These V6 Engines Put The LS1 V8 To Shame

There are no two ways about it, General Motors’ LS1 V8 engine is an automotive icon. The raw American motor has been ripping up drag strips and terrorizing neighborhoods for almost three decades now in cars like the C5 Corvette and the Chevrolet Camaro.

Across different models, the all-American V8 kicks out as much as 350 horsepower and helped the C5 Corvette onto a top speed of 175 mph. These days, however, V8 power isn’t as mighty as it once was.

In fact, there are some V6 motors out there today that put the LS1 to shame in terms of power, performance and, less excitingly, in terms of things like fuel economy. So, where can you find these might V6 motors, I hear you ask?

Applications: Mercedes Benz C32 AMG and Mercedes-Benz SLK32 AMG

Max power: 350 horsepower

At roughly the same time that General Motors was making 350 horsepower from eight cylinders, engineers at Mercedes were managing the same with two fewer. That’s right, the M112 engine from Mercedes-Benz was a V6 that kicked out 350 hp back in 2000.

The standard M112 was a 3.2 liter motor that could produce around 225hp, but when AMG strapped two superchargers to the unit that jumped by around 100 hp. The motor was used in the C32 AMG sedan and SLK32 AMG sports car between 2000 and 2004.

Applications: Toyota Sienna and Lotus Evora

Max power: 400 horsepower

Toyota has a whole warehouse full of pretty fun little V6 motors that it fits to family haulers like the Sienna minivan. Put the company’s 2GR-FE V6 in the right hands, though, and it becomes a proper little pocket rocket.

The correct hands, it turns out, are at British sports car maker Lotus, which put the Toyota V6 to excellent use when the Evora launched in 2009 and a supercharged variant was even put in the hardcore Lotus Exige. In fact, a derivative of this mighty motor is still used today in the Lotus Emira.

Applications: Ford Fusion and Noble M400

Max power: 425 horsepower

Another motor found in humble family cars that can put the LS1 to shame is Ford’s Duratec V6, which debuted way back in 1996 on the Taurus. It evolved over the years to become more economical and powerful, until the engineers at British sports car maker Noble got their hands on it and really ripped up the rulebook.

By the time the Duratec V6 was finally fitted to the M400, the engine had been stripped down, re-tuned and fitted with two turbochargers. The engine then kicked out 425hp and could propel the Noble on to a top speed of 185mph.

Applications: Acura NSX

Max power: 500 horsepower

Nobody’s out there is Honda-swapping old Land Rovers, but maybe they should consider replacing the old, unreliable inline four with a Honda V6. After all, the JNC1 that Honda developed for the second-gen Acura NSX is quite the machine.

The 3.5 liter V6 has two turbochargers and, in the second-gen NSX, the JNC1 is also paired with three electrical motors, which up the car’s total output to 573hp. Just imagine that in a rusty old Land Rover. Much better than an LS-swapped Defender.

Applications: Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio and Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA

Max power: 533 horsepower

People say the European mind can’t comprehend the American V8, but maybe it doesn’t have to. After all, the continent’s hot sedans and family SUVs are out there making more power with fewer cylinders, as Alfa Romeo proves with the 690T motor that it fits to cars like the Stelvio Quadrifoglio and Giulia GTA.

The 690T V6 motor has been in production at Alfa since 2015 and in that time it’s only been hit by one recall. Impressive, Alfa. In its most powerful guise, the 690T kicks out 533 hp, which Alfa reserves for the Giulia GTA, while the standard motor still manages more than 500hp in the Quadrifoglio cars.

Applications: Jaguar XJ220

Max power: 542 horsepower

Not every engine that can outperform the LS1 has been built in the last 20 years. In fact, those clever folks in England had an engine that could produce almost 200 hp more with two fewer cylinders way back in 1992.

The engine in question was a V6 unit that Jaguar fitted to the XJ220 supercar, which was the fastest production car in the world when it launched. Sure, the JRV-6 engine that made the production model wasn’t quite as exciting as the V12 Jag initially promised, but it still howled like a banshee and took the XJ220 to a top speed of 217 mph. Imagine the shame of building a less powerful engine than the Brits could manage.

Application: Mercedes AMG One, Mercedes F1 W06

Max power: 566 horsepower

Because Mercedes decided to put its Formula 1 engine in the back of a supercar, we get to compare a 1990s General Motors engine to the might of German engineering and, unsurprisingly, the 2015 Formula 1 motor comes out on top.

The PU106B was the second iteration of Mercedes’ hybrid power unit that was developed for F1’s new engine regs and it kicks out 566hp when revving at 15,000 rpm. When racing on tracks around the world, the combustion engine is paired with a kinetic energy recovery system and a heat energy recovery system, which adds even more power. In addition, the recovery systems make this one of the most efficient combustion engines out there, with modern F1 motors managing more than 50 percent thermal efficiency. In contrast, the efficiency of an LS1 motor is closer to 30 percent. 

Applications: McLaren Artura

Max power: 577 horsepower

British supercar maker McLaren developed an all-new V6 motor for its second-ever hybrid model: the Artura. On its own, the three-liter M630 V6 unit produces 577 hp and 431 pound-feet, but because it’s used in a hybrid model, the extra electric power brings the total output up to 671 hp.

While it’s great that in the nearly 30 years since the LS1 was first released, the world’s automakers have managed to almost double the output they can muster, but this kind of power won’t come cheap. Today, you could pick up an LS1 for as much as $4,000 if you’re really splashing out, while an Artura’s replacement electric motor alone will set you back more than double.

Applications: Nissan Juke-R and Nissan GT-R

Max power: 600 horsepower

Nissan has a whole series of formidable V6 motors that it calls the VR Engine range. At the top of this tree is the VR38DETT, which you’ll find in high-performance machines like the Nissan GT-R and ultra-rare Nissan Juke-R.

The VR38 has been in production since 2007, when it produced around 470 hp, right up to the final-edition GT-Rs that will be sold this year. Those much newer models kick out 565 hp, while special-editions like the GT-R Track Edition are capable of around 600hp.

Applications: Maserati MC20

Max power: 621 horsepower

Another V6 that kicks out more than 100hp per cylinder (I know that’s not really how it works) is the Nettuno unit that Maserati developed specifically for its latest flagship: the Maserati MC20. The three-liter unit is capable of producing more than 620hp at 7,500 rpm and roars onward to a redline at 8,000 rpm.

The unit has two turbochargers, but unlike most other super-powerful V6 units is not paired up with electric motors and battery packs in the MC20. Sure, an electric version of that car was slated for launch at some point, but Maserati confirmed just last week that those plans were off. Shame.

Applications: Ferrari 296 and Ferrari 499P

Max power: 654 horsepower

Those Italians sure do know how to get a lot of power from a small engine, as Ferrari tops Alfa Romeo and Maserati as the country’s most powerful V6 slinger. What sets this engine apart from the Alfa and Maserati units is that derivatives of Ferrari’s F163 V6 are put to use on the road and on race tracks around the world.

Developed for the 296 that Ferrari launched in 2022, the Tipo F163 is a three-liter, twin-turbo V6 engine that produces more than 650hp. In the road car, it’s paired with a 165 hp electric motor, while Ferrari’s Le Mans winning racer gets the V6 and a 268 hp electric motor mounted onto the front axle.

Applications: Ford GT

Max power: 660 horsepower

The term Ecoboost may not conjure up images of raw power and ultimate performance, and instead might make you think of pokey city cars like the Ford Focus. But, believe it or not, the 3.5 liter D35 Ecoboost V6 that you’ll find in the Ford Transit is actually the most powerful V6 out there.

Of course, it’s not in the Transit that you’ll find it performing at its best, as the van has just 310 hp. But when Ford let its engineers loose on the second-generation GT, the Ecoboost was given two turbochargers and upgrades like an aluminum intake manifold and unique camshafts to more than double that output.