2015 Ward's 10 Best Engines announced

Of all the awards handed out in the automotive industry year after year, Ward's annual list of 10 Best Engines rank on top of our list. Not only is this different from the other run-of-the-mill titles, it also honours the efforts taken by car manufacturers to come out with better engines with each passing year. To be eligible for the award, an engine or a propulsion system must be all-new or significantly re-engineered and retail in the U.S market less than $60,000. 

A total of 37 engines made it to the list of nominations this year, with the vehicles powered by them then being evaluated by the editors at WardsAuto. Scoring was based on each of those engine's power, torque, technology, fuel economy, competitiveness and noise, vibration and harshness characteristics, making it a complete, all-round evaluation. 

If there still were doubts that "forced induction" is the way forward in automobiles, the list of ten best engines of 2015 would put them to rest. Seven out of the ten engines chosen for the award either had a turbocharger or supercharger to increase power output without increasing displacement. BMW and Fiat-Chrysler are the big winners this time, with both of them bagging two awards each. GM, Ford, Hyundai, Subaru, Volkswagen and Volvo had one each in the list. The 3.0-liter DOHC V6 engine powering the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is the only oil-burner in the list, while the BMW i3's 127-kW Electric Motor and Hyundai Tucson FCV's 100-kW Fuel Cell would keep the alternate fuel gang happy.

The award-winning engines and the automobiles that they power are listed below in no particular order:

* 127-kW Electric Motor (BMW i3)

* 6.2L OHV V8 (Chevrolet Corvette Stingray)

* 6.2L Supercharged OHV V8 (Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat)

* 1.0L Turbocharged DOHC 3-cyl. (Ford Fiesta)

* 100-kW Fuel Cell (Hyundai Tucson FCV)

* 1.5L Turbocharged DOHC 3-cyl. (Mini Cooper)

* 3.0L Turbodiesel DOHC V6 (Ram 1500 EcoDiesel)

* 2.0L Turbocharged DOHC H4 (Subaru WRX)

* 1.8L Turbocharged DOHC 4-cyl. (Volkswagen Jetta)

* 2.0L Turbocharged DOHC 4-cyl. (Volvo S60)

"We spend a lot of time reading the powertrain tea leaves throughout the auto industry, and we're proud that this year's list is a microcosm of all the latest innovation coming from automakers," says Drew Winter, WardsAuto World Editor-in-Chief. "It's not just a list for enthusiasts or for environmentalists," he says.

Top executives from winning automakers would be presented with the awards at the upcoming North American International Auto Show in Detorit. Stay on high alert, folks! The award season has just begun and we have lots to report.