Some say the Inline 6 is the perfect engine (inherent balance and all that). Besides BMW (and Toyota up to 2007?), who are some others that have made great and/or famous I6 engines over the years?
by BeaglePops7
Some say the Inline 6 is the perfect engine (inherent balance and all that). Besides BMW (and Toyota up to 2007?), who are some others that have made great and/or famous I6 engines over the years?
by BeaglePops7
![Flash Green over Atacama [Volvo V70 R]. Not necessarily a flashy spot but special nonetheless](https://www.evshift.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/uyhjok4hppdg1-770x515.jpeg "Flash Green over Atacama [Volvo V70 R]. Not necessarily a flashy spot but special nonetheless")
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29 Comments
Amc 4.0
And, honest question, does flat 6 or slant 6 count as an Inline 6?
Nissan RB engine is up there with the greats
My punishment car for speeding was a 67 Plymouth valiant. This was in the early nineties. 4 door two bench seats and a trunk that could hold two dead bodies and four kegs. I can confirm the four kegs, dead bodies not so much! It had a inline 6 and I could abuse that car for ever! I figured out what power braking was. My parents thought the car would make me think about how bad it was. All my friends loved it! We could sit eight deep and have room for the beer. Ahh the green nasty has a bunch of old time memories!
Mercedes-Benz OM606
Nissan with the RB line of engines
The Jaguar XK engines, produced between 1949 and 1992.
My favorite is the Jag XK engine.
Ford 300
Chrysler slant 6
Jeep 4.0
L Series in early Z cars, they ran forever, but they never get mentioned when this question comes up
The Ford 300. Not necessarily known for performance but easily one of the most stout and reliable engines ever built. I’ve never heard a single bad word about it. It’s the definition of “bullet proof”.
Ford’s Barra. Australian 4 litre. They were also factory fitted with a turbo on some models.
The ford bara and the gm vortec4200.
There are so many to pick from!
Ford Barra, Cummins B engine, Chrysler Slant-Six, Ford 300, AMC 4.0, and Chevy Stovebolt, to name a few.
The Ford 4.9 wasn’t sporty but it was a beast.
The RB series from Nissan.
Honda had a wicked straight 6 motorcycle called the CBX.
Yes, a flat or slanted 6 is still inline as long as the cylinders are. Flat will usually refer to an H or boxer cylinder layout though. I know of a motorcycle inline flate 3 and 4 (BMW K) but I’d be curious to see a flat inline 6.
Like with many cool things, they’ve lost to packaging conviences. They’re really tall, tilting them helps with height, but length is kinda alwas gonna be a issue.
Cummins 5.9L 12V, BMW B58, and (probably might get a bit of flak for this) Toyota 2JZ-GTE are three of the greatest inline-6 engines ever produced. The 12-valve Cummins is the epitome of pickup truck motors, people stick ’em in everything! The B58 is silky-smooth and can be tuned to the moon, besides being near ubiquitous. And the 2JZ, though outclassed by modern motors like the B58, is a legendary motor in it’s own right.
Chrysler slant 6
The Jeep 4.0’s were always a strong 6.
I mean, Hudson won at NASCAR for several years straight with their 308 I6, against the early OHV V8s.
Cummins. Not uncommon for them to go 1milion miles with just basic maintenance. (before all the modern emissions stuff)
Ford 300ci
Jeep 4.0
Jag is probably the most famous.
It’s interesting how many new inline 6s have been popping up over the years. Mercedes released one about 5 years ago, but Mazda decided to put one in their CX-90s, and Stellantis is completely switching over to them to replace their V8s.
RB26DETT !!!
The AMC/Powertech 4.0 (Jeep Cherokee XJ engine)
The vortec 4200 is starting to gain momentum. The Nivlac57 YouTube channel is doing some very fast builds on mostly stock bottom end engines. I think they made something like 800+ rwhp on a stock bottom end.
The Vortec 4200 was a great engine
The jeep straight 6 from the 90’s was damn near impossible to kill. (Always had some problem, it’s not Jeep without an engine light) but luckily super easy to work on, you could pull the whole motor in about 3 hours
4.0 AMC/Chrysler
300 Ford
5.9 B series Cummins
Many OTR truck engines such as Cat 3406B and 3406E, cummins N14, Detroit Diesel series 60
Nother vote for the Jeep 4.0. Originally the amc 258. I’ve owned many of each. Bullet proof, decent power, shit mileage but that might have more to do with gearing and aerodynamics lol. And my favourite thing is is that they all sound different. To my mind anyway. Whatever combo of year, different mods and exhaust they all seem to have a different distinct exhaust note to me at least.