The Wards Auto Best Engine awards are revered by many in the North American automotive industry. It began in 1995 to showcase the cutting-edge and noteworthy technology developed by powertrain engineers. Since then, it has become a bragging point for manufacturers whose engines have been nominated for and won the award.
In the three decades since its founding, there has been only one engine that has had to return its award during that time. That engine was the Volkswagen 2.0L TDI, which was the cause of one of the biggest automotive scandals of the last two decades.
This article focuses on the 2.0L TDI four-cylinder engine that won the Wards Auto Best Engine award in 2009. Additionally, for most of this article, we'll refer to the award as the Wards Auto Best Engines awards. However, it's worth mentioning that its new title is Wards Auto Best Engines & Propulsion Systems awards.
Volkswagen's 2.0L TDI Engine Praised In 2009

Volkswagen
The Volkswagen 2.0L TDI engine was one of only two turbodiesel engines that received the Wards Auto Best Engines award for 2010. For those years, the award was given to engines that aligned with Wards Auto's emphasis on engines that highlighted the automotive industry's move toward higher fuel economy and lower emissions. In the case of the VW 2.0L TDI engine, the Wards Auto team was impressed by its energy, throttle response, and driving characteristics, which differ from those of conventional diesel engines.

Volkswagen
Beyond that, it was distinguished by the fact that it met the 50-state emission requirements, specifically the Tier 2 Bin 5, which sets a lower emissions limit for pollutants such as Carbon Monoxide, Non-Methane Organic Gas, Formaldehyde, and Particulate Matter. Volkswagen's means of achieving lower emissions was by utilizing a new BorgWarner turbocharger that employed a nano-coated compressor wheel and housing, allowing it to achieve lower Nitrogen Oxide emissions. This lauded engine was used in several models within Volkswagen's model range, including the Volkswagen Jetta, Volkswagen Beetle, Volkswagen Beetle Convertible, Volkswagen Golf, Volkswagen Golf SportWagen, Volkswagen Passat, and Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen, with the latter attributed to its being awarded the Wards Auto Best Engines award in 2009, 2010, and 2011. However, that award was later revoked.
And Then, Volkswagen's Skeletons Came Out Of The Closet

Volkswagen
It would be less than five years before news broke that the Wards Auto Best Engine awards that were given to Volkswagen's praised turbodiesel engine would be returned. This was the first and last time in the history of the Wards Auto Best Engines awards that an engine award was returned. The decision to have the award returned was not made by Wards Auto, but rather Volkswagen, whose CEO at the time stated in a letter addressed to Wards Auto:
“In light of the recent action by EPA concerning our 2.0L TDI vehicles and associated allegations, out of respect for you and your esteemed publication, we feel it best at this time to return the 10 Best Engines awards that you gave to us for our TDI engine in 2009 to 2011,” - Michael Horn.
The decision was made after it was revealed that Volkswagen had manipulated the software used in an electronic control device that would deactivate the emissions sensors, except when the cars were being tested for their emissions. As we mentioned previously, a significant reason why VW's 2.0L TDI engine won the award was that it met the emissions requirements at the time.
This method of side-stepping emissions would result in cars equipped with this engine having greater prformance and fuel economy, but at the cost of emissions that were far above the allowed and regulated levels. Millions of vehicles were recalled due to this issue, and it became one of the biggest scandals in modern automotive history, now commonly referred to as Dieselgate.
Read the full article on CarBuzz
This article originally appeared on CarBuzz and is republished here with permission.