The seven best three‑cylinder engines

Suzuki LC10 (1967)

Three-cylinder engines have brought down emissions as well as physical engine size, but not all three-pots are truly dinky. The smallest three-cylinder engine ever is the motor that rested in the 1967 Suzuki Fronte, a 356cc two-stroke with 24PS (18kW). It had to be small to fit in the Fronte, really, which itself weighed only 425kg. Launched in 1967, the Fronte’s engine was at the back with power going to the rear wheels, and took over from the Suzulight Fronte that was introduced in 1962 with a 360cc engine, the TLA, itself a curious little motor (each cylinder was individually cast rather than in a block).

The LC10 was developed alongside a single-cylinder engine which had the same bore and stroke, and used something called ‘Posi-Force’, an automatic lubrication system that meant the Fronte could do without pre-mixed fuel. A performance version emerged in 1968, admittedly with an extra 4cc, the Fronte SS 360 with 36PS (26kW), up from 28PS (21kW) in the standard car.

And here’s a fun tale for you: it was driven by Sir Stirling Moss in a promotional journey against Japanese Grand Prix motorcycle winner Mitsuo Itoh from Milan to Napoli, a journey they completed with an average speed of 76.08mph. Imagine seeing Stirling Moss storming along the Italian autostrada in a microscopic Kei car keeping its engine absolutely pinned for nearly seven hours?

Honda S07A Turbo (2015)

There aren’t many places on GRR where the Honda S660 is likely to feature, but truth be told we’re quite fond of the little sportscar, and seeing as it had a three-cylinder engine we had to give it a mention. The S660 launched in 2015 and followed on from the S2000 with a name that referred to its engine capacity, the S07A Turbo measuring 660cc. The engine was mounted in the middle with power going to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox (a seven-speed automatic was available as an option), all 64PS (47kW) of it.

No, it was never available in the UK, and the on-paper performance figures weren’t all that exciting. But that little three-pot motor revved to 7,700rpm, and the whole car weighed just 860kg, meaning you could have fun at sensible speeds and not need loads of space to do so.

Toyota 1KR-FE (2004)

Here’s an engine that you’ve almost certainly had some sort of interaction with: the Toyota 1KR-FE. This naturally aspirated, three-cylinder wonder powered the Toyota Yaris, Citroën C1 and Peugeot 107 and 108, among others, for two decades, and is in many ways the engine that got us all used to a small car world packed full of downsized, three-pot motors.

Built in both Japan and Poland, the 1KR-FE is a 1.0-litre (998cc if we’re being specific) with 67PS (49kW) and 91Nm (67lb ft) of torque, and won the sub-1.0-litre International of the Year award four years running from 2007 to 2010. Weighing just 69kg with all of its ancillaries, it’s an engine that just kept on giving, with an 18-year run in the Aygo, C1 and 107/108 thanks to various improvements. For example, its CO₂ output dropped from 109g/km at launch to 99g/km and finally 88g/km to meet more stringent emission requirements.

Ford EcoBoost Fox (2012)

EcoBoost engines were introduced by Ford in 2009, a new range of smaller, lower-capacity turbocharged units that were all about boosting economy while maintaining power and torque. The first EcoBoost motor was a 2.0-litre four-cylinder, which of course means it doesn’t belong here, but the three-cylinder ‘Fox’ certainly does. The Fox, a 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder, was introduced in 2012 in the Ford Fiesta and has become the defining engine of the class – it was and still remains the three-pot to which all others have been judged for a decade.

Developed at Ford’s Dunton Technical Centre in Essex, it won the International Engine of the Year award three years running from 2012 to 2014, plus best new engine in 2012 and best sub-150PS (110kW) engine in 2019. What’s more, in 2014, tweaks to the Fox meant it became the first non-hybrid engine in Europe to drop below the 99g/km of CO₂ mark, and it has since become the first three-cylinder engine to incorporate cylinder deactivation.

Ford EcoBoost Dragon (2018)

Three-cylinders have never been the pick of the bunch for a fast car – why would you go for three when you could go for a nicely balanced four-, six, eight, 10 or 12-cylinder engine? But as engine sizes have come down in the drive for better efficiency manufacturers have looked to the three for some fun, too, and one of the first to put a smile on our face was the EcoBoost Dragon in the Ford Fiesta ST.

Not only did it have more power than the four-cylinder turbo it replaced but it was more efficient and, as you’d expect, smaller too, and in no way lacking in character. With 200PS (147kW) at 6,000 rpm and 290Nm (215lb ft) of torque from 1,600-4,000 rpm, the Dragon uses the same cylinder deactivation tech to switch off cylinders in 14 milliseconds for more economical motoring, plus both port fuel injection and direct fuel injection for flexibility when balancing power and efficiency.

Toyota G16E-GTS (2020)

Another small car with a whole heap of three-cylinder driving fun is the Toyota GR Yaris. The rally homologation special was unveiled in January 2020, complete with a 1.6-litre turbocharged three-pot, all-wheel-drive and two Torsen limited-slip differentials, all resting on a dedicated platform, a mix of the Yaris (front) and the Corolla (rear).

Built by Gazoo Racing, Toyota’s performance sub-brand, the G16E-GTS produces 261PS (192kW) at 6,500rpm and 360Nm (266lb ft) from 3,600rpm-4,600rpm in the GR Yaris (another version in the GR Corolla in the USA and Australia produces more but doesn’t fare as well when it comes to emissions). That, as we know very well, is plenty in a car that weighs 1,280kg, enough to power the GR Yaris to 62mph in 5.5 seconds and on to a limited top speed of 143mph. With the highest specific output of any Toyota engine in the company’s history, it’s a brilliant little unit.

Koenigsegg Tiny Friendly Giant (2020)

This is perhaps the wildest three-cylinder powertrain ever conceived. The Koenigsegg Gemera, unveiled in 2020, has four seats, is all-wheel-drive, and uses a twin-turbocharged 2.0-litre, three-cylinder engine and three electric motors for a grand total of 1,724PS (1,268kW). Of course it isn’t the electric gubbins that interests us here, fascinating though the system is, it’s that three-pot monster, and it’s really very special. On its own it produces 600PS (440kW) and 600Nm (444lb ft) of torque, revving to 8,500rpm and with peak boost pressure of 29psi from those turbos.

It also makes use of Koenigsegg’s Freevalve technology, which is where there are no camshafts but instead the engine’s intake and exhaust valves are pneumatically actuated, so you have fully variable valve timing, fully variable valve lift and fully variably valve duration. Weighing just 70kg but packing a substantial punch, the engine’s name is incredibly appropriate: the Tiny Friendly Giant.