Wow, just wow! When we were starting to think Renault can't do anything interesting any more, they come out with easily the coolest engine in its class. A brand new 1.6-liter twin-turbo diesel was announced today, producing 160 hp and 380 Nm of torque.
Up until this point, most 1.6-liter turbodiesel engines on the market offered somewhere between 90 and 130 hp with up to 300 Nm of torque. The class leader is Opel's 136 hp unit from the Astra, followed by the 1.6 dCi 130 from Nissan and Renault.
But using its F1 know-how, the French have found 2-liter levels of power in a smaller package and are offering 25% expected fuel gains to potential future customers. We say "future" because Renault has refused to name the car this engine is going into. But, according to our insider information, it's been earmarked for the next Espace.
The twin-turbo system comprises two sequential turbo-compressors:
• The first is a very low inertia turbo which provides high low-end torque for crisp pull-away and mid-range acceleration. To guarantee impressive pick-up response at low revs and incisive acceleration, 90% of peak torque is available from 1,500rpm.
• The second turbo assumes the reins at the higher-end and produces high power (100hp per litre) at faster engine speeds to ensure smooth, linear, dependable acceleration right the way up to maximum revs.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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