Volkswagen 1.4 Litre TSI Twincharger Takes Home International Engine Of The Year Award

IT SEEMS TMR is not alone in being taken with Volkswagen's 1.4 litre TSI Twincharger engine that powers the 2009 Volkswagen Golf 118 TSI (among other models in the wider VW family). The engine has taken home the International Engine of the Year award, as well as Green Engine of the Year.

This year marks the first time Volkswagen has won the award, but with 11 of the 12 available awards going to the German manufacturer, it's a first place debut that won't soon be forgotten.

Dean Slavnich, editor of Engine Technology International and co-chairman of the International Engine of the Year Awards, said: “The international judging panel is hugely impressed by this VW engine.

"It’s a masterstroke of downsizing technology and a real engineering showcase. I have no doubt that this engine will become the template for a whole new generation of high efficiency, small capacity engines in the years to come.”

The diminutive turbocharged and supercharged engine (see TMR's review of the Golf 118 TSI for an insight into how it works) is offered with a number of Volkswagen models - mostly in Europe - from the Golf, Scirocco, Touran, Tiguan, Jetta and Eos through to the Seat Ibiza Cupra.

In winning the Green Engine of the Year award, the regular petrol-powered 1.4 litre Twincharger beat out the petrol-electric hybrid Toyota Prius and Honda Insight models.

The International Engine of the Year awards are judged by 65 motoring journalists from 32 countries across four continents, with the 11th annual event taking place at Engine Expo 2009 in Stuttgart on June 17.

BMW scored well at the event as well, with its powerful 'M Power' 4.0 litre V8 taking out the 3.0 litre to 4.0 litre prize, while the 3.0 litre DI Twin-Turbo was judged to be the best in the 2.5 litre to 3.0 litre engine category.

PSA and BMW shared a third category win, with the joint venture's 1.6 litre turbo winning in the 1.4 to 1.8 litre category.

Mercedes-Benz ranked well, with its 2.1 litre diesel winning the 2 litre to 2.5 litre category, while its powerhouse AMG-developed 6.2 litre V8 winning the Above 4 litre category, the same engine taking out the Performance Engine of the Year award.

Other successes at the event included Toyota winning the sub-1.0 litre category with its 998cc three-cylinder engine, Audi rewarded for its 2.0 litre four-cylinder TFSI in the 1.8 litre to 2.0 litre category, and Porsche scoring New Engine of the Year with its 3.8 litre flat-six.

International Engine of the Year Awards 2009 Winners

Best New Engine of 2009

Porsche 3.8-litre flat-six (911)

Green Engine of the Year

Volkswagen 1.4-litre TSI Twincharger (Golf, Touran, Tiguan, Jetta)

Performance Engine of the Year

Mercedes-AMG 6.2-litre (CLK, S, SL, CL, CLS, ML)

Sub 1-litre

Toyota 1-litre (Aygo, Yaris, Peugeot 107, Citroën C1, Subaru Justy)

1-litre to 1.4-litre

Volkswagen 1.4-litre TSI Twincharger (Golf, Eos, Scirocco, Touran, Tiguan, Jetta, Seat Ibiza Cupra)

1.4-litre to 1.8-litre

BMW-PSA 1.6-litre Turbo (MINI Cooper S, Clubman, Peugeot 207, 308)

1.8-litre to 2-litre

Audi 2-litre TFSI (A4, A5, Q5, VW Scirocco, Golf GTi)

2-litre to 2.5-litre

Mercedes-Benz Diesel 2.1-litre (BlueEffieciency C-Class, BlueEffieciency E-Class)

2.5-litre to 3-litre

BMW 3-litre DI Twin-Turbo (135, 335, X6, Z4, 730)

3-litre to 4-litre

BMW 4-litre V8 (M3)

Above 4-litre

Mercedes-AMG 6.2-litre (CLK, S, SL, CL, CLS, ML)

And…

The International Engine of the Year 2009

Volkswagen 1.4-litre TSI Twincharger (Golf, Eos, Scirocco, Touran, Tiguan, Jetta, Seat Ibiza Cupra)