We drove over 70 cars in 2017 - and these were our favorite engines

Ford

• We've driven dozens of cars and experienced numerous engines in 2017 - these are our favorites.
• Powerplants range from turbocharged four-cylinders to hybrids to big V8s.
• Customers can opt for fuel-efficient, performance, or a combination of each.

We can all agree that a big part of falling in love with a car is how it looks on the outside.

But ultimately, it's what's under the hood that really fires the emotions. An engine is a car's heart, and a great one is what separates a thrilling machine from the pack.

At Business Insider, we drove over 70 cars in 2017 and experienced everything from tiny fuel-sipping hybrids that didn't threaten 200 horsepower to massive V8s that could surmount 700 hp. There was even a 1,500 horsepower, quad-turbo, W16.

But some engines really stuck in our minds. Engines that were exceptional in more than just delivering propulsion for the car - engines that were actually significant, due to their reliability, power, innovation, or history.

Here are the 10 best engines we enjoyed in 2017 (in no particular order):