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2008 International Engine of the Year awards announced...
by John Neff on May 7th 2008 at 10:29AM 
And the grand winner is not surprisingly an engine from BMW, just like it has been for the last three years going back to 2005. The Bavarian automaker's 5.0L V10 won the award that year and in 2006, and BMW's luscious 3.0L twin-turbo inline six-cylinder engine won it in 2007 and has repeated its performance by winning the International Engine of the Year Award again for 2008. We get it, BMW makes really good engines.
There were 11 other categories in which engines from around the world were honored, and no less than five of those were also won by BMW. Check the list below to see what other automakers were able to wrest an International Engine of the Year Award from BMW.
Best New Engine of 2008
BMW 2.0L twin-turbo diesel (123d)
Green Engine of the Year 2008
Toyota 1.5L Hybrid Synergy Drive (Prius)
Best Performance Engine 2008
Porsche 3.6L Turbo (911 Turbo, 911 GT2)
Check out the rest of the awards for individual displacement classes after the jump, and visit the source below for a lot of good information on why each engine was a winner.
[Source: International Engine of the Year Awards]
Sub 1-Liter: Toyota 1.0L three-cylinder
1.0L - 1.4L: VW 1.4L TSI Twincharger
1.4L - 1.8L: BMW-PSA 1.6L Turbo
1.8L - 2.0L: VW/Audi 2.0L Turbo FSI
2.0L - 2.5L: Subaru 2.5L Turbo
2.5L - 3.0L: BMW 3.0L twin-turbo inline-six
3.0L - 4.0L: BMW 4.0L V8
Above 4.0L: BMW 5.0L V10
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Mehul 10:37AM (5/07/2008)
I thought Nissan VQ was good too.
Reply
416Hammy 10:56AM (5/07/2008)
IIRC, the VQ35DE has won this award before, but Nissan seems to be falling behind BMW. They need to improve fuel economy to stay competitive.
Another conspicuous absentee is the Lexus 3.5L V6 (a la Camry V6, IS350), which is a truly great piece of work as well.
Maxima98 11:19AM (5/07/2008)
I am also suprised that there is no VQ on the short list.
Injected 11:01AM (5/07/2008)
@Hammy,
Toyota had some trouble with that specific V6 this past year, which probably was what kept it from scoring higher.
Bert 11:08AM (5/07/2008)
Yes, Nissan does have a nice engine, but it's on the Wards list of Best Engines, not this list.
As a segway, there recently was a show on CBC radio talking about how everything now has to be "award winning". It's worth a listen... http://www.cbc.ca/ageofpersuasion/2008/04/award_in_edgewise.html
psarhjinian 12:10AM (5/08/2008)
"Age of Persuasion" is an excellent show. Props for mentioning it.
N Mehta 10:20AM (6/01/2008)
How come no Ford, GM or Chrysler engine made it into the top 5 of any category? The ZR1 engine is pretty good to atleast get a top 5 recognition? I know US car manufacturers dont make good engines or cars (I disagree... just stating the popular opinion)... but are there any good engines that were forgotten? Or is this a Non US award?
Reply
John R 10:55AM (5/07/2008)
I'm kinda suprised by this.
Say what you about the GT-R, but that motor has virtually zero turbo lag. Everything I've read about the 911 turbo and GT2 say that, when compared to the GT-R, the lag is noticable.
Reply
Braden 11:24AM (5/07/2008)
Have you been in one?
I wasn't driving, but from the passenger's seat I didn't notice lag at all, there was just a constant onslaught of power.
OTOH, when I drove the 2008 STI and experienced lag for the first time, I was really disappointed. Totally ruined that car for me. Now I'm looking at N/A cars again because I can't realistically see trying to autocross and have to deal with the stupid lag as well. Totally upsets the car when the turbos come on...
IK47 2:51PM (5/07/2008)
take a look at the 135i or 335i
not really a sports cars, but fantastic engine!
no lag
make sure you get the auto transmission btw
naggs 4:07PM (5/09/2008)
if you get the auto, then you cant feel the lag because it is hidden by the time it takes for the transmission to find the right gear...
it is a great engine though and the 335 is one of if not the best car for sale today. just get a manual for gods sake.
BigMcLargeHuge 11:05AM (5/07/2008)
The GT2 still has more power than the GT-R. Wait until the 550hp V-spec VQ gets tested. That should secure the Best Performance Engine in 2009/2010.
I'll bet the next Engine of the Year will be the twin-turbo V8 in the X6. More torque than the Bimmer V10 :D That engine belongs in the M3.
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Otto Ingineer 11:21AM (5/07/2008)
Thought that the winning 2007 engine was twin-turbo inline six *gasoline* and 2008 was *diesel*. Not really the same engine at all. Similar, yes, but not the same engine winning 2 years in a row.
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rouse42 11:27AM (5/07/2008)
lot of turbos on that list.
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Ligor 11:46AM (5/07/2008)
that 3.0L tuin turbo BMW engine should definitely not be on that list
- al of the overheating issues with that engine, then BMW just patching a cooling system on it can't make for an award winning engine
it's like Microsoft - they screw up then you get all these patches to fix your system. I don't kow how they awarded that engine anything
If the design is wrong frrom the start, a patch can't be the best solution
until BMW redesigns it - I for one will stay away from that BMW turboed engine, but would deffinitely not mind the naturally aspirated one.
3seriesisking 9:07PM (5/07/2008)
Ligor.......I've been on that turboed engine in my 335 pretty hard several times and never had any over heating issues whatsoever. It really is one of the most amazing engines out there. Believe me, if you drove a car with the twin-turbo 3.0 liter you wouldn't be disappointed.
naggs 4:10PM (5/09/2008)
the 3.0 turbo deff deserves to be on the list
amazing engine, if you drove a 335 or 135 you would understand why it stands head and shoulders above everything else in that catagory
Joseph 11:42AM (5/07/2008)
I wants me a 323d.
Reply
Drake 11:30AM (5/07/2008)
I don't see how a Green Engine award should be applied to a Hybrid vehicle. Hybrid technology is applied on the transmission. The Prius Hybrid Synergy Drive has electric motors in the transmission. The engine has been modified to take advantage of the hybrid system (i.e. Miller cycle), but by no means is it substantially altered to the point that it should receive an award. I would rather see a Green engine award go to clean burning diesels, turbo charged direct injection, or Flex Fuel burning engines. Hybrids are all about the transmission and should be awarded the Green Transmission award.
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Doug 11:40AM (5/07/2008)
+1