These are four cars that came with engines worth admiring

With downsizing the order of the day, it is only natural that those lustrous engines that once brought to life some vehicles you probably didn’t know about were powered by such works of art. The truth is that large-displacement engines seem to be reserved only for the more sophisticated models, but there was a time when rather generalist brands bet on engines not only with personality, but also with an unusual and uncommon configuration in any of their cars.

No, you don’t need a well-balanced bank account to enjoy a car with an exhilarating engine, although you do need one to maintain it. And while today we are going to talk about more “ordinary” vehicles, it is worth remembering the drawbacks that can come with buying a powerful car that has been hit by ruthless depreciation.

Peugeot 406 Coupé V6

There was a time when Peugeot enjoyed a golden era led by illustrious models such as the 605, the 607, and the one that concerns us today, the 406 Coupé. The lion’s house decided to collaborate with Pininfarina itself – a coachbuilder that worked on countless occasions with Ferrari – to conceive that two-door variant of one of its most successful saloons.

Although it shared many aesthetic features with the standard 406, this coupé version exuded elegance from every angle thanks to the Italian firm’s involvement during its development. However, design was not the only striking aspect of this model; its engine was too. The top of the range was represented by a glorious 3.0-litre naturally aspirated V6 which, while not outstanding in terms of extraordinary performance, certainly was in smoothness and reliability.

SEAT Toledo V5

It was 1998 when SEAT announced the arrival of what would later become one of its most successful products, the second-generation Toledo. Although its engine range featured a host of diesel and petrol powerplants, one stood out above the rest, and if you are an inveterate car lover it will surely catch your attention.

Among the options for the local saloon there was a curious V5 engine, an unusual configuration not only back then but also today, when five-cylinder engines are scarce and only ever offered in an inline layout. This engine, besides having a heavenly sound and plenty of personality, was capable of delivering 170 CV and 215 Nm of torque, figures that are by no means negligible.

Volkswagen Golf R32

Oh, what a time it was when sporty compacts relied on pure and hard engines rather than turbocharged three- or four-cylinder units. There was an era in which every car that dared to compete in this demanding segment had to do so with an engine up to expectations, and the Volkswagen Golf R32 far exceeded them.

This variant of the favourite son of Wolfsburg had a precious 3.2-litre VR6 heart, a rara avis in today’s times. It was capable of producing 250 CV, a figure paired with a melody that has nothing to do with the artificial crackles that abound nowadays.

Audi Q7 V12

The feared diesel also had its moments of glory, and the engineers at Audi helped greatly after equipping the Q7 with a V12 engine. This powerplant featured technology from Le Mans, since it had also been responsible for bringing to life the Audi R10 TDI competition car.

It was an engine built from two banks of six cylinders taken from its popular 3.0 TDI, which brought the displacement up to 6.0 litres. The performance? Simply breathtaking, as you can imagine, since this V12 was capable of producing 500 CV and 1,000 Nm of torque, figures that catapulted the Q7 to 100 km/h in just 5.5 seconds.