Comments on: BMW/MINI Engines Win International Engine of the Year Awards

By: c4

c4 — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 10:14:04 +0000

And remember that the Supercharged Tritec was also picked as one of the 10 best engines for year 2003.

By: c4

c4 — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 10:12:39 +0000

I must add that I haven’t had a lick of a problem with the Prince engine.

By: c4

c4 — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 10:06:21 +0000

@Veggivet:

I agree to an extent. As an owner of a turbo Clubman S (Bone stock) I can also tell you that the car begins to quickly lose steam after 5,500 RPM.... The beauty of the Prince is the availability of 90% of engine torque at 1,700 RPM and the superb fuel economy. Having all that torque way down in the power band gives the car that sensation of being "faster" off the bat.

But the "lowly" old school Supercharged Tritec is pretty much cooking and eager to go a lot higher in the RPM band, where the Prince simply starts to fall flat. The Tritec pulls like a freight train all the way to redline and power just keeps building and building up.

The Prince is better suited for everyday US City driving. But the Tritec is a screamer past 5K RPM when pitted against the Prince.

Proud card carrying member of AVAA and not ARHOA :)

By: Veggivet

Veggivet — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:09:51 +0000

@ Lava- I hope we’re over that. I didn’t intend to stir up any debate between first and second generation owners; just reporting my observations from my last track day. Hope it is taken in that context, and in that context alone.

By: Rick

Rick — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:29:48 +0000

Gee – no mention of the VW 1.4 TSI that won the overall engine of the year ending 4 yrs of BMW domination?

By: lavardera

lavardera — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:02:34 +0000

that's the kind of comment that in the past would bring out the legions of supporters for the AVAA (that's the American Visceral Association of America).

Could it be that we are finally over it?

By: Veggivet

Veggivet — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:25:50 +0000

I rode shotgun in an instructor’s bone stock Clubman S this week at Lime Rock and was blown away by the power this car had. Absolutely no lag. It felt faster than my modded R53 which is around 230 hp. Other issues aside, one has to admire coupling this type of power along with stellar gas mileage.

By: lavardera

lavardera — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:20:20 +0000

did the prince win for the BMW version, or both the BMW and Peugeot version?

By: Dr Obnxs

Dr Obnxs — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:25:17 +0000

The audi V8 is also in the R8, and the S5. I like it's better torque down low. The RS4 Cabrio was very unsatisfying. Tons of cowl shake. I didn't drive the RS4 hardtop.

But yes, I like the Audi mill better. But then again, maybe this is like the 3 liter TT diesel, where the impression of the engine really depends on the chassis it's in.

To each thier own....

By: Gary

Gary — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:05:19 +0000

Death rattle, freezing throttle body, and carbon build-up aside, it certainly deserves an “A” for aesthetics

By: Gabe

Gabe — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 20:26:05 +0000

After having driven both the Audi V8 and the BMW, Iâ€™d have given the nod to the Audi. Flame away!

After having driven both myself I'd have to say.... are you serious? The RS4 V8?

By: Dr Obnxs

Dr Obnxs — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:44:35 +0000

No, they are not. These are awards based on impression from those that know cars, but don't usually own the engines under consideration. So the cold start issue of the turbo Prince, the cooling issues of the 3 liter twin turbo, and anything else like that don't really factor into the decisions. That said, these guys know cars and the awards do matter. But long term issues, like reliability and serviceability don't really come into the awards.

After having driven both the Audi V8 and the BMW, I'd have given the nod to the Audi. Flame away!

Matt

By: M_POWER

M_POWER — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:34:41 +0000

So I guess weird noises the engine makes (cold start issue) are no taken into account by these judges?

By: Dusty

Dusty — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:08:45 +0000

I can see why. I’ve had both 2007 & 2008 Cooper S’s and both have been very consistent with my daily commuting at 32-33MPG in my city/freeway driving. My highway trip experiences have averaged better than 40MPG every time. The best I’ve gotten is 41.7. The car is extremely quick and a miser on gas. I LOVE IT!