2005 Ward's 10 Best Engines
 

Old news - but relevant in light of some posts.

Ward’s tested 36 car and truck engines for its 2005 10 Best Engines competition, evaluating them based on the crucial engine characteristics of power; torque; noise, vibration and harshness (NVH); technical relevance and basic comparative numbers. All engines nominated and tested were in vehicles with a base price less than $52,500.

The 2005 winners, along with the vehicles they were tested in:

· Audi FSI 3.2L DOHC V-6 (Audi A6)

· Audi 4.2L DOHC V-8 (Audi S4)

· DaimlerChrysler 5.7L Hemi Magnum OHV V-8 (Chrysler 300C)

· DaimlerChrysler 3.2L DOHC I-6 CDI Turbodiesel (Mercedes E320 CDI)

· Ford 4.6L SOHC V-8 (Ford Mustang GT)

· General Motors 4.2L DOHC Vortec I-6 (Chevrolet TrailBlazer)

· Honda 3L SOHC V-6 IMA Hybrid (Honda Accord Hybrid)

· Honda 3.5L SOHC V-6 (Acura RL)

· Mazda 1.3L Renesis rotary (Mazda RX-8)

· Nissan 3.5L DOHC V-6 (Infiniti G35 Coupe)

The Nissan 3.5-liter VQ V6 engine has been named to the annual Ward’s 10 Best Engines list for the 11th straight year by Ward’s Communications, Inc. It is the only engine that has been part of the list every year the award has been presented.

The VQ engine has been improved for the 2005 model year. The engine in the G35 when mated to an automatic transmission now produces 280 horsepower at 6,200 rpm, and 270 pound-feet of torque at 4,800 rpm. This represents an increase of 20 horsepower and 10 pound-feet of torque in the G35 sedan.

When mated to the six-speed manual transmission, horsepower in both the G35 Sedan and Coupe increases to 298 at 6,400 rpm. The VQ engine sees its highest-ever output with the 35th Anniversary 350Z, which is tuned for 300 hp. A 4.0L variant of the VQ, specially tuned for truck applications, is now available in the all-new, 2005 Nissan Pathfinder SUV, and later in new generations of the Frontier mid-size pickup and Xterra SUV.

Yup, pretty prestigious for 11 years in a row. The G is my fourth car with the VQ (two Maximas previously, along with my current Alti). The only engine related issue I've had was a blown MAF in the Alti this year (and technically a MAF is not part of the engine itself). Otherwise, a perfect record.

Plus:

Ward’s has covered the auto industry for more than 75 years.
Ward's has many news, data and analysis products to meet virtually any information need.

Ward's widely trusted reporting and data has earned Ward’s Communications a reputation as THE SOURCE for global auto industry news and analysis.

Well that makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside now doest it?

Sure doesn't hurt to have such a good engine. :p
I save the warm and fuzzy for the car as a whole.... ;)

Kudos to Nissan -- their VQ30/35 engine's rep. is unmatched.

C.