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VOLKSWAGEN TSI CLAIMS INTERNATIONAL ENGINE OF THE YEAR AWARD

The new engine concept featuring twin-charging with a supercharger and turbocharger has impressed experts from across the globe: the new 1.4-litre TSI 170 PS engine claimed two accolades 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 and a turbocharger. The success can be seen both in the output
(170 PS) and also in the consumption (39.2 mpg for the Golf hatchback). A 140 PS version of the 1.4-litre TSI is also available. The motto ‘maximum power, minimum consumption’ sums up the advantage of the TSI.

Essentially, where FSI uses direct injection to improve combustion efficiency and hence reduce fuel consumption and emissions, TSI employs an FSI engine which is then dual-charged through a combination of an engine driven supercharger and an exhaust gas turbocharger arranged in series.

The belt-driven supercharger operates at lower engine speeds, with the turbocharger coming in as the engine speed increases. The result of this is excellent driveability and performance throughout the range with no turbo lag and high maximum torque (177 lbs ft (240 Nm) from 1,750 through to 4,500 rpm).

The combination of these technologies enables a small capacity engine with a high compression ratio to cruise at part load on high gearing to combine dramatic performance with exceptional fuel consumption for a petrol engine.

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; and in Spring 2006 it was awarded the Paul Pietsch Prize.

The International Engine of the Year Awards are organised each year by the UK’s largest group of technical car publications. The jury is made up of 61 automotive journalists from 29 countries, and a number of their comments are shown below.

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

Arturo de Andrés, Automóvil, Spain: ‘Maybe the most sophisticated technology available today.’

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

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

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

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