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Renault Two-Stroke, Two-Cylinder Supercharged and Turbo Diesel Showcased

Remember when Fiat introduced the 875 cc Twin Air two-cylinder turbocharged engine? Despite the moderately enough 85 hp and 155 Nm (114 lb-ft ) of torque it’s capable of, both the 500 and Panda don’t feel right to drive with this particular engine.
Renault POWERFUL two-cylinder, two-stroke diesel engine 6 photos
Photo: Renault
Renault POWERFUL two-cylinder, two-stroke diesel engineInnovations@Renault future mobility ideaInnovations@Renault future mobility ideaInnovations@Renault future mobility ideaInnovations@Renault future mobility idea
Firstly, there’s the throbbing noise one can’t escape, even if you throughly soundproof the engine bay and cabin compartment. Secondly, it needs to be revved until the valves start dancing on the bonnet to get the 500 or Panda with the Twin Air engine moving.

Working the mill so much, especially in city stop & go traffic, translates to... ahem... modest fuel economy figures, far off from what the manufacturer says this little motor can return on paper. While three-cylinder turbo powerplants like Ford’s 1.0 EcoBoost and the Renault 0.9 TCe are far more refined and economical, the two-cylinder trend is back in fashion.

The latest manufacturer that started to develop such a contraption is Renault. The Frenchies unveiled at the Innovations@Renault event in Paris a two-stroke oil burner dubbed the POWERFUL project, among other powertrain developments for future mobility you can check out in the release attached below.

So what’s the deal with the so-called POWERFUL two-stroke, two-pot powerhouse?

As the European carmaker informs, two-stroke diesels are mainly employed by large container ships thanks to their advantage in thermal efficiency (50 percent versus 35 percent on four-stroke diesel mills). The 730 cc unit is both turbocharged and supercharged and weighs 40 kg (88 lbs) less than the 1.5 dCi.

The POWERFUL (POWERtrain for Future Light-duty vehicles) engine showcased at the event churns out between 48 hosepower and 68 horsepower, together with 112 Nm (82 lb-ft) to 145 Nm (106 lb-ft) of torque from 1,500 rpm. Renault says that “initial tests are encouraging, although the performance needs to be improved before Renault could consider introducing it.”

Fingers crossed the clatter won’t deafen us if this thing will be used by the Twingo or Clio in the future.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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