As automakers have tried to reduce emissions and increase fuel economy, downsizing has seen three-cylinder engines become a semi-regular occurrence. While not as popular in the US as abroad, where small city vehicles run rampant, they’re more common than you might know. Characterized by less weight, fewer moving parts, and a (typically) lower displacement than their four-cylinder counterparts, they’re ideal for smaller vehicles where their typically lower power outputs aren’t as detrimental. But while they’re known for their frugality, they don’t necessarily have to be weak, and the humble three-cylinder has, in some incarnations, provided us with as much as 600 horsepower. So, how powerful can the three-pot be? We’ve gathered the most powerful ever made.
The three-cylinder engines in this list have a lower threshold of 200 metric horsepower (PS), an acceptable threshold for compact and subcompact vehicles to be considered performance variants. Specifications have been sourced from the relevant manufacturer and have not been verified by
CarBuzz
in real-world testing.
Most Powerful 3-Cylinder Cars
Ford Fiesta ST – 194 hp
Ford Fiesta ST
Engine
1.5-liter, turbocharged I3
Power
197 hp
Torque
236 lb-ft (late model years)
Drivetrain
Front-engine, FWD
Transmission
6-speed manual
Top Speed
143 mph
The Ford Fiesta finally got axed last year after 47 years of service, taking the Fiesta ST hot hatch with it. Ford took a clinical approach to the decision, citing declining sales, a market preference for crossovers, and to focus on other growing product lines such as EVs. In the US, the Fiesta ST nameplate was put on ice after the 2019 model year, meaning we never received the latest iteration and its magnificent three-cylinder engine. Produced from 2018-2023, it was powered by an upgraded 1.5-liter ‘Dragon’ EcoBoost engine producing 197 horsepower (200 PS) and 236 lb-ft (2022-2023 models only), all from a three-cylinder engine. For those who are still skeptical of three-pots, that translated to a 6.5-second 0-60 mph time and a top speed of 143 mph, while the Fiesta ST retained its legendarily playful chassis that melded sharp FWD handling with a splash of fun.
BMW i8 – 228 hp
BMW i8
Engine
1.5-liter, turbocharged I3 hybrid
ICE Power
228 hp
ICE Torque
236 lb-ft
Drivetrain
Mid-engine, AWD
Transmission
6-speed automatic
Top Speed
155 mph (electronically limited)
The BMW i8 was a car that pushed boundaries and broke many rules. It was a mid-engined machine with supercar looks and butterfly doors and a transitional model to the world of electrification for the BMW brand. But unlike every other i-badged BMW, this one wasn’t pure electric and instead combined a plug-in hybrid powertrain consisting of a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder with a hybrid synchronous motor. Total outputs were impressive at 369 hp and 420 lb-ft, but these were early days for hybrids, and the tech wasn’t quite up to the same level we have today. When the battery ran flat, you were left with just 228 hp and 236 lb-ft from the combustion engine.
Produced from 2014 through 2020 model years, the i8 was capable of a four-second 0-60 mph time when conditions were favorable, but it ultimately couldn’t fully cash the checks written by its exotic exterior.
Toyota GR Yaris – 300 hp
Toyota GR Yaris (2024 facelift)
Engine
1.6-liter, turbocharged I3
Power
300 hp
Torque
295 lb-ft
Drivetrain
Front-engine, AWD
Transmission
6-speed manual, 8-speed automatic
Top Speed
143 mph
When Toyota brought to market the GR Yaris following a stalled motorsport program, the world witnessed both an automotive miracle and also a return to form for the Japanese brand’s performance lineup. Alongside the GR86 and the new Supra, the GR Yaris brought real performance to a humble compact hatch nameplate, thanks in large part to the G16E-GTS engine.
It’s a marvel of engineering and one of the most powerful three-cylinder engines ever produced, Even before the 2024 update, it was capable of an enviable power density of 166 per liter, and that was when it only had 268 hp. But following a facelift in January 2024, it got a bump up to 300 hp and a specific power output (power per liter) of 187 hp per liter. It also got a big torque bump up to 295 lb-ft, turning the pint-sized hot hatch into something ferocious. Its rally-derived all-wheel drive system, short wheelbase, and multiple differentials with a variable front-rear torque split give the GR Yaris multiple personalities for every occasion.
Unfortunately, the US didn’t get the GR Yaris since the regular Yaris hatch was no longer sold here. But as a consolation, we got something equally as cool…
Toyota GR Corolla – 300 hp
Toyota GR Corolla
Engine
1.6-liter, turbocharged I3
Power
300 hp
Torque
295 lb-ft*
Drivetrain
Front-engine, AWD
Transmission
6-speed manual
Top Speed
143 mph
*Morizo Edition only
While the GR Yaris didn’t make it over to the States, the Toyota GR Corolla did, carrying over all the important mechanical bits intact along with a larger, more practical body. It is still an all-wheel drive, turbocharged hatch with a manual transmission, and, importantly, the 300-hp three-cylinder. That translates to a 4.9-second 0-60 mph time, which is faster than the first iteration of the GR Yaris.
The most powerful version was limited to its first year on sale, with the Morizo Edition featuring more torque (295 lb-ft), shorter gear rations, and no rear seats. Subsequent model years have peaked at 273 lb-ft, but we expect the GR Corolla to mirror the Yaris’s update and get all the torque on regular models soon. Another update that is rumored to arrive is the addition of the Yaris’s eight-speed automatic gearbox, allegedly coming for the 2025 model year.
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Related There’s Only One Manual, All-Wheel Drive Hot Hatch Left In America For 2025
There was a time when a manual, all-wheel drive hot hatch was a recipe for dirt-road fun, but the configuration is dying out fast.
Nissan ZEOD RC – 400 hp
Nissan ZEOD RC
Engine
1.5-liter, turbocharged I3
Power
400 hp
Torque
280 lb-ft
Drivetrain
Rear-mid-engine, RWD
Transmission
5-speed sequential
Top Speed
N/A
Appearing at the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans as the experimental ‘Garage 56’ entry, the ZEOD RC looks a lot like the 2012 DeltaWing. That’s because it follows the design pretty closely, all in the name of aerodynamics, speed, and ultimately, fuel economy. Despite looking like it may be a three-wheeler, the ZEOD has two tires tucked up in the nose, and its resemblance to the DeltaWing led to a lawsuit against the automaker that was settled out of court for an undisclosed fee.
Although it also had two 148-hp electric motors, it was the three-cylinder, 1.5-liter turbo engine at the heart that captured the imagination of gearheads the world over. Despite its small displacement and compact weight of just 88 lbs, it was capable of producing 400 hp and 280 lb-ft, something Nissan was proud to tout as more power per lb than the F1 cars of the era. Nissan also said that the engine was as small as a carry-on airplane case, showcasing NISMO President Shoichi Miyatani holding it in his arms as if it were nothing. This was never meant for production, but we can’t help but imagine what could have been.
Related Koenigsegg’s 3-Cylinder Hypercar Dream Is Dead
Almost no one ordered the Tiny Friendly Giant 3-cylinder in the Koenigsegg Gemera, so Koenigsegg put the engine on ice.
2020 Koenigsegg Gemera – 600 hp
Koenigsegg Gemera
Engine
2.0-liter, twin-turbocharged I3 + hybrid motor
Power
592 hp (1,381 hp total)
Torque
443 lb-ft (1,364 lb-ft total)
Drivetrain
Rear-mid-engine, AWD
Transmission
9-speed automatic
Top Speed
249 mph (initial claim)
Koenigsegg is responsible for the most powerful three-cylinder engine we’ve seen, with one big caveat: it hasn’t quite gone into production yet. While every other car on this list has seen its engine built and used (even in motorsport), the Koenigsegg Gemera never reached the production phase with three-pot power. Still, that doesn’t make the Tiny Friendly Giant (TFG) engine any less special.
The TFG is a 2.0-liter twin-turbo three-cylinder with big numbers behind it, capable of a claimed 592 hp and 443 lb-ft. That was before the addition of an electric motor took combined outputs to 1,381 hp and 1,364 lb-ft (in final spec; the pre-production mode used three electric motors and totaled 1,676 hp). But one of the coolest details about the TFG was that it had no camshafts. Instead, it ran Koenigsegg’s FreeValve technology, with electro-hydro-pneumatically controlled valves providing more power, greater efficiency, and less weight than a conventional engine.
Related The Greatest Three-Cylinder Engine We’ll Never Get To Experience
Perhaps the only three-cylinder engine anyone would ever get truly excited about has been put to pasture, for the time being at least.
But the TFG’s story has hit a bump in the road. After Koenigsegg announced a V8 version of the Gemera last year, so many buyers opted for the HV8 version that the automaker was forced to convince TFG fans to change their spec, and the TFG has been put on ice indefinitely. Somehow, that doesn’t make the Gemera any less special, as it’s still a four-seater hyper-GT with all-wheel drive and monster performance.
3-Cylinder Engines: The Pros And Cons Of The Tiny Triple
In automotive use, the only three-cylinder engines you get are configured in an inline setup. Compared to an inline-four of similar size, three-cylinders combined with turbocharging have several benefits but also a few flaws.
ProsCompact and lightweight making packaging easier in small vehiclesImproved fuel efficiency under low throttle loads due to reduced capacityCheaper to manufacture by virtue of fewer parts, and thus, potentially cheaper to maintainComparable performance to four-cylinder enginesUnique sound adding extra character – similar to a Porsche flat-six in some instances ConsInherently imbalanced, require counterbalance shafts to prevent engine rockingLacking smoothness, as engine turns 240 degrees power power stroke compared to 180 degrees in a four-cylinder
3-Cylinder Engines Are More Common Than You Think
Ford
Three-cylinder cars aren’t confined to hybrid curios or sporty hatchbacks, either; the humble inline-3 features in a variety of other vehicles on sale today. In the US alone, the following vehicles have three-cylinder engines, many of which without a four-cylinder alternative:
2024 Chevrolet Trax 2024 Chevrolet Trailblazer 2024 Buick Envista Buick Encore GX Mini Cooper Countryman Mini Cooper Hardtop Mini Cooper Convertible Mitsubishi Mirage Mitsubishi Mirage G4 Toyota GR Corolla Ford Escape Ford Bronco Sport Nissan Rogue Karma GS6
Automakers may not brag about the cylinder count in some scenarios, and brands like Buick actively seek to hide this information on their customer-facing websites, but the prevalence of the three-pot is growing, and if you haven’t yet, you’re likely to experience one sooner than you think.
Sources:
Ford, BMW, Toyota, Nissan, Koenigsegg