Volvo continues to chase better fuel economy with the development of a new three-cylinder engine, which will sit alongside the Swedish brand's Drive-E four-cylinder motors in its lineup.
The new Volvo block joins the global trend for downsizing with big manufacturers like Ford, Mini and Audi chasing better fuel efficiency through small, three cylinder engines that challenge the idea that "there's no replacement for displacement."
The three-cylinder engine is designed to work in a raft of different Volvo cars, and takes advantage of the company's experience with turbocharging to deliver plenty of power from the small block.
Peak power for the engine is currently claimed to be 180 hp (134 kW), a figure which is significantly higher than the 95 hp (75 kW) that Audi's 1.0-liter, three-cylinder petrol engine produces in the updated A1.
"We have learned a lot from the development of our 4-cylinder Drive-E engines and translated this into a highly responsive, compact and powerful premium-quality 3-cylinder engine," says Michael Fleiss, Vice President Powertrain at Volvo Car Group.
Fleiss says that the new engine will meet Euro 7 emission targets (though we are not sure exactly what that translates to at this point) and offers a flexible production option as the brand continues to grow. Production will take place on the same line that Volvo uses for its four-cylinder engines, which also helps keep costs down.
Source: Volvo
"Volvo Cars today confirms its production program to develop a lightweight 3-cylinder petrol engine. The engine, wholly developed in Sweden, will join the class-leading 4-cylinder Drive-E engines in displaying Volvo’s engineering prowess and commitment to efficient power."
Must be spark plugs hidden away somewhere.
However, what this article does not mention (Volvo may not have released that information) is how big the engine is.
The jury is still out on longevity of the current batch of small-cap downsized 3 cylinders, such as from Ford. However, where experiments have taken place with replacing typically 9-11 litre diesel bus engines (typical for a British double-decker) with a 6 litre diesel, turbocharged to the nth degree, they have proved a disaster. So in some instances, there ain't no substitute for cubes, as our ex-Colonial cousins across the Pond are fond of remarking.