Friends, it’s time to answer the big question in automobiles once and for all. Since time immemorial, auto enthusiasts have argued over engines, but today we settle all discussion. Today, we make a decision, and we live with what we’ve chosen for the remainder of human history. We can end all debate here, and move on to bigger and better things. We will answer, once and for all: What’s the best engine?
Cars, bikes, planes, if it moves people from point A to point B then it’s up for grabs here. You can pick a fire-breathing sportbike engine, a car motor that laid the groundwork for countless vehicles that followed, or just a locomotive you think looks neat. Rockets, boats, it’s all on the table. With all the engines in human history to pick from, what engine — or motor, for the EV fans — is the best engine ever conceived by human minds or assembled by human hands?
Not an easy pick with so many possible answers
I myself am torn between two answers here. On the one hand, there’s the engine that took us to the moon: The Rocketdyne F-1, the engine that powered the Saturn V rocket and the Apollo program. But it feels disingenuous to pick an engine I’ve never personally experienced, and NASA keeps not returning my calls about getting a Saturn V on loan to review. So, instead, I’ll go with my favorite engine I’ve actually gotten to wring out: The 399cc four-cylinder of the Kawasaki ZX4-RR.
Is the ZX-4RR the best bike I’ve ever ridden? No, no it isn’t. But it contains the best engine I’ve ever ridden, with its screaming engine note and the way power just swells through the rev range. It is, out of my experience, the best engine — but I can see why you’d disagree. So leave me your answers in the comments below, and I’ll collect them later in the week. Make good decisions, everyone.