6-Cylinder Engines That Pack a Serious Punch

Michael Schlee

The 6 Cylinder engine once was the ‘small guy’ in the North American automotive world. If you wanted an efficient vehicle in the 1950’s and 1960’s, you would opt for the 6 cylinder engine.

Nissan GT-R

With the exception of a few European and Japanese makes, the 6-cylinder engine was not the first choice for sports cars.

Well, things have changed dramatically over the past 40 years. The stereotype of low performance is long gone from the 6 cylinder engine. The V6 is now the mainstay in top-of-the-line Family Sedans and can make upwards of 270+ HP. The inline-6 has been a favourite with enthusiasts for decades, and the Flat-6, well, sure it’s rare, but just look at what Porsche has done with it.

Below are the best of the best 6 cylinder engines as offered in the North American market. Sure more engines could have made this list, but to keep it more widespread, I stuck to just the best engines a manufacturer makes. Otherwise, some makes, like Porsche, could have dominated this list.  Well, even more so then they already do.