BMW twin-turbo inline-six crowned "International engine of the year" for the second year in a row
BMW's twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six has been named the 2008 International Engine of the Year by a panel of 65 automotive journalists from 32 countries (including MT's own Frank Markus) convened by Engine Technology International Magazine.
Twelve awards are handed out in total. The judges heavily favored forced-induction engines, with just four of the winning engines being naturally aspirated, one of those being a hybrid.
BMW took home five other awards, including a second award for the 3.0-liter TT I-6 for best engine displacing 2.5 to 3.0-liters. The Bavarians' other awards were for best engine displacing over 4.0-liters for the M5's 5.0-liter V-10, best engine displacing 3.0 to 4.0-liters for the M3's 4.0-liter V-8, best engine displacing 1.4 to 1.6-liters for the Mini Cooper S' 1.6-liter turbo (jointly developed with Peugeot), and best new engine for the European-market 2.0-liter twin-turbo diesel inline-four found in the 123d.
Toyota finished second with two awards, one for green engine of the year for the Prius' Hybrid Synergy Drive and one for best engine under 1.0-liters in displacement for its European market 1.0-liter four. Volkswagen also picked up a pair of awards. The first was for best engine displacing 1.0 to 1.4-liters for its European-market 1.4-liter twincharger four, the second for best engine displacing 1.8 to 2.0-liters for its widely-used 2.0-liter turbo four.
The remaining two awards were split between Porsche (best performance engine for its 3.6-liter turbo six) and Subaru (best engine displacing 2.0 to 2.5-liters for its 2.5-liter turbo four).
A list of winners is below:
2008 International Engine of the Year Awards Winners
Best New Engine of 2008
BMW 2-liter Diesel Twin-Turbo (123d)
Green Engine of the Year
Toyota 1.5-liter Hybrid Synergy Drive (Prius)
Best Performance Engine
Porsche 3.6-liter Turbo (911 Turbo, 911 GT2)
Sub 1-liter
Toyota 1-liter (Aygo, Yaris, Peugeot 107, Citron C1, Subaru Justy)
1-liter to 1.4-liter
Volkswagen 1.4-liter TSI Twincharger (Golf, Touran, Tiguan, Jetta)
1.4-liter to 1.8-liter
BMW-PSA 1.6-liter Turbo (MINI Cooper S, Clubman, Peugeot 207, 308)
1.8-liter to 2-liter
Volkswagen/Audi 2-liter Turbo (A3, A4 Cabrio, A6, TT, Eos, Jetta, Golf GTi, Seat Altea, Leon, Skoda Octavia)
2-liter to 2.5-liter
Subaru 2.5-liter Turbo (Forester, Impreza, Outback, Legacy)
2.5-liter to 3-liter
BMW 3-liter Twin-Turbo (135, 335, X6)
3-liter to 4-liter
BMW 4-liter V8 (M3)
Above 4-liter
BMW 5-liter V10 (M5, M6)