What is the "best" 4 cylinder engine ever made?

[Supersam83]

Surely the best 4-cylinder engine has to be the Mercedes Benz M139L 2.0 Litre.

469 hp (350 kW) at 6,750 rpm

402 lb⋅ft (545 N⋅m) at 5,250-5,500 rpm

The Mercedes Benz M139L is the world's most powerful four-cylinder engine in serial production with 234.5bhp per litre or 117.25bhp per cylinder.

https://www.mercedes-amg.com/en/world-of-amg/news/...

[havoc]

carlo996 said:

Overall for me the B18 has that something, it’s just so angry.

In a qualitative sense, I'd agree with you - particularly on a cold winter's morning where for some reason opening it up for the first time once warm ALWAYS put a big grin on my face...just so alive, so feral.

Only 4-pot sound that's compared in my experience was in a Caterham R300 and had roller-barrel TBs.


BUT...there are a couple of 4-pots out there with more flexibility, more power AND with a very good sound - BMW S14 and Honda K20 spring immediately to mind, even though they're both a more mechanical sound than the B18C.

[AW111]

1959 Maserati Tipo 60.

2 litre twincam / 200 hp

[Drive Blind]

folk suggesting the VW 1.9 tdi,,,,,, have a word with yourself.

[irish boy]

Drive Blind said:

folk suggesting the VW 1.9 tdi,,,,,, have a word with yourself.

This.

It doesn’t hold a candle to the 1CD-ftv Toyota gen 1 D4D.

[carlo996]

Supersam83 said:

Surely the best 4-cylinder engine has to be the Mercedes Benz M139L 2.0 Litre.

469 hp (350 kW) at 6,750 rpm

402 lb?ft (545 N?m) at 5,250-5,500 rpm

The Mercedes Benz M139L is the world's most powerful four-cylinder engine in serial production with 234.5bhp per litre or 117.25bhp per cylinder.

https://www.mercedes-amg.com/en/world-of-amg/news/...

Technically brilliant, but dull like most FI engines as it doesn’t rev.

Has anyone mentioned the boxer 4 in the Alfasud or the Saab 4 cylinder which was hugely tuneable?

[Stu0221]

Supersam83 said:

Surely the best 4-cylinder engine has to be the Mercedes Benz M139L 2.0 Litre.

469 hp (350 kW) at 6,750 rpm

402 lb?ft (545 N?m) at 5,250-5,500 rpm

The Mercedes Benz M139L is the world's most powerful four-cylinder engine in serial production with 234.5bhp per litre or 117.25bhp per cylinder.

https://www.mercedes-amg.com/en/world-of-amg/news/...

Objectively, a good engine based on the stats. Unfortunately, the actual engine just leaves me cold. Even at full revs. the engine sounds very chilled out and like it's not trying.

[Watcher of the skies]

Drive Blind said:

folk suggesting the VW 1.9 tdi,,,,,, have a word with yourself.

I'll raise you the Ford CVH

[AW111]

Watcher of the skies said:

Drive Blind said:

folk suggesting the VW 1.9 tdi,,,,,, have a word with yourself.

I'll raise you the Ford CVH

Commer knocker? It's a 3 cylinder with 6 pistons, so it averages out to 4.5 piston-cylinders.

[pheonix478]

Watcher of the skies said:

I'll raise you the Ford CVH

I had a 1.6 CVH on Webers for a while. It was ace.

[biggbn]

Drive Blind said:

folk suggesting the VW 1.9 tdi,,,,,, have a word with yourself.

Please note the word best in the thread title is in inverted commas. Surely depends on your definition of best? Best performance? Gotta be the old BMW 1.5 four pot F1 engines, hand grenade qualifying spec saw over 1000hp and a power delivery like putting a light on. Most tuneful? Various Italian and British twin cams, Subaru Boxer, Alfa boxer. Redefined a market sector? VAG 1.9TDi and PSA 1.7/1.9TDi. Brought personal transport to the people? Ford Model T four pot, Beetle flat four....define best? I make no apologies for voting for the VAG 1.9. Frugal, quick (in its time), game changer, very tuneable, very reliable, long lived, many applications.

[MustangGT]

Supersam83 said:

Surely the best 4-cylinder engine has to be the Mercedes Benz M139L 2.0 Litre.

469 hp (350 kW) at 6,750 rpm

402 lb?ft (545 N?m) at 5,250-5,500 rpm

The Mercedes Benz M139L is the world's most powerful four-cylinder engine in serial production with 234.5bhp per litre or 117.25bhp per cylinder.

https://www.mercedes-amg.com/en/world-of-amg/news/...

I think the C63 now has up to 503 hp from this engine. We have the 'lowly' 300 bhp version in my wife's A35 AMG.

[anonymous-user]

MustangGT said:

Supersam83 said:

Surely the best 4-cylinder engine has to be the Mercedes Benz M139L 2.0 Litre.

469 hp (350 kW) at 6,750 rpm

402 lb?ft (545 N?m) at 5,250-5,500 rpm

The Mercedes Benz M139L is the world's most powerful four-cylinder engine in serial production with 234.5bhp per litre or 117.25bhp per cylinder.

https://www.mercedes-amg.com/en/world-of-amg/news/...

I think the C63 now has up to 503 hp from this engine. We have the 'lowly' 300 bhp version in my wife's A35 AMG.

A35 isn't the same engine. Yours is the M260 which is a tuned version of the A250, derived from the M270.

The M139 is completely different beast. The M177 (V8) was developed from it's predecessor the M133, which was basically 2 put together to make the V8 bi turbo.

[baconsarney]

4 cylinder cars I have owned with engines that I have loved… Lotus 7 (1600 x flow), Morris 1275 Cooper S, Sierra RS Cosworth (whale tail), and, er, that’s it

Rest (interesting cars) have been i6, i5, V6, V8, and V12…

[MajorStare]

VHPD K Series as fitted to S1 Elise, S1 Exige and I think Westfield/Caterham.
Naughtiest 4cyl on tickover.

[carlo996]

MajorStare said:

VHPD K Series as fitted to S1 Elise, S1 Exige and I think Westfield/Caterham.
Naughtiest 4cyl on tickover.

The VHPD on verniers is very good. Standard it’s a dog.

[Ffordd Ar Gau]

Supersam83 said:

Surely the best 4-cylinder engine has to be the Mercedes Benz M139L 2.0 Litre.

469 hp (350 kW) at 6,750 rpm

402 lb?ft (545 N?m) at 5,250-5,500 rpm

The Mercedes Benz M139L is the world's most powerful four-cylinder engine in serial production with 234.5bhp per litre or 117.25bhp per cylinder.

https://www.mercedes-amg.com/en/world-of-amg/news/...

This engine and those stats just screams major issues a few years down the line. Especially when some plank tunes it up even more.

[Ffordd Ar Gau]

My choice would be the 1.75TBi but that probably has a lot to do with it being found in Alfa’s, than it being anything hugely special or significant

[biggbn]

Ffordd Ar Gau said:

My choice would be the 1.75TBi but that probably has a lot to do with it being found in Alfa’s, than it being anything hugely special or significant

I adored the modern two litre twin cam twin spark engine in my 145 green cloverleaf, absolute peach of an engine

[172]

crofty1984 said:

Honda vfr800i

Didn't people prefer the 750 due to the valve change upsetting the bike?