BMW Twin Turbo Inline Six-Cylinder Engine Defends its Title of "International Engine of the Year"07/05/2008
For ten years now, the BMW Group has led the world’s most prestigious engine competition. The result in 2008: Awards for four BMW engines and a MINI power unit.
Munich / Stuttgart. With six awards for five engines gained at this year’s “International Engine of the Year Awards”, BMW has successfully defended its position as the world’s leading manufacturer of efficient high-performance power units. For the second time in succession, the 3-liter inline six engine with Twin Turbo and High Precision Injection has won the overall ranking in this most significant international engine competition. In addition, the 300 hp engine employed in the BMW 3 Series and 5 Series, the BMW 1 Series Coupe and Convertible, as well as the new BMW X6, repeated last year’s victory in the 2.5 to 3-liter engine category.
Only one engine had previously ever succeeded in repeating overall victory at the “International Engine of the Year Awards”: the 5-litre V10 high-revving engine employed in the BMW M5 Sedan, M6 Coupe and M6 Convertible received top honors in 2005 and 2006. This year the 500 hp high-end power unit won the “Above 4-liter” category. BMW M GmbH was successful in posting another winner: the 414 hp V8 engine in the new BMW M3 won the category for engines in the 3 to 4 liter category. Furthermore, the 2-liter four-cylinder diesel with Variable Twin Turbo technology employed in the BMW 123d received the award for “Best New Engine” of the 2008. And the 1.6-liter four cylinder with Twin Scroll Turbocharger and direct gas injection employed in the MINI Cooper S managed to repeat last year’s win in the 1.4 to 1.8 liter class.
For the first time in the history of the competition, the title “Best New Engine of the Year” has been awarded to a diesel engine. The 204 hp four-cylinder diesel with Variable Twin Turbo has earned this award due to a unique combination of performance and efficiency. As the world’s first full-aluminum diesel engine, it delivers specific output of more than 100 hp per liter of displacement. At the same time, in the BMW 123d, it delivers average fuel consumption of 5.2 liters/100 km in an EU test cycle, equivalent to 45 miles/US gallon, and a CO2 emission level of 138 grams per km. This renders it a fine example of the BMW EfficientDynamics development strategy in action.
With its current win of six trophies, the BMW Group continues to dominate the engine competition which has been held now for ten years. The repeated success of the Twin Turbo inline six engine is the sixth overall victory for the company since the foundation of the “International Engine of the Year Awards” in 1999. The bandwidth of the BMW Group’s currently successful engines is also remarkable. They range from the 172 hp four cylinder of the MINI Cooper S to the two high-revving power units produced by the BMW M GmbH.
The “International Engine of the Year Award” has been presented since 1999 by an international jury consisting of highly prominent car journalists. This year the team of experts comprises 65 top journalists from 32 nations which include the USA, Japan, China, Russia, India, Germany, France, New Zealand, Korea and South Africa and, this year, Romania and Poland. Prizes are awarded for eleven categories as well to the winner of the overall rating. The award ceremony will be held on 7th May during the “Engine Expo 2008” in Stuttgart.
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International
Engine of the Year 2008BMW
3-litre Twin Turbo (135, 335, X6)
By completing back to back wins at
the International Engine of the Year Awards 2008, BMW’s
3-litre Twin Turbo petrol unit has matched the feat achieved
by its V10 in 2005 and 2006, and secures back-to-back overall
wins at the event. The result also confirms turbocharging as
the power generator of choice, as the engine’s triumph
here makes it
one of seven categories scooped
by turbo engines.
With an impressive 380 points – finishing nearly 100 points
ahead of the Volkswagen’s TSI – the 2,979cc unit
proved to be a hit with jury members the world over. Many were
wowed by its sheer performance, or recognised the significance
of the debut of BMW’s high-precision direct-injection
system, which helps to maximise performance and fuel economy
by precisely dosing the air-fuel mix. Adoption of the system
also enables a higher compression ratio (10.2:1) for better
fuel economy as well as a more efficient method of combustion
chamber cooling.
John Carey from Wheels magazine said the unit is “proof
that BMW pushes the boundaries
of engine technology more than any other manufacturer”.
Auto’s Lorenzo Facchinetti thinks it is a “gorgeous
engine that has the ability to make
a 1-Series or 3-Series feel like an old M3, with much more fluidity
and fuel efficiency”. And Schalk Pienaar from Wiel commented
that it shows “good use of available technology to lower
fuel consumption and provides smooth and strong power delivery”.
The two small turbochargers – rather than one larger unit
– each supply three cylinders to ensure
a more rapid response to throttle position throughout the rev
range, and also eliminate lag.
The last words on the powerplant should go to a clearly overwhelmed
Hormazd Sorabjee, editor and publisher of Autocar India: “There
is something simply magical about BMW’s in-line six. It
has a creamy smoothness that makes velvet feel like sandpaper.” |
Best
New Engine of 2008
BMW 2-litre Diesel
Twin Turbo (123d)
As well as BMW, the winner here was
automotive innovation. The top six engines in this category
included two twin-turbos (one petrol, one diesel), a V10 with
580bhp, the world’s first diesel boxer engine, and a fresh
version of Volkswagen’s TSI.
The Bavarian auto manufacturer triumphed with what it claims
is the world’s most powerful four-cylinder diesel engine.
The key advantages
of the 1,995cc over its predecessor are threefold and form the
basis of BMW’s ‘efficient dynamics’ mantra:
increased overall power, lower weight, and a reduction in emissions.
Helping to achieve these goals
are a number of technologies
that first appeared on this 2-litre
engine’s bigger brother, the 272bhp twin-turbo 3-litre.
These include
an all-aluminium crankcase,
third-generation common-rail fuel injectors, and a state-of-the-art
diesel particulate filter. Like the
3-litre, this engine, codenamed
N47D, sports both a large and small exhaust gas turbocharger,
the latter operating at lower engine speeds, the bigger one
being called upon when extra power is required.
Weight savings have been made largely thanks to a new engine
design that helped to cut 17kg from the outgoing version. Arguably
the biggest change was made to the intake ducts, which now have
a larger diameter to aid the gas charge cycle, and are placed
upright, fitting straight into the combustion chambers. The
shape of said chambers has been refined, helping to realise
a 16:1 compression ratio.
In a battle of pure performance versus technical innovation,
the oil-burner kept the BMW M3’s V8 off the top, and also
managed to receive credit from the predominantly
diesel-free North American market. Automobile magazine’s
Marc Noordeloos’ view was typical of the nine judges from
the region that awarded points: “More than 100bhp per
litre from a diesel? Forget the gasoline engine in your 1- or
3-Series – this is the powerplant to get.” |
1.4-litre
to 1.8-litreBMW-PSA
1.6-litre Turbo
If proof were ever needed that engine collaboration
between automotive manufacturers can succeed,
BMW’s powertrain partnership with PSA Peugeot Citroën
is a perfect example, spawning the award-winning 1.6-litre turbo
unit.
Winner of the same International Engine of the Year Awards category
in 2007, when it narrowly beat the 1.5-litre Toyota Prius, BMW
and PSA’s four-cylinder has dominated the class this year,
collecting 136 more points than its closest rival, the 1.8-litre
TFSI Audi engine that powers a plethora of VW Group products.
Riding high on the growing trend of combining power with downsized
powertrains, the 1,598cc unit had plenty of judges waxing lyrical,
including Nikos Kounitis from Greece’s 4Wheels magazine,
who commented that he thought the motor represented “downsizing
at its best”. Dan Vardie from Romania’s Autoshow
added, “This is one of the first small engines able to
deliver performance normally found in bigger engines. Two engine
experts combine to create a robust, powerful and efficient petrol
engine.”
Constructed from light alloy, the heart of the Mini Cooper S,
Peugeot 207 and 308 features a twin-scroll turbocharger, gasoline
direct injection, twin overhead camshafts, roller-type drag
arms that have been optimised for minimum friction, and hydraulic
valve play compensation elements. Furthermore, the outlet valves
are filled with sodium to aid cooling, and the intake camshaft
offers infinite phase adjustment, setting the engine’s
valve timing to the driver’s requirements.
All this technology brings together power and economy in one
appealing package for consumers: 175bhp at 5,500rpm and 260Nm
of torque maintained from 1,600 to 5,000rpm is complemented
with an average fuel consumption of 6.9L/100km (40.9mpg). “It’s
full of technology, and is the best in its class for torque,
power and pleasure,” concludes France’s Christophe
Congrega. |
3-litre
to 4-litreBMW 4-litre V8 (M3)
Throughout the 10-year history of the International
Engine of the Year Awards, there has been only one occasion
– last year – when BMW
did not top this category. After Porsche’s triumph with
its 3.6-litre Turbo in 2007, a rather special motor from BMW
has arrived on the scene and taken the trophy back to its spiritual
home of Munich.
The victor here is the replacement for one of the International
Engine
of the Year Awards’ most successful winners, the 3.2-litre
straight six that was designed for the E46 M3, and that lives
on today in BMW’s Z4 M. For the 2007MY M3, Helmut Himmel,
the man responsible for all M engine project management, decided
early on that the car would be powered
by an eight-cylinder unit. The result, S85B40, is a lesson in
advanced engine engineering, both in terms of the materials
used and production technologies adopted, as well as an ECU
that can process more than 200 million calculations a second
via three onboard microchips.
This upgraded version of the
ECU found on the award-winning
V10 in BMW’s M5 and M6 is just one example of how the
V8 offers even more technology than its bigger brother. Double
VANOS continuously variable intake and exhaust cam adjustment
has been carried over, although it requires no high pressure
oil arrangement due to lower torque stresses. The V10’s
single chain drive is superseded by a double chain affair connecting
the crankshaft and sprocket, which is connected to the camshaft
by a step motor.
The 3,999cc engine is also a masterpiece in terms of packaging.
Although it carries an additional two cylinders, the V8 tips
the scales at 2kg less than the old M3 six-cylinder, and is
over 30mm shorter.
But power is arguably the biggest marker of a true M3 unit,
and the
V8 does not disappoint. Figures of 420bhp at 8,300rpm and 340Nm
of torque help the M3 to lap the legendary Nordschleife in eight
minutes and 20 seconds. |
Above
4-litreBMW
5-litre V10 (M5, M6)
Featuring some familiar entrants,
the Above 4-litre category at the International Engine of the
Year Awards 2008 sees BMW triumph
for the fourth year in a row. It may have lost out to Porsche
in the Best Performance Engine category, but the 5-litre has
held off competition from Ferrari and Mercedes-AMG, the latter
jumping from fifth in 2007 to runner-up this year.
The win here makes the 4,999cc powerplant the most successful
in Awards history, passing its 3.2-litre inline six stablemate
from the previous generation M3. With its nine trophies so far
in four years, there
is no reason why more accolades should not be bestowed on the
V10.
Technology plays a key role in
the success of the 90° vee engine, which is in soft- and
hard-top versions of the M6, as well as estate and saloon versions
of the 5-Series-based M5. The engine was the first to demonstrate
bi-VANOS variable valve timing, and those 10 flow-optimised
intake trumpets.
Weight-saving measures adopted to maximise performance on the
507bhp, 520Nm engine include compact, 5mm shaft valves and one-piece,
four-valve aluminium cylinder heads. Spherical valve tappets
with hydraulic valve play and single valve springs are also
used effectively.
Away from the physical properties of the engine, production
techniques ensure that passengers can rocket from zero to 100km/h
in just 4.7 seconds. The cylinder crankcases are cast using
a low-pressure gravity die method and made of hypereutectic
aluminium-silicon alloy, and coated with iron for added strength.
The combined effect of these factors ensure the V10 weighs nearly
the same as its V8 predecessor.
The fact that the engine’s blocks are cast in the same
factory as those for the company’s Formula 1 cars,
as well as the obvious technological links with motorsport,
is justification for Motor Trend’s Frank Markus to conclude
that, “Formula 1 power has arrived in the grand touring
class.” |
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Topic: PR: BMW Win International Engine of the Year
PR: BMW Win International Engine of the Year
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