5 four-cylinder engines that produce more power than most V8s

There is no substitute for travel – or is there? While V8s have always been associated with big horsepower (and still are, at least when we’re talking about the most powerful V8s ever), the humble four-cylinder has proven over the years that it’s entirely possible to make big power with half the number of cylinders you’d find in a big, beefy V8.

Now, to be clear, none of these can hold their own with the ultra-high-performance eight-cylinders that power hypercars like the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut, so don’t expect four-digit horsepower numbers here. If you want that, you’ll have to turn to modern, heavily modified drag racing engines. However, those four batteries will give more mainstream V8s like the 490-hp 6.2-liter powerplant in the 2025 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray a run for their money and then some, with power numbers starting at 350 hp and climbing ever higher.

From the four-cylinder boxer engine powering the latest Porsche 718 Boxster S to a handful of boosted inline-fours from the glory days of Group B rallying, here’s a handful of four-cylinders making V8 levels of power. And, just to add a bit of spice, we’re sticking to petrol engines here, with no electric motors in mind.

Read more: 5 of the worst car trends we’ve ever seen

Porsche turbo 2.5 liter flat-4 – 350 hp

In 2024, Porsche announced it was discontinuing production of the gasoline-powered Cayman and Boxster by mid-2025, setting its sights on an electrified future for its relatively accessible and affordable sports cars. But it looks like Porsche’s EV future has been put on hold, at least for its junior sports cars: the 2025 718 Boxster lineup remains gasoline-only, and reports indicate the German automaker is retooling its previously all-electric next-generation 718 platform to support both EV and gasoline powertrains.

This is a discussion for the future though. In the here and now, Porsche’s latest version of the Boxster and Cayman comes with a selection of flat-fours and flat-six engines, one of which earns the company a spot on this list. The 2025 718 Boxster S and Cayman S models have a turbocharged 2.5-liter boxer engine that produces 350 hp and 309 lb-ft of torque. That gives it an impressive 140 hp per liter, significantly better than V8s like the 668 hp, 6.2-liter Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing V8 (which, for the record, has about 107.7 hp/liter).

The 718’s 350-hp engine is enough to propel both versions of the 718 to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds with the standard seven-speed PDK transmission, dropping to 4.0 seconds with the $2,610 Sport Chrono package (probably thanks to the included launch control feature). Now, is it as bright as the six-cylinder powering the Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 we reviewed? No, probably not, but still quite capable.

Mitsubishi 4B11T – 440 hp

Japan is undoubtedly the home of legendary four-cylinder engines. There is, for example, Honda’s line of K-series engines, which is still going strong in the 315 hp 2025 Civic Type R. Subaru, similarly, had the ultra-reliable EJ20 and EJ22 flat-fours that powered many of its vehicles. And then there’s the Mitsubishi 4G63T, a special JDM engine that powered rally cars like the Lancer Evo III, which gave Tommi Mäkinen his first WRC title.

But while the 4G63T is probably Mitsubishi’s most recognizable inline-four, it’s not the pinnacle of the Japanese automaker’s efforts (power-wise, at least). For that, we have to turn to the engine’s successor, the 4B11T, which debuted alongside the Lancer Evolution X in 2007. Even then, though, we can’t just be talking about any 4B11T, oh no; There was a very special version of the 2.0-liter four-banger that powered the Lancer Evo X FQ-440 MR, limited to 40.

The Evo X FQ-440 MR was a UK-exclusive model that was both a celebration of Mitsubishi’s 40 years of UK operations and effectively a drop-off for the Evo, which Mitsubishi discontinued after 2015. The FQ-440 had the same basic 4B11T engine, but with a range of modifications that included the freer HKS injection turbo. and a Janspeed exhaust trick. The result? 440 hp from a tiny 2.0-liter engine, which makes more horsepower per liter than a Bugatti Chiron.

Mercedes-AMG M 139 – 469 HP

When it comes to modern, high-powered four-cylinder engines, there are few comparisons to the Mercedes-AMG M139. First making its debut in 2019 as a 416bhp engine that the company claimed was the most powerful in series production, the M139 would go on to power a range of vehicles from the German manufacturer and even see use (in slightly reduced form) in the Lotus Emira 2.0 Turbo.

When it first came out, the 2.0-liter M139 paired its healthy power with an equally impressive 369 lb-ft of torque. Mercedes-AMG achieved these numbers, of course, with the help of a twin-scroll supercharger – par for the course, really, for big-power four-pots. Hand-built in Germany, the M 139 also boasted other notable features, including a racing-derived closed-platform engine block, high-strength cold-cast aluminum crankcase, and a fairly complex cooling system with a wheel-arch-mounted secondary radiator and an air-to-water intercooler.

Mercedes first released the M 139 in compact vehicles such as the Mercedes-AMG A45 S, but the maximum form of the engine would appear a little later. The Mercedes-AMG C63 SE Performance, which debuted in 2023, bumped power up to 469 hp, thanks to tweaks like a Formula 1-inspired electric turbocharger. Coupled with an electric motor, the Mercedes-AMG sedan produces 671 hp in total—a lot of power, but not necessarily for the better, as we found out when we got behind the wheel of a C63 SE Performance.

Fiat 233ATR18S – 500+ HP

The production four-banger can certainly be very impressive, but we have to turn to the realm of motorsports for high-powered inline fours. More specifically, the world of Group B rallying, home to some of the fastest rally cars of all time, including the famous Fiat 233 ATR 18S, Lancia Delta S4.

The S4 debuted at the end of the 1985 season and featured a novel solution to the turbo lag problems that Lancia’s Group B rivals faced with their turbo engines: twin charging. Thus, the 1.8-liter S4 inline-four relied on a supercharger up to about 3,000 rpm, at which point a bypass valve unloaded supercharger power and let the turbo take over. The result was around 500 hp, with figures ranging from 510 to 550 hp. It provided power through a four-wheel drive system that sent most of its power to the rear wheels, making it a bit of a handful.

The Fiat 1.8-litre twin-charger was also used on the roads, as Group B regulations required manufacturers to release 200 examples of street-legal cars for homologation purposes. The S4 Stradale, as it was known, replaced the race engine’s Bosch electronics with a Weber Marelli system, keeping power at around 250bhp or so. Unfortunately, the world didn’t get to see much of this four-cylinder as the FIA ​​canceled Group B in 1986 following the deaths of S4 driver Henri Toivonen and co-driver Sergio Cresto who crashed while driving that year’s Tour de Corsa. Despite this, the S4’s place in rallying history is undeniable. Just ask the person who paid £1,636,250 for a genuine Toivonen-driven example at a 2022 RM Sotheby’s auction.

Cosworth BDT-E – 600 hp

There have been plenty of iconic rally cars to wear the Ford badge, but none, at least for our money, match the Group B Ford RS200. But it wasn’t Ford’s first attempt to compete in the new class: the automaker had first developed the RS1700T, but the arrival of Audi’s revolutionary Quattro all-wheel drive system meant Ford had to go back to the drawing board. Thus, the RS200 took many of its predecessor’s features—such as the Cosworth BDT 1.8-liter turbocharged inline-four and transmission gears—and reconfigured them for a four-wheel-drive world.

The RS200’s 1.8-litre engine produced around 250bhp in road form, which rose to 450bhp when in full racing configuration. That alone would be enough to secure a place in the pantheon of V8-rivaling inline-fours, but that wasn’t the end of Ford’s Group B experiments. The RS200’s Group B debut was delayed by homologation issues, but Ford engineers pressed on, developing an even crazier version called the RS200 Evolution for the 1987 season.

The demise of Group B meant that the RS200 Evolution never competed in that rally series, but it would probably have dominated if given the chance: it was powered by a 2.1-litre version of the standard RS200 engine, called the Cosworth BDT-E. The BDT-E had an aluminum engine block and an upgraded turbo; combined with the increased displacement, it made around 600bhp (an insane 285bhp/litre), enough grunt to take the RS200 Evolution to 60mph in 3.07 seconds. Ford only made 24 RS200 Evolutions, and predictably, they fetch a pretty penny these days – one sold for $615,000 at RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2023 auction.

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Read the original article on SlashGear.