The best and worst NA 2.0 I4 engines. 

Kinja'd!!! by "My citroen won't start" (lucasboechat)
Published 02/09/2017 at 21:04

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Feel free to discuss.

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Star Child: The 75

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2.0 TS - 1,962 cc - Injected - 146 HP (109 kW) @ 5,800 rpm - 186 N·m (137 lb·ft) @ 4,000 rpm

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The worst offender: Jetta Mk6

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2.0 R4 - 115 HP (86 kW) @ 5,400 rpm - 172 N·m (127 lbf·ft) @ 3,200 rpm


Replies (40)

Kinja'd!!! "garagemonkee" (monke)
02/09/2017 at 21:10, STARS: 1

I reject your VW 2.slow claim. It was great as a replacement for a mk1 counter-flow 1.6 engine and they’re basically free. A 16v is desirable so it’s more $$$.

Kinja'd!!! "My citroen won't start" (lucasboechat)
02/09/2017 at 21:11, STARS: 1

120 HP 2.0 in 2013 is very meh

Kinja'd!!! "DrJohannVegas" (drjohannvegas)
02/09/2017 at 21:14, STARS: 1

120hp from today until eternity, tho. GL with your alfa.

Kinja'd!!! "Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
02/09/2017 at 21:16, STARS: 1

On the one hand I want to nominate the Iron Duke for worst, but on the other how can something so reliable be worst? Apart from the plastic timing gear in the earlier version of course, but even that would never result in catastrophic failure due to the non-interference design...

Kinja'd!!! "My citroen won't start" (lucasboechat)
02/09/2017 at 21:20, STARS: 2

13.1 seconds to 60 you might as well kill yerself

Kinja'd!!! "DrJohannVegas" (drjohannvegas)
02/09/2017 at 21:21, STARS: 4

think of all the hobbies or household tasks you can catch up on in that time. you’re missing the point here, friend.

Kinja'd!!! "HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch)
02/09/2017 at 21:23, STARS: 3

Toyota 3sge beams blacktop (197 hp @7000 rpm)

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Star child

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Kinja'd!!! "Blue 2000" (blue-2000)
02/09/2017 at 21:24, STARS: 2

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F20C best NA 2.0 I4.

Kinja'd!!! "DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time" (dc3ls-)
02/09/2017 at 21:24, STARS: 0

Best is Honda B18.

FACT!

Kinja'd!!! "itranthelasttimeiparkedit" (itranthelasttimeiparkedit)
02/09/2017 at 21:26, STARS: 0

Seems like an over reaction buuuuuut....

Kinja'd!!! "e36Jeff now drives a ZHP" (e36jeff)
02/09/2017 at 21:28, STARS: 2

How is the F20C not the best?

Also the S14B20 sold in the 320iS in Italy and Portugal was pretty sweet, especially for a mid-80's 2.0L I4.

Kinja'd!!! "garagemonkee" (monke)
02/09/2017 at 21:29, STARS: 4

Best Engine: Honda S2000 F20C

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Worst Engine: SR20DET

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Kinja'd!!! "wafflesnfalafel" (wafflesnfalafel1)
02/09/2017 at 21:29, STARS: 0

bad - the 2.0 out of the 1980's Mazda 626, bad power, didn’t rev, and didn’t get very good mileage

good - the 2.0 out of the original Sentra SE-r. Decent power, torquey, super fun to drive.

Kinja'd!!! "My citroen won't start" (lucasboechat)
02/09/2017 at 21:32, STARS: 0

Yes

Kinja'd!!! "Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen" (distraxi)
02/09/2017 at 21:34, STARS: 7

Best: VTEC just kicked in

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Worst: MGBoat just got anchored

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Kinja'd!!! "My citroen won't start" (lucasboechat)
02/09/2017 at 21:37, STARS: 1

I vote the opposite.

burgundy and class > red and hey bro

Kinja'd!!! "interstate366, now In The Industry" (interstate366)
02/09/2017 at 21:53, STARS: 0

F20C for best.

Kinja'd!!! "bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
02/09/2017 at 22:05, STARS: 0

It was 115 hp all along, but it was 115 hp in 1993, when that was decent. They just only ever updated it for emissions, not performance.

Kinja'd!!! "bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
02/09/2017 at 22:06, STARS: 2

It’s also not a 2.0, it’s a 2.5.

Kinja'd!!! "ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)" (adabofoppo)
02/09/2017 at 22:07, STARS: 1

The SVT Focus Zetec 2.0 was fairly good.

Kinja'd!!! "bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
02/09/2017 at 22:08, STARS: 1

The 2.sl0 is slow and inefficient, but it’s possibly one of VW’s most reliable engines. They just used it too late.

I’m gonna shit on the Ford 2.0 SPI motor, especially in Focus applications. 110 hp, 5 less than the 2.sl0, and contemporary with it. But, it wasn’t reliable - the 1.9 CVH wasn’t great about dropping valves, but the SPI motors were terrible about it.

Also, if we’re gonna shit on engines for not being powerful enough, how about the VW 2.0 SDI in the Caddy application? 68 hp @ 4200, 103 lb-ft @ 2200-2400... and this was like mid 2000s.

Kinja'd!!! "HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch)
02/09/2017 at 22:08, STARS: 2

Well to be fair, the SR20DET was a terrible naturally aspirated engine all around...what with being turbo and all.

Kinja'd!!! "Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
02/09/2017 at 22:09, STARS: 0

Missed that “2.0" part... derp

Kinja'd!!! "e36Jeff now drives a ZHP" (e36jeff)
02/09/2017 at 22:27, STARS: 1

Maybe I’m just crazy, but wouldn’t the B18 be a 1.8L? cause it would be pretty tough for a 1.8L to be the best 2.0L.

Kinja'd!!! "DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time" (dc3ls-)
02/09/2017 at 22:30, STARS: 0

d’oh! forgot about the 2.0. Was just thinking 4 cyl NA.

Kinja'd!!! "garagemonkee" (monke)
02/09/2017 at 22:44, STARS: 2

You know, I even said to myself “can’t choose the 4G63, cause it was turbo” and then my brain just went and shit the bed anyway.

Kinja'd!!! "Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen" (distraxi)
02/09/2017 at 23:51, STARS: 0

While in general I’m with you on that, in this case I stand by my position.

In the case of the Honda, screamingly high revs and massive specific power output is pretty much by definition classy, even if you stick a red cam cover in it - just ask Ferrari. Add that to the unbelievable reliability of the VTEC system - unlike pretty much every VVT system EVER - along with the fact that no tuner has managed to improve noticeably on the factory tune, and the F20C is one of the world’s great engines of any format.

BMC’s B Series, on the other hand, is a heap of junk. While BL and its predecessors have come up with some lovely engines in their time, this ain’t one of them. It’s underpowered, heavy, unreliable, unrefined, and unpleasant in that ineffable way that only BL ever truly mastered. The best that can be said about it is that the later ones were more reliable than the cars they went into, and that in the hands of a master tuner it can be hotted up to the point of being almost mediocre. It wasn’t a terrible mill by 1950s British standards, and they made a hell of a lot of them, but that doesn’t excuse its survival into the 70s (or much later if you include Hindustan).

Having said that, it’s not eligible here as it only went up to 1800cc. I was mixing up my B’s and O’s - oops! The O series, a B series rework whose design was only about a decade out of date when introduced, managed to raise itself almost to inoffensiveness, and its later 16V M and T series derivatives were actually not bad at all.

Kinja'd!!! "Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen" (distraxi)
02/10/2017 at 00:18, STARS: 0

3sge blacktop > 4age blacktop?

Kinja'd!!! "Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen" (distraxi)
02/10/2017 at 00:21, STARS: 1

What, turbos aren’t natural?

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Kinja'd!!! "HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch)
02/10/2017 at 01:06, STARS: 0

Yes

Kinja'd!!! "Hoccy" (Hoccy)
02/10/2017 at 01:45, STARS: 0

Best: Volvo B20

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Used in cars, jeeps, tracked vehicles and boats. Considered one of the most durable engines ever together with the B18. Used in rally and rallycross for ages, and is still swapped in newer cars in grassroots motorsport. Power output between 82 and 125 hp in the early 1970's.

Not sure about the worst.

Kinja'd!!! "duurtlang" (duurtlang)
02/10/2017 at 03:12, STARS: 1

My ‘97 Galant wagon had a 4G63, and it most certainly didn’t have a turbo. 135 or so HP.

Kinja'd!!! "pip bip - choose Corrour" (hhgttg69)
02/10/2017 at 06:04, STARS: 0

worst - GM family 1 engines.

Kinja'd!!! "Pickup_man" (zekeh)
02/10/2017 at 09:11, STARS: 0

Worst: VW EA831, found in the Porsche 924, Audi 100, and Volkswagon LT, first iteration, 95 hp, eventually bumped to 110 hp. Worst offender the Porsche 924. Such a sporty looking car, so little power.

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Kinja'd!!! "Nauraushaun" (nauraushaun12)
02/11/2017 at 06:27, STARS: 0

I’d have suggested this. My 3S-GE is an earlier non-BEAMS, it’s good fun, sounds good, and makes more than 146hp that’s for sure.

Kinja'd!!! "BritishLeyland™" (leylandcars)
02/15/2017 at 14:00, STARS: 0

Oi! Mate! To call the O-series a rework of the B-series is misleading. They share no parts, and the O-series block is far lighter and it obviously has an aluminium OHC head. 

Oh, by the way, the B-series isn’t THAT unrefined, atleast below 4000 rpm....

Kinja'd!!! "Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen" (distraxi)
02/15/2017 at 19:19, STARS: 0

You’re right that there’s bugger all commonality. But it IS a rework, it’s just a “grandpas axe” rework.

They started from an O series, and changed this, then that, then the next thing, until eventually there was nothing left the same. By the time they got to the end, they probably would have found it quicker, cheaper, and better to have started at the beginning with a clean sheet of paper. This isn’t an unusual situation, I’ve been involved in a couple of projects like that myself (including one with Rover).

See the full story here.

Kinja'd!!! "BritishLeyland™" (leylandcars)
02/16/2017 at 11:20, STARS: 0

Have you been proffesionally involved with Rover?

Kinja'd!!! "Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen" (distraxi)
02/16/2017 at 15:32, STARS: 0

Yes, I worked for them in product development for a few years back in the 90s.

Kinja'd!!! "BritishLeyland™" (leylandcars)
02/17/2017 at 11:20, STARS: 0

Sounds very interesting! Do you have any good stories from those days?