At a time when engine technology is progressing by leaps and bounds, and as the half-ton pickup truck segment gets more competitive, it shouldn't surprise anyone that two of the engines on Ward's 10 Best Engines of 2014 are directly connected to popular full-size pickups.
This is the 20th year WardsAuto has held the competition, this year choosing from 44 different qualifying engines in one of the widest ranging engine lists ever. The 2014 Ward's 10 Best Engines and the vehicles in which they reside are:
- Audi S5 3.0-liter TFSI supercharged DOHC V-6
- BMW 535d 3.0-liter turbo-diesel DOHC inIine-six-cylinder
- Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 6.2-liter OHV V-8 (same engine as Chevy Silverado 1500)
- Chevrolet Cruze 2.0-liter turbo-diesel DOHC inline-four-cylinder
- Fiat 500e 83-kilowatt electric motor
- Ford Fiesta 1.0-liter turbocharged DOHC inline-three-cylinder
- Honda Accord 3.5-liter SOHC V-6
- Porsche Cayman 2.7-liter DOHC H-6 boxer
- Ram 1500 3.0-liter turbo-diesel DOHC V-6
- Volkswagen Jetta 1.8-liter turbocharged DOHC inline-four-cylinder
This is the first year in more than 15 years that a light-duty half-ton pickup truck has offered a small diesel engine option. The Ram 1500 has beaten the competition to the punch, offering a vehicle likely to get 27 or 28 mpg on the highway and somewhere in the ballpark of 22 mpg combined.
Although the Stingray engine is not technically inside a 2014 Silverado 1500 or GMC Sierra 1500, the EcoTec3 technology and specifications are practically identical. In fact, the same strategies and designs incorporated to the top-rated Corvette motor output are also inside the Silverado/Sierra's 4.3-liter V-6, 5.3-liter V-8 and the close family relation, the 6.2-liter V-8. All EcoTec3 engines offer direct injection, variable valve timing and cylinder deactivation.
