Porsche’s Direct Fuel Injection system is said to be its secret to successful engines and it’s continuous modifications reaped its reward this year. It is indeed a smashing year for the luxury carmaker when it took home the “Best New Engine of the Year” award for its 3.8 L flat-six during the 11th International Engine of the Year Awards.

Packed in the S-models, the 3.8L engine has an additional 30HP. With a brand new power output of 380HP, it exceeded the 186mph speed limit of the Carrera S. Of course, speed is just one of the factors that helped Porsche bag the title. The engine’s driving performance and efficiency impressed this year’s judges.

Porche 911 Carrera S 3.8 L flat-six

“Leave it to Porsche to build a near-400bhp engine that returns such impressive fuel economy,” Automobile Magazine’s Marc Noordeloos said. “Enthusiasts should take comfort in the fact that the naturally aspirated engine may not be dying after all.”

An impressive reduction in fuel consumption is another outstanding trait of the new 911 range bearing this year’s best engine. Among the models, the  Porsche 911 Carrera S stood out with its notable balance between fuel economy and engine performance with its average of 23mpg (10.2L/100km). Side to side with the old version, the new 3.8 L flat-six gives an 8.5% power boost and 13% decrease in CO2 production.

As for the other awards, Mecedes Benz got the “Best Performance Engine” and the “Above 4.0L Class” awards for the 6.2L V8 engine. Volkswagen received the “Green Engine of the Year” title for the 1.4L TSI TwinCharger.