年最受期待的十大新車引擎
There’s a (not so) quiet revolution going on under the hoods of today’s cars, trucks and crossovers if the latest list of best engines compiled by the experts at WardsAuto is any indication. Turbocharged, supercharged and diesel engines – and even one electric motor – dominate the 20th annual 10 Best Engines awards, which, according to Wards, “recognize outstanding powertrain achievement, world-class technologies and those rare engines or electric propulsion systems that are so compelling they help sell the vehicle.”
如果美國汽車行業雜誌《沃茲汽車》（Wardsauto）的專家最新編撰的最佳引擎榜單可作爲一種指示，那麼在當代轎車、卡車和跨界車的引擎蓋下面正發生一場靜悄悄的革命。渦輪增壓、機械增壓和柴油引擎——甚至還有一款電動發電機——主導了第20屆年度十大最佳汽車引擎獎；根據《沃茲汽車》，這些獎項“表彰了傑出的動力系統成就、世界級技術以及那些幫助推動汽車銷售的稀有發動機或者電力推進系統。”No matter what the inherent method of momentum, all of these engines leverage the latest engine technology to maximize both their power and fuel economy, and run the gamut from the tiny and efficient 1.0-liter turbocharged three-cylinder unit offered in the Ford Fiesta to the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray’s mammoth 6.2-liter V8 that proves there’s no substitute for sheer displacement. We’re featuring Wards’ 10 Best Engines in the accompanying slideshow.
不管使用什麼樣的固有動力方式，所有這些引擎都利用最新的發動機技術，從而使性能和燃料經濟最大化，其範圍包括從福特嘉年華（Fiesta）的小型、高效1.0升渦輪增壓三缸發動機到雪佛蘭科爾維特Stingray已經被證明無可替代的巨大6.2升V8引擎。我們在本文的幻燈片裏列出了《沃茲汽車》十大最佳引擎。While at least four engines tend to repeat from one year’s 10 best list to the next, only two of last year’s powerplants remain recognized for 2014, the Honda Accord’s peppy and fuel-efficient 3.5-liter V6 and the powerful supercharged 3.0-liter V6 featured in the Audi S5.
儘管通常每年的十大榜單中至少有四款引擎會在第二年再次上榜，但去年動力強勁的引擎中只有兩款仍然出現在2014年榜單上，它們分別是本田雅閣（Accord）動力十足、節能高效的3.5升V6引擎以及奧迪S5所配備的強勁機械增壓3.0升V6引擎。
“We weren’t looking to throw the bums out, as they might say about an election. We were just really impressed with a flood of new powertrains, ” says Drew Winter, WardsAuto World Editor-in-Chief. “What was great yesterday might be less impressive tomorrow because engine technology is changing so rapidly.”
“我們的初衷並不是要‘棄暗投明’—— 像他們在選舉時說的那樣。我們只是對大批新出現的動力引擎感到驚豔不已，” 《沃茲汽車世界》雜誌（WardsAuto World）總編德魯·溫特（Drew Winter）表示，“昨天非常優秀的東西到了明天可能就不會再吸引人們的注意，因爲發動機技術的改變是如此迅猛。”The inclusion of three turbodiesel engines this year could be considered controversial, especially as diesels remain far less popular in the U.S. than in Europe, where they tend to dominate the discussion. This is the first year in which more than two diesel-powered mills made the top 10 list and ironically two of them come from domestic automakers, including the only current full-size domestic half-ton pickup to offer one, the Ram 1500.
今年的榜單包括三款渦輪增壓柴油發動機，但這一點可能引來爭議，尤其考慮到柴油在美國的普及程度低於歐洲；在歐洲，柴油引擎已經成爲發動機話題的主角。這是第一次有超過兩款柴油動力引擎躋身十大榜單，並且諷刺的是，其中這兩款引擎均來自於美國國內汽車生產商，包括當前美國國內唯一一款全尺寸半噸皮卡Ram 1500所使用的引擎。What’s more, a Fiat engine not only places among Wards’ top 10 for the first time, it’s for an electric motor, the 83-kW unit found under the hood of the diminutive 500e. Unfortunately the car is only sold in California, though market forces might convince the automaker to send it into wider distribution should gas prices gain spike up to the $4.00/gallon mark or above.
此外，菲亞特一款引擎不僅首次進入《沃茲汽車》十大引擎榜單，而且還是一款電動發動機，這就是起亞500E所使用的83千瓦發動機。遺憾的是，該車只在加利福尼亞州發售，但是如果汽油價格上漲至每加侖4.00美元大關或以上，市場力量可能說服這家汽車生產商進行更大範圍的分銷。Other engines cited among 2014’s best include turbodiesels in the BMW 5 Series luxury sedan and the compact Chevrolet Cruze, the horizontally opposed 2.7-liter six-cylinder in the Porsche Cayman two-seat sports coupe and the 1.8-liter turbo-four in the compact Volkswagen Jetta sedan.
2014年最佳引擎榜單的其他入選者還包括寶馬5系豪華轎車和緊湊型雪佛蘭科魯茲（Cruze）所使用的渦輪增壓柴油發動機，保時捷Cayman雙座運動跑車的水平對置2.7升6缸發動機以及大衆汽車捷達緊湊車的1.8升4缸渦輪增壓發動機。A panel of eight WardsAuto editors evaluated 44 engines among all vehicle types during October and November in the course of their daily commutes and weekend activities in and around the Detroit metro area. Engines were rated according to a wide range of characteristics including horsepower and torque, fuel economy, noise, vibration and harshness characteristics, technology and how they fared against competing powerplants.
一個由8位《沃茲汽車》編輯組成的專家組在10月和11月評估了所有汽車車型使用的44款引擎，測試時間爲日常上下班和週末在底特律都市區及附近進行的活動。各位專家根據多項特徵進行打分，包括動力和扭矩、燃料經濟、噪音、抖動和聲振粗糙度、技術以及這些發動機相對於競爭對手的表現。WardsAuto will present its Top 10 Engines awards on Jan. 15 at a ceremony held in conjunction with the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
《沃茲汽車》將於1月15日在底特律一個與北美國際汽車展（North American International Auto Show）聯合舉辦的儀式上頒發十大最佳引擎獎。
