Better Than Honda and Toyota: Who Created the Legendary V6 Engine

V6 engine of the VQ series from Nissan. Photo: wikimedia.org

The Japanese automotive industry has released many reliable powerplants that for years held high positions in industry ratings. In Nissan’s history there have been both successful and plainly unreliable engines, but the VQ-series V6 surpassed many competitors in the number of awards. The authoritative publication Wards Auto awarded this engine 16 prizes in the category “Best Engine,” with 14 wins achieved in a row over the period from 1995 to 2008 year.

News.LIVE writes about this, citing Slash Gear.

Universal powertrain

The debut of the 3-liter powerplant occurred in the mid-1990-s years on Nissan Maxima and Infiniti I30 sedans. In the following years the engine displacement increased to 4 L, and the unit began to be installed on the sports car Nissan 350Z, the Nissan Altima and Infiniti G35 sedans, as well as the Nissan Pathfinder SUV.

Wards award experts evaluated engines by power, torque, noise insulation, and technological sophistication. The Japanese V6 proved itself a reliable and long-lasting powertrain with a large operating life, equally suitable for sports cars, minivans, and pickups.

Contemporary usage

While most manufacturers are moving to 4-cylinder turbo engines, the Japanese automaker continues to produce atmospheric V6s. The modern variant VQ38DD with a displacement of 3,8 L and direct fuel injection is installed on the frame-based Nissan Frontier pickup.

In the sporting lineup, the legendary engine was replaced by turbocharged VR-series units. Due to high reliability and affordability, used cars with VQ engines remain a popular choice on the secondary market.

Earlier News.LIVE wrote about the advantages and disadvantages of a used second-generation Nissan Qashqai. Despite overall reliability, there are certain technical nuances to consider before purchasing a used sample.

Also read whether it is worth buying a used Nissan Kicks crossover. When considering a purchase, one should take into account the technical features of the powertrains and the durability of the transmission.