Lead by Formula 1, turbocharging in back in vogue and F1 engine supplier Renault is in the game, announcing its first twin-turbocharged diesel engine.
The ‘Energy’ dCi 160 twin turbo, as the name suggests, deliver 160hp (118kW) and 380Nm of torque.
Those sort of figures put Renault’s 1.6-litre turbo-diesel into the realm of 2.0-litre engine – but with fuel consumption around 25 per-cent lower.
Like other twin-turbo engines, Renault’s new powerplant uses a low-inertia turbocharger for brisk low-range acceleration (90 per-cent of peak torque from 1500rpm) with the second turbocharger kicking-in at higher engine speeds.
Straight from F1, Renault’s new 1.6-litre twin-turbo diesel features diamond-like super-finishing of the cam followers, u-section piston rings and a transverse water flow system.
Renault says we can expect to see the new twin-turbo diesel engine powering new, large ‘D’ and ‘E’ segment vehicles.
