Volkswagen's compact Twincharger wins International Engine of the Year... again

Volkswagen's 1.4-liter TSI Twincharger has taken out the International Engine of the Year Award for the second year running. The engine, which punches above its weight via the use of a combined turbocharger and supercharger, is only the third to take out the overall award in consecutive years (BMW in 05-06 with its 5-litre V10 and again in 07-08 with its 3-litre twin turbo). Other winners in the 2010 Awards included Fiat with its 1.4-liter MultiAir Turbo engine (New Engine of the Year), Toyota with the 1.8-liter electric-motor-boosted hybrid from the Prius (Green Engine of the Year) and Mercedes-AMG with its 6.2-liter V8 engine (Best Performance Engine and Above 4-liter title). BMW also featured prominently picking up four gongs.

Organized by Engine Technology International and published by UKIP Media & Events, the International Engine of the Year Awards has is in its 12th year and has become a sought after prize among the world's automakers. This years Awards were judged by 72 motoring journalists from 35 countries and four continents. The winners are chosen based on driveability, performance, economy and refinement, as well as the application of advanced engine technology.

Volkswagen's compact four-cylinder powerplant manages 178 bhp courtesy of its a turbocharger and supercharger in one compact unit, with 240 Nm of torque coming at 1,500 rpm - which puts it in the range of a naturally aspirated 2.3 liter engine.

The company offers the engine across its Golf, Scirocco, Eos and Tiguan ranges. In the Golf where its mated to VW’s Direct Shift Gearbox, it gets 6.2 l/100km (45.5 mpg) and emits 144g CO2/ km.

In addition to the Green Engine of the Year, Toyota won in the sub-litre category, beating the Smart diesel engine with its 3-cylinder, 993cc lightweight powerplant.

BMW's four awards were in the 1.4-liter to 1.8-liter class (Mini Cooper S 1.6-liter turbocharged engine developed with PSA Peugeot Citroën), 1.8-liter to 2-liter class (2-liter diesel Twin-Turbo), 2.5 to 3-liter class (3-liter DI Twin-Turbo) and 3-liter to 4-liter class ( 4-liter V8 'M' engine). Audi's picked up the award in the 2-2.5-litre category with its 2.5-liter turbocharged engine from the TT RS.

More details on the winners are available at the International Engine of the Year Awards site.