International Engine of the Year Award Winners Announced
When it comes down to the bare necessities of an automobile, what exactly is one composed of? There’s the frame or platform (also called the chassis) and the panels attached to it, making up the exterior, and inside, a couple of seats and a steering wheel for the driver to steer. Mechanically, things are a little more particular: you’ve got the suspension that holds the car up, the brakes to stop the vehicle, and then there’s the engine, the heart of the car. These masses of metal in front or behind the driver provide the driving force. OK, so, this is a bit simplified, but as you can see, the engine plays a truly important role in the overall equation.
The International Engine of the Year Awards - the so-called “Engine Oscars” - recognizes and celebrates an automaker’s achievements, but the focus is directly on engines. The IEOTY panel, which consists of a journalist jury from 29 different countries, takes a broad initiative in selecting its winners; they look at many different categories including use of and development of new technologies, fuel efficiency, and performance (in terms of power output), as well as refinement. All types of combustion engines can compete in the awards, including gasoline-electric hybrids, ethanol or flex-fuel, diesels, and, when the time comes, hydrogen.
Thething that separates IEOTY awards from others, such as the various Car or Truck of the Year competitions, is that entries from previous years can qualify for all awards, with the exception of Best New Engine. This year there were 12 categories for nomination, eight of which are relating to the size of the engine’s displacement, which ranges from sub-one-litre, to engines that are four-litres in size and larger. The other categories include Best Fuel Economy, Best performance Engine, Best New Engine, and, most importantly, International Engine of the Year.
So, now that you’re familiar with the rundown, what engine is the talk of the town this year? Well, only one diesel engine made the cut, which is two less than last year. Subaru picked up its first IEOTY Award for its revitalized 2.5-litre turbocharged flat-four, as found in the Impreza, Forester and Saab 9-2x, while Honda and Toyota both picked up awards for their gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles. The title of Sub 1-Litre went to the Honda Insight for its IMA Assisted engine, a six-time winner in this category, and three-time winner of Best Fuel Economy. Toyota’s 1.5-litre Hybrid Synergy Drive engine picked up two awards this year for Best Fuel Economy and Best 1.4 - 1.8-litre engine, the same two categories it’s won in 2005 and 2004.
However, if you’re looking for the big winners at this year’s awards, direct your attention towards the Germans, in particular BMW and Volkswagen. Volkswagen picked up three awards at this year’s event, snagging the title of Best 1.8- to 2.0-litre with its 2.0T FSI engine, a light-pressure direct injection four-cylinder which can be found in the VW Jetta, GTI, Passat and Audi A4, amongst many other vehicles from the VAG kingdom. The prestigious title of Best New Engine of 2006 also went to VW for its 1.4-litre TwinCharger engine; how could it not? It’s the only engine currently being produced by a manufacturer to be both turbocharged and supercharged, which solves the two main problems associated with forced induction, turbo lag and high RPM power loss. The design uses a supercharger to provide instantaneous pressure at low speeds, which automatically switches over to a turbo at high speeds to provide thrust without lag. Despite its meager displacement of a mere 1.4 litres, it produces an amazing 170 horsepower. The engine also won the title of Best 1.0 - 1.4 litre engine.
But as good as VW’s best new engine is, the outright winner is BMW. The Munich-based brand walked off with an amazing five awards, including Best 2.5 - 3.0 Litre for the 3.0-litre twin-turbo diesel in the BMW 535i, and Best 3.0 - 4.0 Litre for the M-Power 3.2-litre straight six from the M3, M-Roadster and M-Coupe. It is BMW’s ultimate performance engine, mind you, its 5.0-litre V10 found in the M5 and the M6 that really swept up. Not only did it grab the title of Best Above 4.0-litre, but it also won Best Performance Engine as well as International Engine of the Year 2006. Amazingly, this fantastic motor won the exact same awards last year.
With that, we leave you with the complete list of engine award winners for this year…
International Engine of the Year Awards 2006 Winners
Best New Engine 2006: Volkswagen 1.4-litre TSI Twincharger (Golf)
Best Fuel Economy: Toyota 1.5-litre Hybrid Synergy Drive (Prius)
Best Performance Engine: BMW 5-litre V10 (M5, M6)
Sub 1-litre: Honda 1-litre IMA (Insight)
1-litre to 1.4-litre: Volkswagen 1.4-litre TSI Twincharger (Golf)
1.4-litre to 1.8-litre: Toyota 1.5-litre Hybrid Synergy Drive (Prius)
1.8-litre to 2-litre: Volkswagen 2-litre Turbo (Golf, Audi A3, A6, SEAT Leon, Skoda Octavia)
2-litre to 2.5-litre: Subaru 2.5-litre Turbo (Impreza, Forester, Saab 9-2X)
2.5-litre to 3-litre: BMW 3-litre Twin-Turbo Diesel (535d)
3-litre to 4-litre: BMW 3.2-litre (M3, Z4 M)
Above 4-litre: BMW 5-litre V10 (M5, M6)
…. and…
International Engine of the Year 2006: BMW 5-litre V10 (M5, M6)