In what will be remembered as the closest race to take the overall International Engine of the Year Award title, BMW’s revolutionary 1.5-litre hybrid powertrain in the i8 took top honours, ending three years of record-breaking dominance by Ford and its brilliant 1.0 EcoBoost motor.
With just one vote to go, a mere five points separated first and second place, with the reigning Blue Oval champion having at one stage fallen some 120 points behind the ground breaking BMW development.
But that gap proved to be too big in the end for the Ford three-cylinder, as the BMW treble crossed the line seven points ahead of its rival.
Making things even more interesting in the race for the top spot was another three-cylinder design, this time from PSA Peugeot Citroën, which for long periods was also in the running to take the award but in the end the French 1.2 turbo had to settle for third place, 52 points behind the new victor.
Blending supercar performance with remarkable fuel economy and low emissions formed the basis to enable the advanced i8 powertrain to sweep to victory at the 2015 International Engine of the Year Awards, picking up three accolades in total and just missing out on the Green Engine gong as well.
Its amazing green credentials – 2.1 L/100km and 49g/km CO2 – is matched by supercar-like performance, with the tiny 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo directing 170kW to the rear axle and a 96kW e-motor driving the front axle, enabling the lightweight i8 to hit 100km/h in just 4.4 seconds.
“This is a fitting victory for what is a remarkable powertrain,” said Dean Slavnich, co-chairman of the International Engine of the Year Awards. “The i8 is a supercar of the future that’s available today. Progressive, emotive and environmentally responsible, here is a creation that proves the transport of tomorrow can be very, very exciting.”
BMW earned a further category win for the 3-litre turbo engine fitted to the M3 and M4.
The International Engine of the Year Awards, presented by Engine Technology International magazine, were launched in 1999.
Each year an expert panel of judges, this time comprising 65 motoring journalists from 31 countries, selects the best engines in numerous categories. The prize-winners were presented with their awards on Wednesday, June 17, against the backdrop of the Engine Expo trade fair in Stuttgart, Germany.
International Engine of the Year: overall scoring and results
- BMW 1.5-litre three-cylinder electric-petrol hybrid
274 points
BMW i8 - Ford 999cc three-cylinder turbo
267 points
Fiesta, Focus, Mondeo and others - PSA Peugeot Citroen 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo
222 points
Peugeot 208, 308, Citroen C3, DS3, C4, DS4 and others - Ferrari 4.5-litre V8
221 points
Ferrari 458 Italia, 458 Speciale - Mercedes-AMG 2-litre turbo
177 points
Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG, CLA45 AMG, GLA45 AMG - Tesla full-electric powertrain
157 points
Tesla Model S - BMW M 3-litre twin-turbo six-cylinder
133 points
BMW M4, M4 - McLaren 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
93 points
McLaren 675LT, 650S, 625C, 12C - Audi 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo
81 points
Audi RS3, RS Q3
Category winners
Sub 1-litre
Ford 998cc three-cylinder turbo
1-litre to 1.4-litre
PSA Peugeot Citroen 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo
1.4-litre to 1.8-litre
BMW 1.5-litre three-cylinder electric-petrol hybrid
1.8-litre to 2-litre
Mercedes-AMG 2-litre turbo
2-litre to 2.5-litre
Audi 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo
2.5-litre to 3-litre
BMW M 3-litre twin-turbo six-cylinder
3-litre to 4-litre
McLaren 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Above 4-litre
Ferrari 4.5-litre V8
Green engine
Tesla full-electric powertrain
New engine
BMW 1.5-litre three-cylinder electric-petrol hybrid
Performance engine
Ferrari 4.5-litre V8
