Volvo is in the midst of a major lineup overhaul that will include new engines, a new modular platform, and an even larger envelope of safety and convenience technology. While the new platform and a host of new tech are still under development, Volvo fans at last have something fresh to chew on, in the form of the brand’s all-new engine family. Dubbed Drive-E, the four-cylinder engine architecture consists of gas and diesel iterations, both of which will proliferate Volvo’s lineup and replace the current crop of fours, fives, and sixes.
The Drive-E family hits the ground running with a host of advanced technologies and impressive power figures. And the engines need those two perks in order to adequately fill the void left by the brand’s T5 turbocharged inline-five and T6 turbocharged inline-six engines, which will begin to be phased out next year, leaving only four-cylinder and smaller engines. Globally, Drive-E will launch in three variations, two gas-fed and one diesel, and they confusingly will keep the current engine names used today: T5 and T6 (D4 for the diesel). The lower-spec T5 gas engine—a 2.0-liter four—and the D4 diesel are turbocharged, but the higher-output T6 gas four-cylinder (also a 2.0-liter) is turbocharged and supercharged. The supercharger is employed at lower revs for responsiveness, and a turbocharger at higher rpm for continued power with better efficiency. Output stands at an impressive 302 horsepower, while the turbo-only T5 Drive-E still makes a healthy 240 horses. The D4 diesel, which for now is confirmed only for Europe, will make between 120 and 230 horsepower, but launches with 181.
Volvo points out that the output figures for all Drive-E–equipped models could climb even higher with hybridization. The engine family was designed from the outset to accept future electrification. Other efficiency-enhancing technologies include a standard stop-start system and brake-energy recuperation, a friction-reducing ball-bearing-supported camshaft, and an electric water pump. The diesel includes clever electronic (Volvo calls it i-Art) trickery to more precisely meter fuel delivery to each cylinder. Although a common-rail fuel-delivery setup is used, each injector gets its own sensor and computer that allow the engine-management brain to optimize each cylinder’s fuel use for better combustion and efficiency, rather than taking a single fuel-pressure reading from the rail.
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The new engines will mate to a new eight-speed automatic transmission, at least here in the U.S. Overseas, a six-speed manual also will be compatible, and we’re holding out hope that it someday makes its way here in a performance Volvo model. Between the new transmission and the neat technologies, Volvo claims that the Drive-E engines will return between 10 and 30 percent fuel savings, depending on which existing Volvo engine you compare them to. Unfortunately, the brand hasn’t yet outlined which U.S. models will get the new engines, or specific fuel-economy estimates. The automaker so far has only revealed that the T5 and T6 Drive-Es will be offered alongside the current five- and six-cylinder engines here starting early next year. In Europe, all three engines will soon be available in the S60, V60, and XC60; the V70, XC70, and S80 will get the T5 and D4. We applaud Volvo’s ambitious efforts to overhaul its engine lineup—which is neither cheap nor easy—and look forward to sampling the new downsized mills.
Source: CarAndDriver
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