Volvo Introduces New 1.6L GTDi Engines

Swedish carmaker Volvo announced today it has extended the engine range with the addition of the T3 and T4, two four-cylinder 1.6-litre petrol engines using the latest direct injection technology. The GTDi (Gasoline Turbocharged Direct Injection) concept reportedly offers high performance while delivering a low fuel consumption.

The 1.6 GTDi T3 with 150 horsepower (110 kW) and 240 Nm and the T4 with 180 horsepower (132 kW) and 240 Nm (with a boost to 270 Nm available on demand) will be available in the all-new Volvo S60 and V60.

"We estimate reductions in fuel consumption and exhaust emissions in the region of twenty percent compared with a conventional petrol engine with larger displacement and similar performance," said Magnus Jonsson, Senior Vice President Product Development at Volvo Cars. "At the same time, the GTDi engines provide the sort of lugging power and driving feel of a modern diesel engine."

The 1.6 GTDi T4 will be available in combination with Volvo's automatic six-speed Powershift transmission or a six-speed manual gearbox, while the 1.6 GTDi T3 will only by offered with a six-speed manual gearbox.

Both variants feature a DRIVe button on the instrumentation that engages and disengages fuel-saving technology:

• The automatic version had a technology that disengages the gear if the driver releases the accelerator when the car is rolling. This creates less rolling resistance and improves fuel consumption.
• The manual version comes with a Start/Stop function that shuts off the engine when the car is standing still and the driver releases the clutch and puts the gear lever into neutral. As soon as the driver presses the clutch again the engine restarts.

According to Volvo, the GTDi engines will later also become available in an E85 (ethanol) version.