Testing is well underway of the 2025 group of Wards 10 Best Engines and Propulsion Systems nominees, marking the 31st year and start of the fourth decade for the awards series, established as Wards 10 Best Engines in 1995 to honor outstanding performance and groundbreaking technology achievements by powertrain engineers.
As with many recent years of testing, there is wide-ranging power across the engines and propulsion systems 10 Best judges have been evaluating this summer.
Nowhere is this more evident than the far reaches of our vehicle test list alphabetically: the ADX by Acura and the ZR1 variant of the Chevrolet Corvette. The ADX possesses a 1.5L turbocharged 4-cyl., while the ZR1 has a 5.5L twin-turbocharged flat-plane crank V-8. The Acura small CUV’s engine makes 190 hp, while the supercar’s mill churns out 1,064 hp, making the latter the most powerful V-8 thus far produced in the U.S. by an automaker.
Our nominee list for 2025 (at bottom) reflects the changing nature of the U.S. auto industry and its decade-plus move away from strictly internal-combustion engines toward electrified propulsion, either with partial electrification in the form of mild hybrid-electric vehicles, full hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) and plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles (PHEVs), as well as with pure battery-electric vehicles (BEVs).
To recognize the increasing presence on our winners’ lists of hybrids of all forms, as well as hydrogen-fuel-cell electric vehicles and BEVs, WardsAuto in 2019 updated the name of the competition to “10 Best Engines and Propulsion Systems” from “10 Best Engines.”
In addition to the engines in the ADX and ZR1, there are 28 other nominated engines or propulsion systems that Wards 10 Best judges are test-driving for the 2025 competition.
Among the varied batch of this year’s nominees is the 1.6L turbo inline 3-cyl. in the Toyota GR Corolla, making a formidable 300 hp despite its relatively small size; turbo-4s from Audi, Buick and Volkswagen; hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains with 4-cyl. and 6-cyl. engines; a 717-hp plug-in hybrid with a twin-turbo V-8; and several all-electric propulsion systems in BEVs, including a dual-motor system in the Dodge Charger Daytona making 670 hp and a 1,025-hp quad-motor system in the Rivian R1T Quad Max.
As usual, automakers and brands can submit returning winners, at their discretion. Several of our 2024 10 Best Engines and Propulsion Systems winners were swapped for new entrants for 2025, but there are six returning winners scheduled for testing again this year from Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Ram and Toyota.
Also, in keeping with established rules, any all-new, redesigned or heavily refreshed engine or propulsion system released in the current calendar year, or after the closure of 2024’s testing period, is eligible to be tested for the 2025 Wards 10 Best Engines and Propulsion Systems competition.
Vehicles are driven on local roads in Metro Detroit, not on tracks, and tested engines and propulsion systems are judged on basic numbers, including fuel economy (EPA-estimated and observed); horsepower; torque; noise, vibration and harshness; and technical relevance.
This year, high-volume brands (those selling more than 350,000 light vehicles in the U.S. in 2024) were able to submit up to two engines and/or propulsion systems for testing, while lower-volume brands (those selling under 350,000 LVs last year) could submit one nominee.
The winners of the 2025 Wards 10 Best Engines and Propulsion Systems awards will be announced in mid-September and honored during an Oct. 22 award ceremony in Dearborn, MI.
This year’s 10 Best Engines and Propulsion Systems judges include WardsAuto Lead Editor Christie Schweinsberg, WardsAuto Editor Jim Irwin and WardsAuto Contributing Editors Bob Gritzinger, Gary Vasilash, Drew Winter and Dave Zoia.
Nominees for 2025 Wards 10 Best Engines and Propulsion Systems:
Acura ADX 1.5L turbo 4-cyl.
Audi Q5 2.0L turbo 4-cyl.
BMW M5 4.4L twin-turbo V-8 PHEV
BMW X3 2.0L turbo I-4 w/ mild hybrid system
Buick Enclave 2.5L turbo 4-cyl.
Cadillac Escalade IQ BEV*
Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 5.5L twin-turbo V-8
Dodge Charger Daytona BEV
Ford F-150 3.5L turbo V-6 HEV (2024 returning winner)
Genesis GV80 Coupe 3.5L turbo V-6 w/ electric supercharger
Honda Civic Hybrid 2.0L I-4 HEV (2024 returning winner)
Hyundai Ioniq 5 N BEV (2024 returning winner)
Hyundai Ioniq 9 BEV
Kia EV9 GT Line BEV* (2024 returning winner)
Jeep Wagoneer S BEV
Lexus LX 700h 3.4L turbo V-6 HEV
Lucid Gravity BEV*
Mazda CX-50 2.0L 4-cyl. HEV
Mercedes-Benz GLC 350e 2.0L turbo I-4 PHEV
Mercedes-AMG E53 3.0L turbo I-6 PHEV
Nissan Armada NISMO 3.5L turbo V-6*
Nissan Leaf BEV*
Polestar 4 BEV*
Ram RHO 3.0L turbo I-6 high output (2024 returning winner)
Rivian R1T Quad Max BEV
Subaru Forester 2.5L Boxer 4-cyl. HEV
Toyota GR Corolla 1.6L turbo I-3 (2024 returning winner)
Toyota 4Runner 2.4L turbo 4-cyl. HEV
Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0L turbo 4-cyl.*
Volvo EX90 BEV
*Scheduled to be tested, subject to change
