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4-Cylinder Engines That Prove You Don' t Need A V8
Nov. 07, 2018 9:05 PM ET by Roger Biermann Car Culture / 51 Comments It turns out there is a replacement for displacement.
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Lily Watson 2 minutes ago
Though the era of downsizing isn't all it's cracked up to be in the economy stakes, the era ...
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Thomas Anderson 1 minutes ago
That's big talk, and the traditionalists are picking up their torches and pitchforks as I write ...
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Ella Rodriguez Member
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Friday, 09 May 2025
Though the era of downsizing isn't all it's cracked up to be in the economy stakes, the era of the turbocharger sure has its benefits. Most crucially, the addition of turbos has huge benefits for the torque output of an engine, with power taking a bump beyond its regular potential too. Keith Duckworth – engineer for Cosworth – once said that "turbochargers are for people who can't build engines." Nowadays turbochargers are magical ways of enhancing a great engine and making it better, turning 4-cylinder motors into V8-killers.
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Christopher Lee 1 minutes ago
That's big talk, and the traditionalists are picking up their torches and pitchforks as I write ...
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Chloe Santos 5 minutes ago
In its current incarnation the turbocharged inline-4 boots out 292 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torqu...
That's big talk, and the traditionalists are picking up their torches and pitchforks as I write this, but these 4 cylinder engines prove that statement to be true.
Audi S3 Audi TT S VW Golf R
All three of these Volkswagen-family products make use of the same EA888 high-performance 2-liter engine that's been doing duty since the Mk V Golf GTI. It's been a tuner's delight since the early days, and with time, engineering has only made it better.
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Audrey Mueller 7 minutes ago
In its current incarnation the turbocharged inline-4 boots out 292 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torqu...
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Sophie Martin 5 minutes ago
Powered by a new all-aluminum turbocharged 4-cylinder displacing 2.0-liters, in its highest state of...
In its current incarnation the turbocharged inline-4 boots out 292 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque. A 2001 Mustang Bullitt only had outputs of 265hp from its 4.6-liter V8, and the turbo-4 means torque is available freely through the rev-range for improved acceleration. The engine has been proven to exceed 400hp too, in VW's Golf R400 concept. Audi Audi Volkswagen Volkswagen
Alfa Romeo Giulia
Though the Alfa Romeo Giulia is often defined by its 50:50 weight balance, carbon fiber driveshaft, and the M3-baiting Quadrifoglio's Ferrari-derived 503hp V6 engine, the base models offer some impressive clout too.
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Elijah Patel Member
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Powered by a new all-aluminum turbocharged 4-cylinder displacing 2.0-liters, in its highest state of tune the motor sends 280 hp and 306 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels through an 8-speed automatic gearbox. There's an optional all-wheel-drive system too, which enables a 0-60 mph sprint of quicker than 5 seconds.
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Ethan Thomas 6 minutes ago
Chevrolet's V8-powered Camaro of 1996 had a comparable 285 hp – proving how in just 20 short y...
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David Cohen 7 minutes ago
Rivaling BMW's 3.0-liter turbo-6 and Audi's turbo 5-pot, the AMG 45 range punches way above ...
Chevrolet's V8-powered Camaro of 1996 had a comparable 285 hp – proving how in just 20 short years the humble 4-cylinder has improved.
Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 GLA 45
The Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 and GLA 45 have become modern-day halo cars for the diminutive 4-cylinder.
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Liam Wilson Member
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Rivaling BMW's 3.0-liter turbo-6 and Audi's turbo 5-pot, the AMG 45 range punches way above its weight. With the new ones expected to eclipse 400 hp.
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Ella Rodriguez Member
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Currently, the 2.0-liter unit generates 376 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque, nearly matching the outputs of a 2011 Mercedes-Benz E500, despite the latter boasting a 5.5-liter naturally aspirated V8 worth 383 hp. The CLA 45 though is vastly quicker, eclipsing the E500's 0-60 mph time by more than a full second.
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Isabella Johnson 18 minutes ago
Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X FQ400
It's not just...
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Joseph Kim 23 minutes ago
The biggest giant-killer of them all was the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X FQ400 of 2010, which produced 4...
It's not just modern turbo-4s that provide immense power for their outputs. As far back as the early 2000s the Subaru Impreza WRX STi and Mitsubishi Evo were thumping giant-killers.
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Andrew Wilson Member
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The biggest giant-killer of them all was the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X FQ400 of 2010, which produced 403 hp and 387 lb-ft, and claimed the 0-60 mph sprint in a supercar-bating 3.8 seconds. A 2010 Mustang GT only had 315 hp and 325lb-ft from its 4.6-liter V8, proving there is a replacement for displacement. Mitsubishi Mitsubishi
Volvo S60 V60 Polestar
For decades, Volvo was seen as the brand that epitomized safety, and performance was the last thought in their engineers' minds. But with Polestar now pursuing electrified performance, it's a new era for the brand.
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Ethan Thomas 15 minutes ago
The Volvo S60 and V60 Polestar models gave us a preview of just what the performance arm could do, t...
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Julia Zhang 12 minutes ago
Honda Honda Honda
Ford Focus RS
Though the Ford Mustang EcoBoost might seem the obvious a...
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Chloe Santos Moderator
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Friday, 09 May 2025
The Volvo S60 and V60 Polestar models gave us a preview of just what the performance arm could do, taking a 2.0-liter Drive-E four-cylinder engine, equipping it with both a turbocharger and a supercharger, thus giving it 36 2hp and 350 lb-ft – making it more powerful than the original AMG CLA 45, and more powerful than a C5 Corvette. Volvo Volvo
Honda Civic Type R
What does it take to make a front-wheel-drive hatchback conquer the Nurburgring quicker than a 2004 Ford GT? Well, all it takes is a little boost, and when the Japanese brand finally succumbed to the notion of forced induction it paid dividends. The current FK8 Type R uses a 2.0-liter turbo-4 that generates up to 316 hp in Japan, though US versions only output 306 horses, which is still more than a C4 Corvette, and vastly quicker on the street and around a racetrack.
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Honda Honda Honda
Ford Focus RS
Though the Ford Mustang EcoBoost might seem the obvious a...
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Hannah Kim 10 minutes ago
Ford Ford Ford Ford
Porsche 718 Cayman Boxster GTS
The world has rued Porsche's dec...
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Ryan Garcia Member
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60 minutes ago
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Honda Honda Honda
Ford Focus RS
Though the Ford Mustang EcoBoost might seem the obvious addition to this list, with a turbocharged 2.3-liter 4-cylinder rivalling V8's of old, that engine was developed further for inclusion in the Ford Focus RS – Ford's mighty all-wheel drive drift-mode enabled super-hatch. Well in the Focus RS, that 2.3-liter generates a mighty 350 hp and equal amounts of torque, 35 hp more than a 2010 Mustang GT and with 25 lb-ft more twist. But the Focus RS also does 0-62 mph in 4.7 seconds, quicker than a 2014 Dodge Charger SRT8.
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Sophia Chen 36 minutes ago
Ford Ford Ford Ford
Porsche 718 Cayman Boxster GTS
The world has rued Porsche's dec...
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Madison Singh 15 minutes ago
The 2.5-liter turbocharged flat-4 generates 365 hp and 309 lb-ft. Impressive figures, stronger than ...
The world has rued Porsche's decision to downsize the Cayman and Boxster to 4-cylinder turbocharged engines – after all, they do sound like hyped up Hoovers more than top-class sports cars. But, the 4-cylinder's efficacy can't be denied, and in no place is this on display more than in the 718 Cayman and Boxster GTS models.
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Oliver Taylor 49 minutes ago
The 2.5-liter turbocharged flat-4 generates 365 hp and 309 lb-ft. Impressive figures, stronger than ...
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Christopher Lee Member
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The 2.5-liter turbocharged flat-4 generates 365 hp and 309 lb-ft. Impressive figures, stronger than many a classic V8, but it's the performance those figures give that's most impressive, resulting in a 0-60 mph time of 3.9 seconds – as quick to the mark as a C6 Corvette. Porsche Porsche Porsche Porsche
BMW X2 M35i
BMW is on the verge of going front-wheel-drive with a range of its smaller vehicles, as we've already seen on the X1 and X2 models.
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Brandon Kumar 5 minutes ago
With the change in drivetrain they've also given us new engines for the application, including t...
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Liam Wilson 5 minutes ago
But the EJ257 motor at its heart, a 2.5-liter turbocharged flat-4, has been in the US since 2004 out...
With the change in drivetrain they've also given us new engines for the application, including the M35i denomination models with a 2.0-liter turbo-4 worth 302 horsepower and 332 lb-ft – more power than a 2003 BMW 540i which was equipped with a 4.4-liter V8. Less than half the displacement, with more power, a better torque curve, and greater efficiency – welcome to the age of the turbo! BMW BMW BMW BMW
Subaru WRX STI
In 2018, the Subaru WRX STI's 310 hp is well within the competitive ranks of its class, more than the Golf R and the Civic Type R.
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Alexander Wang 66 minutes ago
But the EJ257 motor at its heart, a 2.5-liter turbocharged flat-4, has been in the US since 2004 out...
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Kevin Wang 27 minutes ago
Part of the brand's new Ingenium line-up of engines, the modular 4-cylinder is turbocharged to p...
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Sophie Martin Member
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But the EJ257 motor at its heart, a 2.5-liter turbocharged flat-4, has been in the US since 2004 outputting 300 hp – the same as the Ford Mustang of the same year. Paired with all-wheel drive, the WRX STI has consistently punched above its weight, both in a straight line and around the racetrack, proving a 4-pot is more than capable of holding its own against a V8. Subaru
Jaguar F-Type 2 0
Though most pine over the Jaguar F-Type's supercharged 5.0-liter V8, the entry-level 2.0-liter turbo-4 represents the huge potential of the humble 4-cylinder.
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Evelyn Zhang 8 minutes ago
Part of the brand's new Ingenium line-up of engines, the modular 4-cylinder is turbocharged to p...
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Ethan Thomas 16 minutes ago
In Sport mode, the sound system may pipe in false V6 noises, but the performance on offer is all 4-c...
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Thomas Anderson Member
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Part of the brand's new Ingenium line-up of engines, the modular 4-cylinder is turbocharged to produce 296 hp and 295 lb-ft. 0-60 mph takes 5.4 seconds, only slowed by the F-Type's relatively heavy weight figure.
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Harper Kim 38 minutes ago
In Sport mode, the sound system may pipe in false V6 noises, but the performance on offer is all 4-c...
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James Smith 55 minutes ago
Roger is highly proficient at writing in the third person and spends his time away from the keyboard...
Audi S3 Sedan Audi TTS Coupe Volkswagen Golf R Alfa Romeo Giulia Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 Honda Civic Type R Ford Focus RS Porsche 718 Cayman BMW X2 Subaru WRX STI Jaguar F-Type Coupe Roger Biermann Managing Editor After spending the first three years of his life after school pursuing a career in interior design and architecture, the automotive bug bit Roger hard. This led him down the path of forging a career in motoring, running his own website and spending eight years building up his automotive knowledge, driving ability, and wordcraft before joining CarBuzz in 2017, first as a writer, and later as an editor, technical expert, and in-house graphics wizard fulfilling the role of company joker and jack of all trades.
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Thomas Anderson 36 minutes ago
Roger is highly proficient at writing in the third person and spends his time away from the keyboard...
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Grace Liu Member
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Roger is highly proficient at writing in the third person and spends his time away from the keyboard tinkering on and autocrossing his two Miatas. Contact Roger @Roger.mx5 LoginSign Up Home News Features Car Reviews Car Advice 2021 CarBuzz Awards New Cars Used Cars Future Cars Compare Cars Sell My Car Car Dealerships Buy Here Pay Here Used Car Reviews Popular Tags Cars # Video # TOP # Spy Shots # Reveal # Rumor # Auto Show # Supercar # Tuning # Car Culture # Industry News # Motorsport Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Make Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Car Type SUVs Crossovers Sedans Coupes Trucks Sports Cars Wagons Vans Hatchbacks Convertibles Small Cars Luxury Cars Electric Cars Hybrid Cars Future Cars By Price Up to $15K $15K - $25K $25K - $35K $35K - $45K $45K - $55K $55K - $75K $75K - $100K $100K - $200K $200K - $300K Above $300K Back To Top
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Mia Anderson 11 minutes ago
4-Cylinder Engines That Prove You Don' t Need A V8 CarBuzz News Features New Cars Used Cars Sell...