The invention relates to an internal combustion engine, in particular an ignition-sparked engine, specifically of a motor vehicle, comprising an injection device (40) for fuel (42), which is located and configured in such a way that it directly injects the fuel (42) into the combustion chamber (16) of working cylinders (14) of the internal combustion engine, and comprising at least one inlet valve unit per working cylinder (14), said unit having an inlet valve and an inlet valve seat. The invention is characterised in that at least one inlet valve unit is configured with the type of measures that prevent the dissipation of heat, in such a way that increased surface temperatures greater than 380 °C are achieved in the vicinity of the collar (68) of the inlet valve (20) in at least one predefined area (112) of the load-speed map.