Ward’s 10 Best Engines of 2015 Announced

The remaining five

MINI Cooper – 1.5L Turbocharged Three Cylinder

Over the past 21 years, MINI has won a pair of Ward’s 10 Best Engines trophies with its four-cylinder engines, but this time around, it’s the Cooper’s new three-cylinder with 134 hp that will be taking home a trophy. The turbocharged engine also helps the compact Cooper maintain respectable fuel economy figures and with a starting price of under $20,000 a fun compact hatch isn’t out of most people’s reach.

Ram 1500 EcoDiesel – 3.0L Turbocharged V6 Diesel

The Ram 1500 EcoDiesel’s engine is another powerplant that was seen on WardAuto‘s list last year and with the ability to return up to 28 mpg on the highway while offering 240 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque, it’s no surprise that around 20 percent of Ram 1500 buyers are opting for the diesel V6 developed by Fiat-owned VM Motori.

Subaru WRX – 2.0L Turbocharged Flat Four

For the 2015 Subaru WRX, the Japanese automaker took its turbocharged flat-four engine found in the Forester and made it even better with 268 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. According to WardsAuto, the WRX’s six-speed manual transmission pairs up perfectly to the powerplant and AutoGuide.com‘s editors believe that the WRX is one of the funnest cars to hit the market this year.

Volkswagen Golf – 1.8L Turbocharged Four Cylinder

The fourth returning engine from last year’s list is Volkswagen’s 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 170 hp and 200 lb-ft of torque. Considering that WardsAuto tested 15 turbocharged four-cylinder engines this year, three of which were new from VW, seeing an engine return on the list is an admirable feat. Best of all, the four-cylinder helps transform the Golf into a fun-to-drive hot hatch, that is until the even hotter Golf R400 finally arrives.

Volvo S60 – 2.0L Turbocharged Four Cylinder

Last, but not least, is another turbocharged four-cylinder engine but this time it’s from Volvo. From the Swedish automaker’s new Drive-E engine family is the 2.0-liter T5 engine that can be found in the S60 sedan. Delivering 240 hp, the T5 wasn’t the only engine from Volvo that WardsAuto was impressed with. The more powerful (302 hp) turbocharged and supercharged T6 engine, which is also a 2.0-liter four-cylinder plant, also did well but the publication preferred the simpler, high-efficiency package from the T5.