Behind every great offering in the automotive industry, there is a great powerplant. And with so many great offerings out there, choosing the best can be challenging. But the crew at Ward’s Auto have been picking the cream of the crop since 1995 with their 10 Best Engines award, and now they’re ready to reveal their picks for 2012.

The list this year is as follows:

• 3.0L TFSI Supercharged DOHC V-6 (Audi A6)
• 2.0L N20 Turbocharged DOHC I-4 (BMW Z4/528i)
• 3.0L N55 Turbocharged DOHC I-6 (BMW 335i coupe)
• 3.6L Pentastar DOHC V-6 (Chrysler 300S/Jeep Wrangler)
• 2.0L EcoBoost DOHC I-4 (Ford Edge)
• 5.0L DOHC V-8 (Ford Mustang Boss 302)
• 2.0L Turbocharged DOHC I-4 (Buick Regal GS)
• 1.6L DOHC I-4 (Hyundai Accent/Kia Soul)
• 2.0L Skyactiv DOHC I-4 (Mazda3)
• 3.5L DOHC V-6 HEV (Infiniti M35h)

With the pressure of increased fuel economy hitting the industry hard, the majority of the engines in the list are indeed quite small, save for the Ford 5.0, and just three of the engines are not equipped with direct injection. Despite the struggles for fuel economy however, the powerplants on the list are still capable of having some good old-fashioned fun. The list lacks any workhorses though, with no truck engines making the list. But hey, there’s always next year.

Source: Ward’s Auto