International Engine of the Year awards – Fiat bags top prize

The recently concluded 2011 edition of the International Engine of the Year awards saw Fiat bagging the overall engine of the year gong with its 875cc TwinAir two-cylinder turbocharged engine.

The international jury of 76 motoring journalists from 36 countries placed the Fiat mill ahead of the Volkswagen 1.4 litre TSI Twincharger, and finishing a distance behind in third was Ferrari’s 4.5 litre V8 block as seen in the 458 Italia.

The 85 hp/150 Nm TwinAir also took the honours in the sub-1.0 litre category, ending Toyota’s four-year dominance in this area, and it also picked up the Best New Engine of the Year and Green Engine of the Year titles to make it four award wins. With a normally-aspirated 65 hp and a tuned-up 105 hp derivative to follow shortly, you can expect it’s not the last time you’ll see the Fiat block winning things.

VW did however pick up the gong in the 1.0 to 1.4 litre category with the 1.4 TSI Twincharger, which took the title for best engine in the category for the sixth consecutive year.

In the 1.4 to 1.8 litre segment, the BMW and PSA Peugeot-developed 1.6 litre turbocharged Prince engine finished top of the heap for the fifth year running. And in the 1.8 to 2.0 litre class, BMW’s 204 hp 2.0 litre TwinPower Turbo diesel took the top prize.

Audi’s 2.5 litre five-cylinder turbo, as seen in the likes of the RS3 and TT RS, walked away with the 2.0 to 2.5 litre title in hugely convincing fashion, while BMW did so in the same manner in the 2.5 litre to 3.0 litre category, with its 3.0 litre DI twin-turbo unit finishing well ahead of the competition.

Making it four class wins for BMW was its 4.0 litre V8, the unit in the M3, which has been the title holder in the 3.0 litre to 4.0 litre category since 2008, and rounding off the winners was Ferrari’s 4.5 litre V8, which the 458 Italia wears, in the above 4.0 litre segment. It finished ahead of last year’s winner, the Mercedes-AMG 6.2 litre V8.

© 2011 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Fri, 20 May 11 04:05:29 +0000.

Related posts:

1. 2006 International Engine Of The Year Awards Results
2. BMW Dominates 2005 International Engine Of The Year Awards
3. Volkswagen’s 1.4 TSI Twincharger wins 2009 International Engine of the Year Awards!
4. International Engine of the Year Awards 2008 results coming in May!

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