Four BMW Engines Win 2012 Engine of the Year Awards - the N20, N54, S65, N18

[Jason]

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Four BMW Engines Win 2012 Engine of the Year Awards - the N20, N54, S65, N18

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Engine of the Year Awards 2012: BMW Group scores with four, six and eight cylinders.

13.06.2012

Four award-winners spanning a displacement range of 1.6 to 4.0 litres – BMW Group again emerges as the most successful auto manufacturer in the internationally renowned engine contest.

Munich / Stuttgart. Unbeaten titleholders and triumphant newcomers have secured the BMW Group’s renewed pre-eminence at the 2012 International Engine of the Year Awards [Full Award Results]. Powerplants guaranteeing efficient power delivery in current BMW and MINI models topped no fewer than four out of eight displacement categories. The quartet of trophy-winners comprised two four-cylinder engines, a straight-six and an eight-cylinder. Scooping up best-in-class wins were the 1.6-litre turbo unit of the MINI John Cooper S, the four-cylinder engine with BMW TwinPower Turbo technology that drives the new BMW 328i, among others, the straight-six with M TwinPower Turbo of the BMW 1 Series M Coupe, and the V8 under the bonnet of the BMW M3. This year’s winners were selected by an international panel of judges made up of 76 motoring journalists from 36 countries. The Engine of the Year Awards were presented against the backdrop of the Engine Expo trade fair in Stuttgart.

With these latest accolades, the BMW Group continues its winning streak in the world’s foremost engine competition. Thanks to the Group’s outstanding development expertise in this area, it has managed to notch up more than 50 class and overall wins at the International Engine of the Year Awards since 1999. In 2012, yet again, engines of widely differing design created for BMW and MINI models dominated a large number of displacement categories. Moreover, the latest title-winners span an unusually broad output spectrum ranging from 135 kW/184 hp to 309 kW/420 hp.

N18
The 2012 competition saw the prize in the 1.4-litre to 1.8-litre displacement class handed to the engine that drives the MINI Cooper S, in a reprise of its success last year. The 1.6-litre four-cylinder develops peak output of 135 kW/184 hp with the help of a twin-scroll turbocharger, direct petrol injection and variable valve control based on the BMW-patented VALVETRONIC technology. Among the key attributes of this unit are not only its eager power delivery but also exemplary efficiency for its class.

N20
Likewise providing enhanced driving pleasure coupled with extremely low fuel consumption and emission figures is the new 2.0-litre engine featuring BMW TwinPower Turbo technology. The 180 kW/245 hp four-cylinder turbocharged unit with High Precision Direct Injection and VALVETRONIC instantly won over the judges to capture the trophy in the 1.8-litre to 2.0-litre category. This engine is currently powering the new BMW 328i Sedan, BMW 528i and BMW Z4 sDrive28i, as well as the BMW X3 xDrive28i and BMW X1 xDrive28i models.

N54
The top accolade in the 2.5-litre to 3.0-litre class went to a six-cylinder in-line engine whose technology has already wowed the judges several times previously. Both in 2007 and in 2008, this 3.0-litre powerplant with twin turbochargers, High Precision Injection and Double-VANOS took the overall prize in the Engine of the Year Awards. It serves as the basis for both the M TwinPower Turbo unit inside the BMW 1 Series M Coupe and the BMW TwinPower Turbo engine of the BMW Z4 sDrive35is. Delivering 250 kW/340 hp, this thrillingly high-revving straight-six has reached its highest output level. The upshot is truly outstanding performance that has garnered it a further Engine of the Year Award.

S65
An achievement of this calibre is only exceeded by the string of successes claimed by the fourth BMW Group award-winner in 2012. For the fifth time in a row, the V8 engine of the BMW M3 high-performance sports car provides the measure of all things in the 3.0-litre to 4.0-litre displacement class. Bolstering the undiminished appeal of the 4.0-litre naturally aspirated engine are its hallmark M high-revving concept, peak output of 309 kW/420 hp and outstanding thrust. Beyond this, the eight-cylinder is compelling for its remarkable efficiency thanks to the Auto Start-Stop function, Brake Energy Regeneration and other Efficient Dynamics technologies.

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[gary88]

[///Mandy]

[Bimmerlover76]

Mmm... Tasty N54 goodness! My God, I think I'm having a crisis!

[Ghetto2315]

Wooooooooooo!

[DARK_M3]

That's it.. I've seen this too many times now. I'm officially stating that my car has 420 hp when someone asks as opposed to the quirky sounding 414.

Oh yeah... WoooooooHooooooo!

[Just a 3]

Interestingly, the N55 is not figured - though the N54 is. Still think the N54 should make a comeback in the 335 or 340

[HotIce]

It's incredible how the S65 is STILL the standard, 5 years later.

[HotIce]

Tack on another accolade to the M3's already long list.

[GOLFFRR]

[tlp]

S65 + Efficiency

[SamS]

S65, what a beast!

Love everything about it, except the mpg.

[ozinaldo]

Well deserved, this is one of the best six cylinder engines ever produced, wouldn't be fair to call it second to anything else available in its class.

[DrivenByE30]

At the heart of bMw, its engine! Breathtaking the joys it deliver us.

[Rich@GTBPerformance]

Good stuff!

[BigKutta]

I personally love the N20 in my F10. Its a real blast to drive and it literally sips gasoline.

[1LazyBmw]

N54 FTW lol.. actually BMW FTW!!!

[ATX78703]

it's interesting that the N54 has been on this list so many times despite all it problems and it being engineering-wise fairly dated compared to the n55.

[doublevanosrc]

Originally Posted by ozinaldo

Well deserved, this is one of the best six cylinder engines ever produced, wouldn't be fair to call it second to anything else available in its class.

+1

[kbryce]

is the n54 twin power turbo though? i thought the n55 was twin power turbo

and they forgot to mention 335is

[mkoesel]

That's great news, but it is a shame that two of them - the S65 especially - are going to be gone in 18 months or less.

Also, I thought that the N18 was the Mini engine, while BMW's longitudinal adaptation of the engine was called the N13. The text seems to indicated that the N13 is used by Mini.

[Jason]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

That's great news, but it is a shame that two of them - the S65 especially - are going to be gone in 18 months or less.

Also, I thought that the N18 was the Mini engine, while BMW's longitudinal adaptation of the engine was called the N13. The text seems to indicated that the N13 is used by Mini.

You are correct! Edit made. Thanks.