Renault & Mercedes Develop New City Engine

The Renault-Nissan alliance has developed a new engine by teaming up with Daimler (Mercedes-Benz). This is a small capacity 1,330cc motor which promises to be more powerful and efficient than then the current lot. It is initially available only with Renault Scénic and Grand Scénic in France but will debut on other Renault cars from 2018. Since it has been developed in alliance with Mercedes-Benz, we expect the same to be a part of the German manufacturer's lineup as well, maybe as soon as the new Mercedes-Benz A-Class.

It is available in three different states of tune - Energy TCe 115,  Energy TCe 140 and Energy TCe 160. The specifications of each one of them in France are as follows.

As you can see, the new engine is available with both a 6-speed manual and a 7-speed automatic transmission. With a range of 115PS to 160PS, the engine can find its use from hatchbacks, to VPVs and even compact SUVs. This engine has been developed for city use and hence, the technologies used are centred around the same.

Renault has managed to gain this output and kept the emissions and fuel consumption relatively low by including Bore Spray Coating in the engine. It is a cylinder coating technology from the Nissan GT-R's engine, which improves efficiency, by reducing friction and optimizing heat transfer. Also, the direct fuel injection pressure has been raised by 250 bar and a specific combustion chamber design optimises the fuel/air mix. This results in more torque at low revs and a linear torque map resulting in better everyday drivability. 

In India, we don't see Renault bringing this engine soon, but we might see it first with Mercedes-Benz, if they decide to use the same in the upcoming A-Class.