Less is Not More
Eric Mayne Ward's AutoWorld, Jan 1, 2010 12:00 PM

For the first time in my career at Ward's, I am ashamed of my colleagues.

Don't get me wrong. They are good people and outstanding journalists.

But they've been duped, scammed and flim-flammed by the prevailing notion that less is more. So I am duty-bound to remind them that more is more.

In fact, more is more than enough when it's under the hood of the '10 Land Rover LR4.

The redesigned SUV features a new 5.0L V-8 Land Rover rightly calls “one of the most advanced engines ever built.” No idle boast, considering its 375-hp output and 375 lb.-ft. (508 Nm) torque rating comes from an all-aluminum design highlighted by:

• Direct injection with unique, center-mounted, multi-hole injectors that allow for a compression-ratio bump to 11.5:1.
• An industry-first torque-actuated variable camshaft timing system that allows for a downsized oil pump.
• And a deep-set sump to keep the crank churning even when the grille is pointed skyward.

No, this engine, dubbed LR-V8, isn't just more of a good thing. It's bulletproof (and waterproof, by the way).

Ford Motor Co. can only wish its EcoBoost V-6 were so refined. And Toyota Motor Corp. can only dream its Prius powerplant could be described as “smooth, strong, perfect” — superlatives Ward's judges lavished on the Land Rover V-8 during Best Engines testing.

My score sheet featured the word “superb,” an impression informed by an extracurricular off-road side-trip. (And if I'd had just one wheel on solid ground, I could have gotten unstuck without a tow.)

So, why didn't this formidable machine make the cut? Because my well-meaning colleagues fear the political repercussions of aligning themselves publicly with a highly advanced large-displacement V-8 — or as one wag intoned, “a better buggy whip.”

In all fairness, these fine people can't help themselves. They've been seduced by a disingenuous industry that thrives on making engines appear to be something they are not.

Turbochargers make 6-cyl. engines behave like V-8s. And electric motors can make 4-cyl. engines perform like 6-cyl. engines.

But I'm not afraid to suffer the slings and arrows that come from being honest. More is good.

And there should be one more engine among Ward's 10 Best Engines: the LR-V8.