Volvo's New 2.4 Diesel: 37.9 MPG, 205 HP

Volvo has just unveiled what seems to be the perfect engine addressed to recession times: a 2.4-liter 5-cylinder Euro 5 diesel, particularly focused on fuel economy and CO2 emissions but still capable of developing a remarkable power. Just to give you a hint regarding the new engine's features, it produces a maximum power of 205 hp, a torque of 420 Nm, a fuel consumption of 6.2 liters per 100 km plus CO2 emissions of 164 g/km. This means that S80, the first Volvo model to benefit from all these attributes, will become the best in its class, the Swedish manufacturer proudly said in a press statement.

"Our brief was to develop a modern performance diesel that meets the Euro 5 norm," says Derek Crabb, Vice President, Powertrain Engineering. "The previous engine generation has undergone constant development in a series of stages and had reached the end of its potential. We therefore decided to start with a clean sheet of paper and harness the advanced technology to which we have access today. The result is even better than we dared hope. What is more, this engine has been developed entirely in-house at Volvo."

“How's that possible?” you may ask. Well, according to Volvo, the new engine is entirely made of aluminum which reduced the overall weight and provides good heat dissipation. Engineers implements two turbochargers of different sizes which can provide a boost of power at any particular rev, with the smaller one primarily used at low revs while the larger one is activated at higher revs. The piezoelectric fuel injectors were especially implement to create a very high injection pressure of around 1800 bar, the Swedish automaker explained.

"The modular approach also makes the engine easier to build in the factory," reveals Derek Crabb. "In order to create the right preconditions for assembly, with good ergonomics for the fitters and high production quality, we have implemented an ongoing exchange of experiences and ideas with the very experienced staff in our engine factory."

And because we're sure there are many tech lovers/car enthusiasts who'd like to view the whole list of specifications, here they are:

No. of cylinders: 5
Displacement, cc/cu inches: 2400/146.5
Bore, mm/inches: 81.0/3.19
Stroke, mm/inches: 93.15/3.667
No. of valves: 20
Camshafts: Twin overhead
Compression ratio:16.5:1
Idling revs: 700
Max revs: 5000
Max output (kW/rps): 151/67
Max output (hp/rpm): 205/4000
Max output (Eng hp/rpm): 202/4000
Max torque (Nm/rps): 420/29-50
Max torque (kpm/rpm): 42.8/1500-3250
Max torque (ft.lbf/rpm): 310/1500-3250
Engine management system: Electronically controlled common rail direct injection
Injection pressure, bar: 1800
Turbo pressure, kPa: 180
Particulate filter: Self-regenerating