Based on Ward's Automotive (www.wardsauto.com), they've listed Nissan Maxima's VQ engine (4th and 5th gen Maximas, and I30) as one of the Top 10 Engines again for the 7th consecutive year (under $50K category). Here are some excerpts from the website about the Nissan Maxima VQ engine:

-"Absolutely uncanny lack of vibration," says one evaluator. "The throttle response is outstanding," effuses another, who adds, "This is unquestionably the best-revving V-6 ever."

-We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: There isn’t a better V-6 in all of automobiledom — regardless of price. The fact that the VQ is standard in two very affordable sedans, the Nissan Maxima and Infiniti I30, only seals the argument that the 3L VQ is one of the world’s finest engine designs. In fact, for Nissan’s engineers to develop such an extraordinary design for a series-production engine may be one of the company’s most underappreciated engineering triumphs.

-Nissan’s 3L VQ V-6 is a benchmark engine, through-and-through — and we expect no less from its future variants.

Here's the intro page to the Top 10 Best Engines link:

http://www.wardsauto.com/default.asp?action=be

But if you want to just go to the 10 best engines skipping the intro, go to:

http://www.wardsauto.com/default.asp?action=en