International Engine of the Year 2014 – Ford EcoBoost hat-trick
A new hat trick hero has risen this World Cup season. Ford’s 1.0-litre three-cylinder EcoBoost engine has created history by being the first engine to ever notch three successive wins at the International Engine of the Year Award, adding this year’s overall title to the ones it already won in 2012 and 2013. The 999cc triple also retains its category title in the Sub 1-litre segment.
Making Ford’s achievement even more remarkable is that only three engines had previously secured back-to-back victories of the overall award, namely BMW’s 5.0-litre V10 from the E60 M5 in 2005-2006, followed by the BMW N54 3.0-litre twin-turbo in 2007-2008, and eventually the Volkswagen EA111 1.4 TSI twincharger in 2009-2010.
The cast iron twincharged EA111, which is gradually being phased out in favour of the newer aluminium EA211 engine, also makes its own history by being the first powertrain to win a total of thirteen awards, retaining the 1.0- to 1.4-litre category for the ninth successive occasion since first winning in 2006 when it also won New Engine award, the Green Engine category in 2009, and the aforementioned two overall awards in 2009 and 2010, making it the most successful engine in the awards’ history.
Featured in a variety of models across the Volkswagen Group, the twincharged EA111 fended off (albeit comfortably) competition not only from Fiat’s 1.4-litre MultiAir Turbo and the PSA Group’s 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo, but also another three VW Group engines, two of them alternative derivatives with the same engine code – the 1.2 TSI and a single turbo version of the 1.4 TSI. The turbocharged EA211 1.4 TSI rounds off the list of contenders in the 1.0- to 1.4-litre category.
Another familiar presence at the award ceremony is the 1.6-litre Prince engine co-developed by BMW and the PSA Group winning the 1.4- to 1.8-litre category for the eighth successive time since 2007. This particular category was a close fight between the Prince and, interestingly, its ‘successor’ engine, namely BMW’s new 1.5-litre b38 three-cylinder turbo.
Audi’s turbocharged five-cylinder engine that formerly powered the TT RS and now the RS Q3 hangs on to its 2.0- to 2.5-litre title for a fifth successive year by the skin of its teeth, narrowly edging out Mazda’s 2.2-litre SkyActiv-D turbodiesel by a margin of 17 points. Improving on its 37-point deficit at last year’s award, the Mazda engine had led the voting tally for much of the year before crucial points from North American and Chinese judges swung the contest. Despite not winning, Mazda has much to be proud of in this year’s award – its full range of SkyActiv engines, namely the 1.5-, 2.0-, and 2.5-litre petrols were all shortlisted in their respective categories.
Ferrari, meanwhile, scored a fourth successive double win of the Above 4-litre and Performance Engine categories, its 4.5-litre V8 from the 458 regaining the two awards it won in 2011 and 2012 from its 6.3-litre V12 stable mate of the F12berlinetta that won the same two categories in 2013. The V8’s return to form relegates the V12 back to second place in both categories.
Overall results of the 2014 International Engine of the Year Awards are summarized below:
Sub 1-litre: Ford 1.0-litre EcoBoost
1.0- to 1.4-litre: Volkswagen EA111 1.4-litre TSI Twincharged
1.4- to 1.8-litre: BMW-PSA 1.6-litre Prince
1.8- to 2.0-litre: Mercedes-AMG 2.0-litre turbo
2.0- to 2.5-litre: Audi 2.5-litre TFSI five-cylinder turbo
2.5- to 3.0-litre: BMW N55 3.0-litre TwinPower turbo
3.0- to 4.0-litre: McLaren 3.8-litre M838T V8
Above 4.0-litre: Ferrari 4.5-litre V8
Green Engine: Tesla full-electric powertrain
New Engine: Mercedes-AMG 2.0-litre turbo
Performance Engine: Ferrari 4.5-litre V8
Overall International Engine of the Year 2014: Ford 1.0-litre EcoBoost
KON
