International Engine of the year
Posted by | Under Car Engines Sunday Oct 4, 2009BMW’s 3.0 litre twin turbo petrol successfully defended its last year’s title by completing back to back wins at this year’s awards. It also managed to match the feat achieved by the S85 V10 in 2005 and 2006 proving that forced induction and in particular turbocharging will be the route of choice for production power, achieving better fuel economy and controlling emissions. The 2,979cc unit proved to be a versatile performer, impressing alike in areas of sheer performance, refinement, the high precision second generation direct injection system that position the injectors within the cylinder head and right next to the spark plugs along with high compression ratio of 10.2:1 which helps maximise performance as well fuel economy through precise control of air fuel mixture. The two smaller aspect ratio turbos boost three cylinders apiece, ensuring better throttle response and avoiding turbo lag, which comes as a second nature to a large single turbine set-up. As a result, this engine can be compared to many naturally aspirated engines of bigger displacement, with added advantages of fluidity and fuel efficiency.