VW 1.4-liter Twincharger wins 2009 International Engine of the Year
What qualities are required for an engine to be considered the best-of-the-best in today's world? Naturally, any given engine needs to make enough power for its intended application, but fuel efficiency is just as important in modern society. This being the case, it's not terribly surprising that Volkswagen's innovative 1.4-liter Twincharger engine has taken home top honors as the 2009 International Engine of the Year, beating out BMW's powerful 3.0-liter direct-injected twin-turbo six-cylinder powerplant by just four points.
The Engine of the Year award is handed out based on the voting results of 65 motor scribes polled from all around the globe. Some 32 countries are represented in the jury, including the U.S., Germany, Japan, China, the UK, and Korea.
To go along with its Engine of the Year award, VW's supercharged and turbocharged mill also won the Green Engine of the Year trophy – beating out Honda's 1.3-liter IMA hybrid powertrain in the process – and also took the nod in its 1.0-1.4-liter size class. Here's a list of the rest of the award winners:
- Best New Engine - Porsche's 3.8-liter 385bhp flat-six
- Best Performance Engine - Mercedes-AMG 6.2-liter V8
- Sub 1-liter - Toyota 1-liter three-cylinder
- 1.8-2.0L - Audi 2-liter TFSI
- 2.0L-2.5L - Mercedes-Benz Diesel 2.1-litre BlueEfficiency
- 2.5L-3.9L - BMW 3-liter DI Twin Turbo
- 3.0L-4.0L - BMW 4-liter V8
- Above 4.0L - Mercedes-AMG 6.2-liter V8
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Matt 8:47AM (6/18/2009)
Farfegnugen!!! Way to go VW!
Now, if you could kindly ship some vehicles with that motor in them to the US that'd be great, thanks.
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Richard 11:11AM (6/18/2009)
You don't even have to get into "car" discussions. The engines in most hybrids are fairly pedestrian. The "powertrain", on the other hand, can be impressive. This is a judgement of the engine.
It'd be interesting to see a comparison (biased or not) between powertrains - engine, transmission, electric assists, &c. But that's not what this was.
downtoearth 9:22AM (6/18/2009)
VW Golf 6 TSI twincharger 160HP: 8,20 l / 100 km = 28,7 mpg U.S (real life combined) [1] in a small compact car, the size of the Ford Focus, doing 0-62 in 8 seconds
Ford Fusion Hybrid: first estimates quote 40 mpg (real life combined) [2] in a large midsize car, the size of Toyota Camry or European Ford Mondeo, doing 0-62 in 9 seconds.
Fusion Hybrid is 40% more fuel efficient and also has 40% higher fuel economy.
Rewarding the Volkswagen TSI with the "Green Engine of The Year" is a joke and a proof that all these rewards are simply press releases from German car makers, spread in the Joseph Goebbels propaganda alike fashion.
Every little lie counts.
Sources:
[1] http://www.spritmonitor.de/de/uebersicht/50-Volkswagen/452-Golf.html?fueltype=2&constyear_s=2009&power_s=116&power_e=120
[2] http://fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?action=mpgData&vehicleID=26405&browser=true&details=on
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cool down 9:30AM (6/18/2009)
Mr. downtothehell:
your posts usually are just a joke!
I live in Europe and I do not suffer from any brainwashing propaganda...
In fact, Toyota & Co propaganda does not stick soo easy here like in the USA.
and for your notice, the TSI engines are making a kill... in Japan!
I hope to read your next post soon...
Cheers
Snowdog 9:57AM (6/18/2009)
"Every little lie counts."
So you decided to tell lots of them in your post?
You "data" is self reported and unverified MPG by users on a couple of different sites. Consisting of only 2 users for the Hybrid. You "data" is utterly meaningless.
downtoearth 10:48AM (6/18/2009)
Snowdog:
> "Every little lie counts."
> So you decided to tell lots of them in your post?
OK, go believe your German sponsored awards. They will tell you "the truth".
> You "data" is self reported and unverified MPG
> by users on a couple of different sites. Consisting
> of only 2 users for the Hybrid. You "data" is utterly meaningless.
There are only two because Fusion Hybrid has just entered sales.
Toyota Camry Hybrid got EPA combined 34 mpg. 147 drivers of this car got 36,5 real life observed mpg, some 7% better.
Source: http://fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?action=browseList2&make=Toyota&model=Camry%20Hybrid
Fusion Hybrid is built in exactly the same way - an Atkinson cycle gasoline engine paired with electric motors by means of a power-split device, no clutch. It's not a rocket science to predict that if Fusion Hybrid gets EPA combined 39 mpg, it will be in low 40ies of real life combined mpg just like Camry did. And first two readings match this assumptions, supporting it.
Are you unhappy with Golf 1.4 TSI 160HP real life mpg from another site, despite the size of the sample being rather large? OK then, here you have it:
http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/einzeltests/vw-golf-1-4-tsi-neuer-vw-golf-im-top-test-691452.html
Testverbrauch (test fuel consumption) = 8,6 L/100 km = 27,3 miles per gallon U.S
And? Was I lying?? At least you could apologize to me.
(As usual, journalists get a bit lower mpg than users since they don't care that much about driving efficiently since they don't pay for the fuel)
Bill 7:14AM (6/19/2009)
Well, I'd expect a full hybrid to get great mileage.
But you forgot that it costs $5,000 more.
Again, you can't ignore the huge upfront capital costs of a full-hybrid system.
I doubt the TSi engine comes close to that premium.
Carlos 10:01AM (6/18/2009)
I`ve got volkswaven for all my life, and the problem it´s the breakage of the turbo, only afther 100,000km it´s a lottery. And with only 1,4 liters...more job fot him.
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Helmore 9:59AM (6/18/2009)
@downtoearth: You are comparing complete cars, not engines. That's like comparing apples to oranges. You even go for a hybrid and compare it to a non-hybrid...
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nrb 10:36AM (6/18/2009)
helmore, you're partially correct.
If one reads the requirements (I'm bored), it requires the engine be in a specific passenger car, in more than one country.
In other words, they're not simply comparing engines. They're comparing car/engine combinations.
Rahul 10:22AM (6/18/2009)
I didnt know that Porshe has the best engine in the world. Its amazing that Porsche's 3.8-liter can give 385bhp. The panel shouldn't have considered Mercedes engines because these consume more petrol which is not a good sign for the global warming.
Rahul
Indian Car Advisor (Carazoo.com)
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downtoearth 11:23AM (6/18/2009)
Rahul
> I didnt know that Porshe has the best engine in the world.
> Its amazing that Porsche's 3.8-liter can give 385bhp.
There is nothing remotely amazing in this.
Honda S2000: 2,000cc, 240HP
BMW M3 E46: 3,200cc, 340HP
Honda Civic Type-Something: 1600cc 160HP
Audi RS4: 4,200cc, 420HP
BMW M3 E90: 4,000cc, 420HP
All these engines are capable of revving very high and sustaining it. That's the key to high power-per-liter. The early Hondas S2000 had the rev limited at 9,000 rpm.
Joe Bonaparte 10:28AM (6/18/2009)
Can I get one for my 81 Rabbit diesel and do an engine swap?
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jharlan 12:15PM (6/18/2009)
Again US enginuity strikes out. I think the Europeans need a closer look. The german engineering is pretty impressive.
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