Now in its 22nd year, the Wards' 10 Best Engines competition recognizes outstanding engines and electrified propulsion systems, as well as the technology and engineering behind them.
The Class of 2016:
3.0L Turbocharged DOHC I-6 (BMW 340i)
3.6L DOHC V-6 (Chevrolet Camaro/Cadillac ATS)
1.5L DOHC 4-cyl./120-kW Drive Motor (Chevrolet Volt EREV)
5.2L DOHC V-8 (Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang)
2.0L DOHC 4-cyl./50-kW Drive Motor (Hyundai Sonata PHEV)
3.5L DOHC V-6 (Nissan Maxima)
3.0L Turbodiesel DOHC V-6 (Ram 1500 EcoDiesel)
2.0L Turbocharged DOHC 4-cyl. Boxer (Subaru WRX)
1.8L DOHC 4-cyl./53-kW Drive Motor (Toyota Prius HEV)
2.0L Turbo/Supercharged DOHC 4-cyl. (Volvo XC90)
This is what Wards' Auto had to say about the B58 engine:
BMW remains the most-honored automaker, with 32 Wards 10 Best Engines trophies since the competition began in 1995. The latest comes for the new B58 3.0L turbocharged inline-6 that resides in the 340i sedan and is destined for numerous BMW applications in years to come.
The 320-hp B58 replaces the N55 turbo 3.0L, which earned three trophies from 2011 to 2013. With a larger twin-scroll turbocharger, higher compression ratio and the impeccable balance afforded by an inline layout, BMW proves once again an engine need not make outrageous horsepower or torque numbers to be enormously rewarding and thrilling to drive.
The 340i loves to stretch its legs in the upper reaches of the powerband, which didn’t stop a number of editors from topping 25 mpg (9.4 L/100 km) during our evaluations.
The B58 springs from a new modular architecture that begins with the 6-cyl., then lops off pistons to make 3- and 4-cyl. variants. Those B38 and B48 engines, evaluated in Mini Hardtops in this year’s competition, also impressed the editors, but not quite like the BMW 340i.