Renault has unboxed an all-new 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol engine that is likely to feature under the bonnets of many vehicles across various brands.
The engine, co-developed by four companies – Renault, Nissan, Mitsubishi and Mercedes-Benz – is expected to be used in Renault’s Clio, Captur, Megane and Kadjar, the Nissan’s Qashqai and next-generation Mercedes-Benz A-Class family.
The French car maker is the first company to formally announce the engine, stating that it will initially be available in Scénic MPV models in Europe before being rolled out to others through 2018 and beyond.
Renault will offer the turbo in four states of tune – TCe 115 (85kW), TCe 140 (103kW) and TCe 160 (118kW) – but other brands could tune it to their own preferences.
Designed to produce more torque at lower revs and constant availability at higher rpm, it features high-pressure direct injection as well as a cylinder coating technology inherited from Nissan’s GT-R.
The top spec TCe 160 produces 260Nm of torque in manual form or 270Nm with the EDC gearbox, broadly available between 1750 and 3700 revs.
The company says the 1.3T engine, will replace the current 1.2T, and be offered with manual or EDC dual-clutch transmission.
