Comment Re:Innovation! (Score 1) 525
I think what they were saying is that pistons in a V configuration (e.g. V6, V8, V12 etc) are not in a line, hence they are not inline engines. An engine can either be a V or an inline, not both, much like a line can't be straight and curved at the same time.
The VR engines developed by Volkswagen are a hybrid of those two configurations. The pistons are staggered at a narrow angle, which makes for a more compact design, a single head, and a shared valve train.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VR6
