Japan and Germany on top at engine awards

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BMW, Volkswagen and Subaru have all received recognition at the International Engine of the Year awards for 2008.

Winning the outright title for the fourth year in a row, BMW’s three-litre twin-turbocharged petrol engine – as used in the 135i, 335i and X6 xDrive35i – was judged engine of the year.

The unit also picked up the top prize in its 2.5-litre to three-litre class, while the BMW five-litre V10 power plant topped the above four litres category. There was success for the smaller BMW units, too, with the 1.6-litre Mini unit winning the 1.4-litre to 1.8-litre prize.

The M3’s four-litre V8 took top spot in the three-litre to four-litre category, while the twin-turbocharged two-litre diesel powering the 123d was voted the best newcomer.

Fellow German manufacturer Volkswagen celebrated the success of its TSI petrol units, with the fuel-efficient supercharged and turbocharged engine available with a range of outputs across the Golf line-up winning the one-litre to 1.4-litre category. Differing versions of the TSI units are available across Volkswagen’s range, from Golf to Passat CC.

Flying the flag for Japan, Subaru picked up top honours in the two-litre to 2.5-litre class with the 2.5-litre turbocharged “boxer” unit fitted to the Impreza 2.5 WRX and WRX STI.

Its second win in the category, Subaru increased the engine’s performance for the new Impreza models by increasing torque at lower revs by 71lb/ft at 2,000rpm, to 221lb/ft, and increasing top-end power to 296bhp in the STI version.

The awards are judged each year by a panel of 65 journalists from 32 countries.