Ward's editors nominated 29 engines for Best Engines consideration. All were required to be available in regular production 2003 vehicles and all were judged against one another - there were no categories or other means of artificial competition.

Six of the seven automakers on this year's 10 Best list use AVL software in their engine development processes. The final verdict: the automakers that produced 9 out of the 10 best engines are aided by AVL´s growing expertise and powerful suite of powertrain simulation software.

According to Ward's, "A glance at the 10 Best list reveals another matter that's no coincidence: None of the winning engines is fitted in a vehicle that's selling poorly or is otherwise ill-regarded.

In fact, most of this year's 10 Best Engines power some of the market's best-performing vehicles - on the road and on the sales charts. Chalk up one for the camp that says great vehicles don't happen without great engines."

The Ward's 10 Best Engines Awards are given annually by Ward's Communications, the publisher of Ward's AutoWorld and Ward's Engine and Vehicle Technology Update. You can learn more about the awards at Ward's website, www.wardsauto.com.