Kbb.com Names Top 10 Fast-Lane Four-Cylinders, Celebrates 'Four is More' Enthusiasm

Editors Detail 10 New High-Performance Cars Featuring a 21st-Century Twist: Four-Cylinder Engines

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Jun 10, 2010, 05:00 ET

IRVINE, Calif., June 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The Top 10 Fast-Lane Four-Cylinders today were named by the expert editors from Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com, the leading provider of new car and used car information. Call it a sign of the times: In an era when relentlessly high fuel prices and increasingly stringent emissions requirements put a serious squeeze on displacement and cylinder counts, greater numbers of automakers are rallying behind the battle cry "Four is More" when it comes to creating performance cars with a 21st-century twist.

The kbb.com editors do not deny the new generations of enthusiast-grade "four-bangers" lack the visceral kick and deep-throated exhaust rumble of bigger and more cylinder-rich V-type engines. However, their finely-crafted combinations of variable valve and/or camshaft timing and direct fuel injection -- generally teamed with either supercharging or turbocharging -- deliver a synergistic blend of adrenaline and efficiency that represents a more-than-fair tradeoff.

"Many car shoppers may be surprised at the sheer number of performance-oriented new cars available today that boast 'only' a four-cylinder engine," said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com. "Even more surprising is the amount of power and performance elicited from many of these four-bangers, providing a satisfying alternative for enthusiasts who also may be looking to save a little cash at the gas pump."

Each member of the kbb.com editors' field of overachievers complements its sophisticated muscle with suitably upgraded chassis components, dedicated cosmetic touches and an impressive roster of standard and optional features. Lest any doubts linger about these vehicles' formidable potential, check out the coupes, roadsters, sedans and hatches that constitute kbb.com's 2010 Top 10 Fast-Lane Fours, presented in alphabetical order in the Latest News story on kbb.com.

Select Choices from kbb.com's 2010 Top 10 Fast-Lane Four-Cylinders List (listed alphabetically)

Audi TT/TTS
Mazda Mazdaspeed3
MINI Cooper S/John Cooper Works
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR/MR
Subaru WRX/STI

For the remaining 2010 Top 10 Fast-Lane Four-Cylinders choices, including full editorial commentary and reasoning behind each of the editors' vehicle picks, visit the Top 10 Fast-Lane Four-Cylinders story in kbb.com's Latest News section at www.kbb.com/FastFours2010.

About Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com)

Since 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource®, has provided vehicle buyers and sellers with the new and used vehicle information they need to accomplish their goals with confidence. The company's top-rated Web site, www.kbb.com, provides the most up-to-date pricing and values, including the New Car Blue Book® Value, which reveals what people actually are paying for new cars. The company also reports vehicle pricing and values via products and services, including software products and the famous Blue Book® Official Guide. According to the C.A. Walker Research Solutions, Inc. - 2009 Spring Automotive Web Site Usefulness Study, kbb.com is the most useful automotive information Web site among new and used vehicle shoppers, and half of online vehicle shoppers visit kbb.com. Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com also is a W3 Gold Award winner, sanctioned by the International Academy of Visual Arts. Kbb.com is a leading provider of new car prices, used car Blue Book Values, car reviews, new cars for sale, used cars for sale, and car dealer locations.

SOURCE Kelley Blue Book