VAEM

Ward’s, a trusted source for automotive reporting and data, has named the 2011 Mustang GT’s 5.0L V8 to their annual “10 Best Engines” list. The competition, now in its 17th year, is designed to recognize powertrains that set new benchmarks in their respective vehicle segments.

“The one thing they have in common is they all are stand-out performers in their own way and sell the value proposition of the vehicles they power,” says Drew Winter, editor-in-chief of Ward’s AutoWorld Magazine. says.

Ward’s editors spent October and November driving the vehicles in their routine daily commutes around metro Detroit and scored each engine based on power, technology, observed fuel economy and noise, vibration harshness. There was no instrumented testing.

To be eligible for the competition, each engine must be available in a regular-production U.S.-specification model on sale no later than first-quarter 2011, in a vehicle priced no more than $55,000, a price cap indexed to the average cost of a new vehicle.

Winners from the 2010 competition automatically were eligible and evaluated against the new engines.

The awards will be presented at a Jan. 12 ceremony in Detroit during the North American International Auto Show.

Complete stories about the Ward’s 10 Best Engines will be featured Dec. 16 on WardsAuto.com and in upcoming issues of Ward’s AutoWorld magazine and Ward’s Engine & Vehicle Technology Update newsletter.

SNAKEBITE

Always nice to see the Blue oval being recognized