Size down; economy up. Its the new 1-litre engine from Vauxhall
Improving fuel economy is a critical part of a mainstream manufacturers design remit these days, and Vauxhall will be expecting big economy things from their new small-capacity engine.
The all-new, 1-litre, 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine – called the SGE (small gasoline engine) – will power the Vauxhall ADAM supermini first before finding its way into other Vauxhall models, and all of important stats on economy, weight and driveability are going in the right direction.
Turbocharging is the key to the new engine’s impressive and exciting-sounding characteristics, with 113bhp at the top and, more importantly for ease of driving, a good amount of low-end torque, some 166Nm, ready to use from 1,800 to 4,700rpm. This early torque should make acceleration smooth and quickly progressive; perfect for around town.
The 1-litre, spark ignition, direct injection (SIDI) turbo motor makes more torque throughout its rev range than equally powerful, higher displacement engines, while fuel efficiency is improved by 20 per cent compared with the current 1.6-litre, naturally aspirated petrol engine that powers the current Astra model. An all-new 6-speed manual gearbox designed around the new engine will also do its part for economy.
The Vauxhall engineers have clearly throw all of their economy knowhow at their new small-cc motor, with the latest technologies like direct injection, continuously variable valve timing, and a lightweight aluminium cylinder-block. All of these engine advancements come together to deliver CO2 emissions significantly lower than 100g/km, meaning no road tax and no congestion charging.
The launch early next year of this 1-litre SIDI engine is part of a full engine programme from Vauxhall that will see 13 new engines introduced between 2012 and 2016.
Posted by Sebastian Turkenberg