BMW scoops Engine Oscars

THE M5’s 5.0-litre V10 was last week named as International Engine of the Year for a record second consecutive year.

BMW again snared the lion’s share of awards at the eighth annual ‘Engine Oscars’, claiming a total of five trophies.

Apart from the prestigious IEOTY award, the M5 and M6’s V10 also won Best Performance Engine and Best Engine Above 4.0-litres, while the 535d’s 3.0-litre twin-turbo diesel engine won Best Engine 2.5 to 3.0-litre and the 3.2-litre inline six found in M3 and Z4 M claimed Best Engine in the 3.0 to 4.0-litre category.

Announced at the Engine Expo in Stuttgart, Germany, this year’s Engine Oscars also saw the Volkswagen Golf’s 1.4-litre supercharged and turbocharged "TSI Twincharger" engine win the Best New Engine gong.

Subaru claimed its first IEOTY award, with the 2.5-litre turbo boxer engine that powers Impreza, Europe’s Forester and Saab’s US-market 9-2X named Best Engine 2.0 to 2.5-litres.

The Best Fuel Economy and Best Engine 1.4 to 1.8-litre categories both went to the Toyota Prius’ 1.5-litre Hybrid Synergy Drive system, while Honda’s hybrid also attracted praise, with the locally-discontinued Insight's 1.0-litre IMA engine collecting the Best Engine Under 1.0-litre prize.

Finally, Volkswagen’s 2.0-litre turbo TFSI engine (which powers everything from Golf, A3 and A6 to Seat’s Leon and the Skoda Octavia) won the Best Engine 1.8 to 2.0-litre award.

"A technological tour de force, and about the closest one can come to buying a Formula One engine for the road", said Motor Trend magazine staffer and IEOTY juror Frank Markus of BMW’s V10.

Some 61 automotive journalists from 29 countries – including Wheels magazine’s John Carey and The Sydney Morning Herald’s Bill McKinnon – judged this year’s IEOTY award, which is organized by UKIP Media & Events Automotive Magazines.

2006 International Engine of the Year winners:

Best New Engine:
Volkswagen 1.4-litre TSI Twincharger (Golf)Best Fuel Economy:
Toyota 1.5-litre Hybrid Synergy Drive (Prius) Best Performance Engine:
BMW 5.0-litre V10 (M5, M6)Sub 1.0-litre:
Honda 1.0-litre IMA (Insight)1.0-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 2.0-litre:
Volkswagen 2.0-litre TFSI (Golf, Audi A3, A6, SEAT Leon, Skoda Octavia)2.0-litre to 2.5-litre:
Subaru 2.5-litre Turbo (Impreza, Forester, Saab 9-2X)2.5-litre to 3.0-litre:
BMW 3.0-litre twin-turbo diesel (535d)3.0-litre to 4.0-litre:
BMW 3.2-litre (M3, Z4 M)Above 4.0-litre:
BMW 5.0-litre V10 (M5, M6)International Engine of the Year:
BMW 5.0-litre V10 (M5, M6)