International Engine of the Year Award Winners Announced

Toyota and Honda Winning Awards for Hybrid Technology When it comes down to the bare necessities of an automobile, what exactly is one composed of? Theres the frame or platform (also called the chassis) and the panels attached to it, making up the exterior, and inside, a couple of seats and a steering wheel for the driver to steer. Mechanically, things are a little more particular: youve got the suspension that holds the car up, the brakes to stop the vehicle, and then theres the engine, the heart of the car. These masses of metal in front or behind the driver provide the driving force. OK, so, this is a bit simplified, but as you can see, the engine plays a truly important role in the overall equation.

The International Engine of the Year Awards - the so-called "Engine Oscars" - recognizes and celebrates an automakers achievements, but the focus is directly on engines. The IEOTY panel, which consists of a journalist jury from 29 different countries, takes a broad initiative in selecting its winners; they look at many different categories including use of and development of new technologies, fuel efficiency, and performance (in terms of power output), as well as refinement. All types of combustion engines can compete in the awards, including gasoline-electric hybrids, ethanol or flex-fuel, diesels, and, when the time comes, hydrogen.

The thing that separates IEOTY awards from others, such as the various Car or Truck of the Year competitions, is that entries from previous years can qualify for all awards, with the exception of Best New Engine. This year there were 12 categories for nomination, eight of which are relating to the size of the engines displacement, which ranges from sub-one-liter, to engines that are four liters in size and larger. The other categories include Best Fuel Economy, Best performance Engine, Best New Engine, and, most importantly, International Engine of the Year.

So, now that youre familiar with the rundown, what engine is the talk of the town this year? Well, only one diesel engine made the cut, which is two less than last year. Subaru picked up its first IEOTY Award for its revitalized 2.5-liter turbocharged flat-four, as found in the Impreza, Forester and Saab 9-2x, while Honda and Toyota both picked up awards for their gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles. The title of Sub 1-Liter went to the Honda Insight for its IMA Assisted engine, a six-time winner in this category, and three-time winner of Best Fuel Economy. Toyotas 1.5-liter Hybrid Synergy Drive engine picked up two awards this year for Best Fuel Economy and Best 1.4 - 1.8-liter engine, the same two categories its won in 2005 and 2004.

However, if youre looking for the big winners at this years awards, direct your attention towards the Germans, in particular BMW and Volkswagen. Volkswagen picked up three awards at this years event, snagging the title of Best 1.8- to 2.0-liter with its 2.0T FSI engine, a light-pressure direct injection four-cylinder which can be found in the VW Jetta, GTI, Passat and Audi A4, amongst many other vehicles from the VAG kingdom. The prestigious title of Best New Engine of 2006 also went to VW for its 1.4-liter TwinCharger engine; how could it not? Its the only engine currently being produced by a manufacturer to be both turbocharged and supercharged, which solves the two main problems associated with forced induction, turbo lag and high RPM power loss. The design uses a supercharger to provide instantaneous pressure at low speeds, which automatically switches over to a turbo at high speeds to provide thrust without lag. Despite its meager displacement of a mere 1.4 liters, it produces an amazing 170 horsepower. The engine also won the title of Best 1.0 - 1.4 liter engine.

But as good as VWs best new engine is, the outright winner is BMW. The Munich-based brand walked off with an amazing five awards, including Best 2.5 - 3.0 Liter for the 3.0-liter twin-turbo diesel in the BMW 535i, and  Best 3.0 - 4.0 Liter for the M-Power 3.2-liter straight six from the M3, M-Roadster and M-Coupe. It is BMWs ultimate performance engine, mind you, its 5.0-liter V10 found in the M5 and the M6 that really swept up. Not only did it grab the title of Best Above 4.0-liter, but it also won Best Performance Engine as well as International Engine of the Year 2006. Amazingly, this fantastic motor won the exact same awards last year.

With that, we leave you with the complete list of engine award winners for this year...