Renault Unveils New 1.6-liter Twin Turbo Diesel with 160 HP
Renault, The automaker has revealed its new 1598cc engine. A brand new 1.6-liter twin-turbo diesel was announced today, producing 160 hp and 380 Nm of torque. Up until this point, most 1.6-liter turbodiesel engines on the market offered somewhere between 90 and 130 hp with up to 300 Nm of torque. The class leader is Opels 136 hp unit from the Astra, followed by the 1.6 dCi 130 from Nissan and Renault.
The twin-turbo system comprises two sequential turbo-compressors:
• The second turbo assumes the reins at the higher-end and produces high power (100hp per litre) at faster engine speeds to ensure smooth, linear, dependable acceleration right the way up to maximum revs.
The oil-burner comes equipped with two turbos and this is the reason behind the large power output figures that the company is claiming. In comparison, Audi’s 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine, that powers the A4, Q5, A6 produces 177 BHP of power and 380 Nm of torque. This clearly shows that even though Renault has downsized on the engine capacity, the power output is similar to a 2.0-litre unit.
Renault will plonk this new engine in its D and E segment vehicles that cater to premium segments. These vehicles compete with the likes of the BMW 320d and Audi A4 and going by the specs and fuel efficiency quotes from the company, we feel the automaker will benefit greatly with this new engine and we also hope that they come out with similar engines in lower states of tune to power smaller vehicles.
