2002 Volvo V70 Base Wagon 4-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

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Ward's announces 10 Best Engines 2015

Ward's Auto has named its 10 Best Engines for 2015, covering a range of powerplants from fuel-sippers to fire-breathers. As with past years, forced-induction reigns supreme, with seven of the ten engines featuring a turbo or supercharger. This year is slightly different, though, as two of the seven blown engines are turbocharged three-cylinder mills, from the Ford Fiesta and Mini Cooper. They're joined by the 2.0-liter turbo four from the Volvo S60, the 1.8-liter turbo four from the Volkswagen Jetta and the 2.0-liter boxer from the Subaru WRX. BMW and Chrysler were the only marques to be named to this year's list twice, with the electric motor from the i3 joining the Mini's three-pot, and the 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 in the Ram 1500 and Jeep Grand Cherokee repping the diesel crowd, alongside a certain supercharged monster. Hyundai also took a prize with a zero-emissions powertrain, with the Tucson FCV's 100-kilowatt fuel cell making the list (apparently Ward's is quite generous with what it deems an "engine"). Rounding out the list are two Autoblog favorites, each displacing 6.2 liters, but producing their power very differently. On the one hand, Chevrolet's overhead-valve, 455-horsepower V8, found in the Corvette, makes its power the old fashioned way. And in the other corner, we have one of the most exciting engines of the year – the 707-hp, 6.2-liter, supercharged Hellcat V8, featured so prominently in the Dodge Challenger and Charger SRT Hellcat. "We spend a lot of time reading the powertrain tea leaves throughout the auto industry, and we're proud that this year's list is a microcosm of all the latest innovation coming from automakers," said Ward's Editor-in-Chief Drew Winter in a statement. "It's not just a list for enthusiasts or for environmentalists," he says. "There's something for every vehicle shopper and every budget. All the powertrains on this list deliver a first-rate driving experience," Winter added. Scroll down for the full list from Ward's, and let us know which engines you think belong and which should have been included in this year's rankings. Ward's 10 Best Engines of 2015 Announced by Penton's WardsAuto Honorees span most diverse and technically advanced engines in 21 years of recognized powertrain excellence SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Dec. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Penton's Wards 10 Best Engines of 2015 have been announced.

Junkyard Gem: 2006 Volvo V50 T5 AWD

During my explorations of junkyard history, I've written about discarded Volvo station wagons going back to the middle 1960s. The final Goteborg wagons with brick shapes and rear-wheel-drive were sold in the United States as 1998 models, but the new century brought us plenty of curvy front- and all-wheel-drive longroof Volvos, many of which have been built with manual transmissions. Here's one of those cars: a 2006 V50 T5 AWD with six-on-the-floor manual gearbox, found in a Denver-area car graveyard. The V50 was the wagon version of the S40 sedan. Sales in the United States began with the 2005 model, and it was discontinued after 2011. The base 2006 V50 had a naturally-aspirated 2.4-liter straight-five engine, but this car is a T5 and has the turbocharged 2.5 version with 218 horses and 236 pound-feet. A six-speed manual was the base transmission, but of course most American V50 buyers opted for the five-speed automatic. That wasn't the case with this car, which must have been fun to drive in the snow. The final year for a three-pedal Volvo in the United States was 2013. There's some body damage, but the interior is in good shape. We can assume that some expensive mechanical problem sent this car here. Like so many Denver-area cars, this one has Colorado brewery stickers. It also has some pit bull stickers. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. It takes you to the city of Confidence.

Volvo's Geneva-bound concept wagon looks sexy in a raincoat

Volvo is set to complete its concept car trilogy at the next month's Geneva Motor Show with the debut of its Concept Estate, the followup to its Concept Coupe from the Frankfurt Motor Show and Concept XC Coupe from the Detroit Auto Show. We've been looking forward to its Swiss debut, and now some teaser images of the Concept Estate have been uncovered... on the website of a raincoat seller?
Yes, Swedish raincoat maker Stutterheim has apparently been commissioned by Volvo to build a high-quality car cover for its Geneva concept, and the fabricator's website shows off some of the details of the long-roofed design study. From what we can see, it looks like the Concept Estate is more shooting brake than traditional wagon. Also, it's brown. So basically, Volvo has built the ultimate car for auto journalists.
Joking aside, the images show off more than a few of the design traits we've seen on Volvo's two previous concept cars. A wide, rectangular grille and lowercase-B-shaped taillights are both noticeable in these teasers, but we can't see much more than that.