For many car enthusiasts, there’s nothing better than a big engine with lots of cylinders. While smaller engines certainly have their merits, a big, powerful engine is always more fun.
In the past few years, we’ve seen the advent of smaller four-cylinder engines that either have crazy amounts of power, or the cars that use them put down the power exceptionally well. All of a sudden, those larger engines have a lot to worry about.
How We Chose The Cars
We chose these cars based on the manufacturer’s claimed acceleration and top speed times (where possible), which we then backed up using real-world test results from respected automotive publications, such as MotorTrend, Car and Driver, etc.
If you’re behind the wheel of any of these cars, the sports car or muscle car that pulls up next to you at a stoplight will probably only see your taillights when the light turns green.
Volkswagen Golf R
This is an obvious one. Ever since the Mk4 generation, the Golf R has been the absolute peak of the storied hatchback lineup. At first, the Golf R was a relatively small step above the GTI, but nowadays, it’s in a different league.
With 315 hp courtesy of a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4, combined with 4Motion AWD, Volkswagen claims the Golf R can blast its way to 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds. However, Carwow’s Mat Watson found out that, in reality, it’s closer to four seconds. It’s only a few tenths off the most exclusive supercars from the 2000s.
Volvo S60 T8 Recharge
It’s hard to believe that Volvo used to make five-cylinder, six-cylinder, and even V8 engines. Today, if you want a fast Volvo, it’s four cylinders or nothing. The power output depends on how much electrification Volvo decides to cram into it, and they were feeling generous when making the S60 T8.
The S60 T8 is the top-of-the-line model, and its plug-in hybrid four-banger puts out 455 hp and a ridiculous 523 lb-ft of torque. Volvo claims it can reach 60 mph in as little as 4.3 seconds. Miles from the MilesPerHr channel on YouTube got 4.5 seconds in his test, which is still very, very impressive.
Honda Civic Type R
The previous Honda Civic Type R had one massive problem: it was a confused mess of over-styling and attempts to be assertive. The latest FL5 Civic Type R has finally smoothed out the design and made it rather attractive without sacrificing the incredible drive.
Of course, there’s more power as well. The 2.0-liter turbo four is broadly the same as the previous car, but it now puts out 315 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque. Honda hasn’t officially stated the 0-60 time, but Alexander Stoklosa of MotorTrend managed to squeeze out a 5.3-second sprint to 60 mph. Not bad for a manual transmission and FWD.
Subaru Impreza WRX STI S209
While Subaru busies itself with finding every conceivable way to not build a new Impreza STI, we can reminisce on the legends that came before. Before the WRX STI said its final goodbyes in North America, Subaru introduced an ultra limited special edition that turned things up to 11: the S209.
Along with some spectacular exterior changes, the S209 brought, you’ll never guess it… more power! Subaru’s engineers turned up the wick on the 2.5-liter turbo flat four, giving it 341 hp and 330 lb-ft of torque. As Daniel Pund of Car and Driver reported, the S209 can reach 60 mph in just 4.4 seconds. Remember, this car also has a manual transmission, so driving enthusiasts should definitely consider it.
Alpine A110
As it turned out, the Alpine A110 would be a bit of a one-hit wonder for the revived French automaker. After dipping its toes in the pool of combustion-powered sports cars, it has already committed to an EV future.
Still, the A110 is nothing to scoff at. Borrowing the same 1.8-liter turbo four from the Megane RS, that 252 hp may not seem crazy. However, with the A110 weighing less than 2,500 lbs, it’s pretty fast. Alpine claims a 4.5-second 0-62 time, but PDriveTV on YouTube discovered that it’s closer to 4.8 seconds. Still, that’s not bad for a little 1.8-liter four-cylinder.
Ford Focus RS Mk3
This year, as Adrian Padeanu of Motor1 reports, the Ford Focus is going into retirement. One of the most successful cars to ever come out of the Blue Oval’s factory will likely be making room for another crossover or seven. Let’s cheer ourselves up and remember the final example of the Focus RS breed.
With the Mk3, Ford was kind enough to offer the Focus RS in North America for the first and last time. The 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder under the hood puts out 350 hp. Thanks in no small part to AWD, Ford claims a 0-62 time of just 4.7 seconds. When the straight roads run out, don’t worry; this was one of the first production cars to have a factory drift mode.
Mercedes-AMG A45 S
If you ask me, this is true overkill. Still, we cannot deny the performance and power that Mercedes-AMG was able to squeeze out of what is, ostensibly, a Volkswagen Golf rival. In its current form, the A45 S still stands as the most powerful production four-cylinder automobile.
Its 2.0-liter turbo four produces a ridiculous 416 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. How many four-cylinder engines with 400 hp have you seen? Obviously, it’s paired with 4MATIC AWD, which means blazing performance. What Car’s Dan Jones claims 60 mph happens in four seconds flat… in the wet.
Renault Megane R.S. Ultime
Before the Renault Group made Alpine its in-house tuner, it sent the iconic Megane R.S. into the sunset with one more super special model. The R.S. Ultime is, as you might have guessed, the ultimate expression of the fast Megane.
Despite it being a special version of the Megane R.S., it doesn’t have any more horsepower. The 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder under the hood still produces 296 hp, and Renault claims it can reach 60 mph in just 5.7 seconds. PDriveTV over in the Land Down Under found out it’s closer to 5.6 seconds with launch control activated. We probably won’t see a traditional hot hatchback from Renault in the future, so let’s do our best to remember the Megane R.S.
Toyota RAV4 Prime
Yep, that’s the world we’re living in today. A plug-in hybrid Toyota SUV that can embarrass much more powerful cars. Fun fact: as Doug DeMuro pointed out, when the RAV4 Prime first reached the North American market, it was the second most powerful Toyota on sale, following right behind the Supra. The Supra!
The RAV4 Prime pairs up the standard 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with a beefier electric motor and battery pack for a combined 302 hp. Duncan Brady of MotorTrend found that the RAV4 Prime can reach 60 in just 5.5 seconds. Less than six seconds to 60 mph in a Toyota RAV4? I know you’ve heard this a million times, but this really is a brave new world we live in.
Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance
We couldn’t leave out one of the most controversial performance sedans of the decade. Mercedes made the bold decision to swap out the V8 in the C63 for a plug-in hybrid four-cylinder setup. This went over about as well as you’d expect.
Still, in terms of sheer numbers, the C63 E Performance is quite impressive. It uses the same 2.0-liter turbo four as the A45, but it adds an intricate electric motor and battery setup to the mix. Total output is 671 hp and 752 lb-ft of torque. Mercedes’ quoted 0-60 time of 3.3 seconds isn’t really relevant. As Dave VanderWerp of Car and Driver reports, during the publication’s testing, the C63 E Performance clocked 2.9 seconds.
Volvo XC90 T8
Another T8-powered Volvo, but this one is arguably even more impressive. Obviously, the XC90 is the flagship of Volvo’s SUV lineup, and it’s a truly massive thing, with available three-row seating and all that. Not exactly the type of vehicle you associate with sports car performance levels, right?
Like most other Volvos, you can get the XC90 as a T8 (or Recharge) plug-in hybrid. It puts out a ridiculous 455 hp, which may sound like overkill for an SUV. However, if you have your XC90 Recharge loaded up with people and things, you’ll never be asking for more power. DM Car Reviews on YouTube found that the T8-equipped XC90 can reach 60 mph in just 5.2 seconds.
Alfa Romeo 4C
After a prolonged absence from the North American market, Alfa Romeo rejoined in the early 2010s with the 4C sports car. At its core was a showstopping design and a focus on low weight and handling. It didn’t really fly in North America, but people have started to appreciate it a bit more in recent years, as they should.
It squeezed 237 hp from the 1.75-liter four-cylinder, but due to the low weight, 60 mph happened in the mid-four-second range. As Drew Dorian from Car and Driver reports, however, the 4C clocked 4.2 seconds in the publication’s testing.
Porsche 718 Boxster S
After using flat-six engines for the longest time, Porsche decided to anger lots of enthusiasts by fitting the Boxster and Cayman with four-cylinder engines, creating the current 718 twins.
If you can get past the lack of a flat-six, and thus flat-six noises, there’s a lot to love about the 718. The S puts out 345 hp from the 2.5-liter flat-four, and Porsche claims 4.6 seconds to 60 mph, but that applies to the manual cars. Equip it with the PDK and, inevitably, Sport Chrono, and you get an incredible 3.6 seconds, as Joe Lorio of C&D reported. It’s also, as I discovered last year, an absolute joy to drive.
Audi S3
The Audi RS3 is lovely with its powerhouse inline-five and exhaust pipe audiodrama. While its lesser sibling, the S3, gets nowhere near as much attention, we think it actually has plenty of things going for it.
With the recent facelift, Audi also decided to squeeze even more power out of the long-suffering EA888. The S3 now has 333 hp, making it more powerful than any of its German, Spanish, and Czech cousins. Audi claims 0-62 in 4.7 seconds, but Miles of the MilesPerHr YouTube channel got an even more impressive 4.56 seconds during testing.
Jaguar F-Type
Jaguar recently did its very best to alienate its minuscule buyer base, but for a while, we got to enjoy some properly nice cars from the Coventry-based automaker. One of those is the F-Type.
The automaker decided to take its flagship two-seater every which way. AWD, a manual transmission, and eventually, a four-cylinder engine. As reported by Edmunds, it delivers 296 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, and Jaguar quoted a 0-60 time of 5.4 seconds. PDriveTV on YouTube got closer to 5.9 seconds in their testing, but still, that’s some decently brisk acceleration.
BAC Mono
It’s crazy to see what happens when you combine an engine with humble roots with a car that’s all about blowing you away on the racetrack. That’s exactly the situation with the BAC Mono, a single-seater road-legal race car packing truly incredible performance.
Powering the Mono is a 2.3-liter naturally-aspirated Duratec four-cylinder engine from Ford. As Jeremy Clarkson said, it’s similar to what you’d find in the Galaxy minivan from the Blue Oval. A couple of years ago, the Mono was given more power courtesy of an enlarged engine, and the automaker claims a 0-60 time of just 2.7 seconds. Remember, people, this engine is out of a minivan.
Lotus Emira Turbo SE
Obviously, most of the attention surrounding Lotus’ (allegedly) last-ever ICE car centers around the supercharged Toyota V6 model with its available manual transmission. However, you can also have the Lotus Emira with a turbocharged four-banger from Mercedes-AMG.
If that sounds like the engine from the A45, you’re in the right ballpark. It’s only available with a dual-clutch automatic box, and it’s slightly detuned from its A45 application, producing a modest 355 hp. There’s also the new Turbo SE trim, which turns up the wick to 395 hp, and Lotus claims a 0-60 time of just four seconds.
Polestar 1
What a way to launch a new brand. When Volvo finally spun off Polestar into a separate EV brand to rival Tesla, the first model was, surprisingly, not a full EV. It was a plug-in hybrid, but a rather special one.
The simply titled Polestar 1 was essentially a production version of the incredible Volvo Concept Coupe from a decade ago. Thanks to a bonkers plug-in hybrid powertrain, it put out a ridiculous 609 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque. When every component of the hybrid system works in unison, Eric Stafford and Colin Beresford of Car and Driver report a 0-60 time of 3.8 seconds. That sort of figure was exclusively supercar stuff just a decade ago.
Ariel Atom
Another example of what happens when you combine a four-cylinder engine with almost no bodywork or weight. The Ariel Atom is one of the earliest modern examples of a track-focused sports car whose ultimate goal is as little weight as possible.
Unlike the Mono, the Atom is a two-seater, and it borrows its four-cylinder engine from the Honda Civic Type R instead of a Ford minivan. There have been several different variations of the Atom, but as Jeremy Clarkson found out on Top Gear many years ago, even the earliest Atoms with the supercharged K20 could do 60 mph in 2.9 seconds, although you’ll need to be lightning quick when changing gears to manage that.
Ford Escort RS Cosworth
Finally, we’re ending this article with an icon. As we’ve been told before, the Ford Escort RS Cosworth is essentially based on the Sierra, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Back in the 90s, this was one of the absolute kings of the world of hot hatchbacks.
It was one of a handful that pioneered AWD, and among the first, alongside your Evos and STIs, to have such a massive wing on the back. The earlier YBT-powered Escort RS Cosworth models squeeze out 221 hp, and while that may not sound like much, the engine is famous for being endlessly tunable. Sure, the stock one will do 0-60 in about six seconds, as Bob Harper of Evo Magazine reported, but start adding power, and it can embarrass just about anything.
Four Cylinders Are Not To Be Sneezed At
This is just a handful of the cars featuring four-cylinder engines, yet they can easily hang with cars offering twice that, or maybe more. It’s impressive what these manufacturers managed to squeeze out of small engines that nobody would take a second glance at otherwise.
We’ve already discussed how there is a replacement for displacement, and these cars absolutely prove it. Big, powerful engines are great, but sometimes, a smaller engine just might surprise you with its prowess.