The best six-cylinder cars: the latest rating

The six-cylinder internal combustion engine has become a kind of gold standard for city (and other) cars. It offers several options for cylinder arrangement, is quite compact and powerful at the same time.

Throughout the history of the automotive industry, many popular car models have been built on the basis of six-cylinder engines. TopGear has compiled the best of them in a rating.

Nissan Skyline GT-R R34

The model is described as having a vibrant character and personality, mixed with a soft but reassuring engine rumble. The RB26 engine installed on the Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 is a 24-valve unit with a pair of T25 turbochargers, resulting in 276 hp.

Jaguar XJ220

Jaguar promised the world an uncompromising V12 with the XJ220, until it compromised with a V6 engine. But the laughing was soon stopped, as the reimagined engine of the Metro Group B rally car - now with an increased displacement of 3.5 liters - set a car speed record of 340 km/h at the time.

BMW E46 M3 CSL

The model has been criticized for its not-so-good lightweight gearbox, but this shortcoming is easily forgiven for the superb S54 inline-six. By working with the camshafts and valves, BMW managed to bring the M3 CSL's power up to 355 horsepower and provide acceleration to 100 km/h in less than 5 seconds.

Toyota Supra A80

Despite the venerable age of three decades, the fourth-generation Toyota Supra continues to dominate the world's racetracks. Thanks to its extremely robust design, the 3.0-liter 2JZ is able to cope with enormous boost pressure. That's why owners can so easily extract as much as 2000 hp from them with minimal effort.

Jeep Cherokee (XJ)

This car may not be stylish, but its engine is a work of art. The late 1990s were arguably the peak of AMC's 4.0-liter inline-six engine. At that time, the Cherokee was not equipped with the most powerful version, but its reliability was hardly comparable.

Lancia Stratos

A luxurious half-century-old body hides a naturally aspirated V6 taken from a Ferrari. It was given approximately 280 hp of power and tasked with conquering the world of motorsports. And it succeeded. The model has won three World Rally Constructors titles and earned many other sports awards.

Honda NSX NA1

The first-generation Honda NSX has different engine displacement and transmission options, but the heart of the lineup is still a high-revving six-cylinder engine. It was the first production car to feature forged pistons and titanium rods, something that was usually associated exclusively with racing cars at the time. All this gave incredible reliability in daily use.

Ford Falcon XR6 Sprint

This inline-six was launched in 2002. It was developed by Ford Australia and Tickford and actually used the same lower part as the previous Falcon 4.0-liter six-cylinder engine that first appeared in 1988. In factory configuration, the model reached its peak with the turbocharged Falcon XR6 Sprint of 2016 and its 496 hp.

Mercedes-AMG One

Mercedes' decision to move the engine that won the Formula 1 World Championship into a production car was ambitious to say the least. The process was not easy, but it resulted in the AMG One, which broke the record for a production car by lapping the Nürburgring in 6 minutes and 35 seconds.

Alfa Romeo 147 GTA

The 3.2-liter "Busso" V6 in the Alfa Romeo 147 GTA may only deliver a modest 247 hp to the front wheels, but the soundtrack on the way to the 6200 rpm redline is enough to justify its inclusion in this ranking. The engine works in conjunction with a six-speed manual transmission and is part of a structure that tips the scales at an impressive 1250 kg. In short, this is a very real claim to the title of the best hatchback in history.

Ferrari 296 GTB

This car can easily be called a technical masterpiece and is quite possibly the best supercar available for purchase today. The Ferrari 296 and its hybrid 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 may not be the "purest" piece of engineering here, but its 820 hp output is impossible to ignore.

Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0

The question is not whether a Porsche 911 with a Mezger engine should have been in this ranking, but which version should have been on the list. The 997 GT3 RS 4.0 was the last iteration of the 997 and the last time a genuine Mezger engine was used in a road-going 911. The high-revving six-cylinder engine was naturally aspirated and enlarged to 4.0 liters, and its power reached 500 hp.

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