Jonathan Gitlin
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The 2015 International Engine of the Year (yes, it's a thing) results were announced yesterday. Consequently, our inbox filled up with press releases from different OEMs, each trumpeting its dominance in a particular category. The overall winner can be found in BMW's very clever i8. The i8's 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder, 357hp (362PS) hybrid powertrain beat Ferrari, Tesla, McLaren, and others to the top award, determined by a panel of international automotive journalists.
The competition, which has been running for 17 years now, can feel a bit like 3rd grade graduation with prizes for everyone. There are eight categories based on engine displacement (from sub-1L to above 4L), plus awards for the best new engine, best green engine, best performance engine, and best overall.
Looking at the results from the past several years paints a vivid picture of how the auto industry is facing up to tougher new emissions and economy standards, and it's bad news for fans of the naturally aspirated engine. They used to say there was no replacement for displacement, but these days the opposite is true. Inline 3-cylinder engines used to be the preserve of Japan's tiny Kei cars, but they're now proliferating in small cars, coupled with forced induction.
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