4 (Ford Focus ST/Taurus)
- 5.8L Supercharged DOHC V-8 (Ford Shelby GT500)
- 2.0L Turbocharged DOHC I-4 (Cadillac ATS)
- 2.4L DOHC I-4 (Honda Accord Sport)
- 3.5L SOHC V-6 (Honda Accord)
- 2.0L FA DOHC H-4 Boxer (Subaru BRZ)
