International Engine of the Year Awards 2010

[Betty Swollocks]

Looking for the negatives again are you

It's disappointing, but I think it has a lot to do with the fact that the engine was put in a 2300+ kg SUV.
The M5 engine will have the same base, but coupled with a much lighter car, a DCT gearbox and a lot of tweaks to the engine itself, it will soon win the Performance Engine catogory again

If that's the case then it's not really about "engine of the year".

I'm a realist, and it worries me greatly that a car that I am thinking about buying (without a test drive first most likely) is going to be using an engine which comes sixth in a poll, when the car it will be replacing comes top three years on the trot. You can look for positives all you like, but whatever tweaks it receives (and they will only be "tweaks"), it's not good at all.

It baffles me that people think I look for negatives all the time. I REALLY want the M5 to be fantastic. But I'm just not a blind faith optomist for no reason whatsoever.

 

[martinbo]

I see the engine of the year results a bit differently - not necessarily looking for negatives but rather looking for superlatives.

[I'm a bit confused why we have to debate this in two separate threads though - or is this the "let's pour only glory on BMW section"?]

What I see is that there is at least some semblance of appreciation left for superbly crafted naturally aspirated V8s. This is surely a passing phenomenon. In the future the great majority of award-winning engines will be forced induction. The BMW S65 and the AMG M156 are both similarly brilliant and yet interestingly different approaches to the concept of performance powerplants. Together these two engines represent the last hurrah for mainstream (as opposed to "exotic" in the case of the 911 or Ferrari engines) naturally aspirated engines and so I'm pleased that they both got the recognition they deserved.

I am sure that the reverse flow twinscroll twin-turbo S63 will be lauded in years to come but by then everything else will be turbocharged in any event. Without question, as a huge turbocharged engine fan, I can appreciate them for what they are but I never lose sight of how special a truly epic naturally aspirated engine is and what it is that makes them special.

Farewell gorgeous S65 and ballistic M156. This year's accolades are a fitting epitaph.

 

[south]

[I'm a bit confused why we have to debate this in two separate threads though - or is this the "let's pour only glory on BMW section"?]

+1

I'd support a merge with the other one and discuss all EOTY winners and results in one thread.


Best regards,
south

 

[GTA45E]

The AMG M156 bites down for the 2010 Engine of the year award!
The new M157 should kick tail and follow suit..

Whats up with Porsche and Ferrari.. (Ferrari was very close, I know) these two should be the number 1 leaders in this pack considering their F1 experience.

 

[Karabiner98k]

Now, regarding the "perfomance engine of the year", the V8 AMG, I hope you're aware of the fact that we're talking about the same engine that LOST 3 YEARS IN A ROW to the V10 M engine, which was declared "best performance engine of the year" and/or "best engine above 4 liter" in 2006, 2007, 2008. Now I ask, how can the same ******* engine that was declared better than the AMG unit for 3 ******* years, then loose in the following 2 years to the same ******* engine that it has beaten 3 years in a row ?

I think one of the reasons is that M5 V10 (S85) engine hasn't been changed through the years but AMG 6.2L (M156) engine has had some improvements during it's life.

 

[Poverty]

my car has a world beater engine

 

[footie]

^ Surely the best engine in the world in its size and displacement class. The big pity is that its application is limited to one model presently and, furthermore, seemingly limited only to the transverse installation application. In the more holistic view of the complete product - the TTRS - it's clearly just the engine that is world-class whilst the powertrain and chassis combined fall short of greatness.

As you are now fully aware the 2.5TFSI is becoming available in two products and has a future in longitudinal applications which we be seen in the not to dictance future. As for the engine exceeding the ability of the chassis, I do happen to agree with that opinion though all things considered the TT-RS still does hang about on the track so it's not near as bad as you are making out. Entertainment low but ability pretty decent.

In my opinion, the measure of a great engine is more than just the engine - it's much more about how ubiquitously, yet appropriately, that engine can be applied (e.g. M156) or how the engine complements (and is complemented by) the dynamic package as a whole. The S65 / M3 combination is a classic example of an epic engine that never dominates the experience to the extent that the rest of the package's shortcomings become more apparent.

The measure of a great engine is solely down to the engine and nothing more. No the measure of a great car is more than just an engine which is why the M3 has always achieved greatness.

The engine in the TTRS is terrific - it's just a pity that it doesn't do duty in a chassis that plays its part in equal measure. I'd love to see the 2.5 TFSI engine in the longitudinal application with proper 50:50 or more rearward-biased torque split. In short the 2.5 TFSI is an engine with nowhere to go. And this is a great pity...

Well you now know that Audi are indeed looking at offering this engine in different applications and outputs which is only right for one of the best engines.

On another note, how much does the supercharged TFSI V6 in the S4 weigh?

I never noticed this question before but the answer you seek is 189kg.