Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Volkswagen's TSI Engine Picks Up Two Awards

Text and photo from Volkswagen AG.
“International Engine of the Year Award 2006” for the Twincharger TSI from Volkswagen

Wolfsburg, 10 May 2006 - The new engine concept featuring dual-charging with a supercharger and turbocharger has impressed experts from across the globe: The new 1.4-litre engine delivering 125 kW (170 hp) picked up two prizes at the “International Engine of the Year Awards 2006”. The Twincharger won in the “1-litre to 1.4-litre” category. Furthermore it was voted the “Best New Engine of 2006” by the jury.

Volkswagen engineers have combined the innovative downsizing concept with a supercharger, which works in the lower rev ranges, and a turbocharger. The success can be seen both in the output (125kW/170hp) and also in the consumption (7.2 litres/100km). The motto “maximum power – minimum consumption” sums up the advantage of the TSI.

The jury of the “International Engine of the Year Awards” is made up of 61 automotive journalists from 29 countries. The awards are organised each year by the UK’s largest group of technical car publications.

Here are some of the comments made by the jury:

“This sort of ‘hybrid’ direction is where it’s at for the next 10 years. Turbos and Kompressors have a lot of room for exploration – this is a great start and easily for me the best new one” Matt Davis, freelance journalist, Italy.

“Maybe the most sophisticated technology available today”,, Arturo de Andrés, Automóvil, Spain.

“Again, the Volkswagen TSI stands out for power per litre of displacement as well as technological interest” Jim Kenzie, The Toronto Star/freelance/TSN TV presenter, Canada

“A 1.4-litre engine that thinks like a 2-litre” Gary Tsang, Automobile, China.

“A remarkable engine that shows great potential for some other future engines, in terms of both sheer power and economics under partial load” Jeroen Jongeneel, De Telegraaf, Netherlands.

“What an elegant combination of technologies, an uncannily smooth small displacement in-line four, a supercharger and a turbo, seamlessly coordinated” Jack Yamaguchi, freelance journalist, Japan.

“1.4 litres and 170bhp? This is the engine every engineer must have dreamed of. Volkswagen has solved the synchronous problem of two different technologies” Halit Bolkan, Turkey.

“Genius supercharging with two systems previously considered as basically different ways of engine boosting. Now Volkswagen has proved these solutions can work together” Gabor Szecsenyi, Auto2, Hungary.

Production of the 1.4-litre TSI powerplant has now started in two performance classes. In the sporty Golf GT, the 1.4 litre TSI delivering 125kW/170hp needs just 7.2 litres of Super plus every 100 kilometres. On extra urban roads, the Twincharger consumes as little as 5.9 litres. The Golf GT is available with the TSI engine from €22,500.

In the Touran, the TSI delivers 103kW/140hp and consumes 7.5 litres combined and 6.2 litres extra urban. The Touran with the Twincharger starts at €22,590.

This is the third award that Volkswagen has received for the new, dual-charged engine: Last autumn, Volkswagen received the new product prize from the world’s biggest science magazine Popular Science in the USA, in Spring 2006 it was awarded the Paul Pietsch Prize.