3-cylinder engines
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Volvo currently offers plug-in hybrid powertrains in its top models—the XC90 SUV, S90 sedan, and V90. As the Swedish automaker redesigns its lower-level models, it will add plug-in hybrid options to them as well. But whereas the current T8 "Twin Engine" powertrain uses a 4-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive, other models will use a downsized setup. CHECK OUT: Volvo will build compact electric car in 2019, along with larger model (May 2016) Volvo's next "Twin Engine" plug-in hybrid powertrain will be based around a 3-cylinder engine, with front-wheel drive, reports Green Car Congress...
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2016 Chevy Volt Range-Extending Engine To Have 75 HP?Electric power is only one part of the Chevrolet Volt equation. While it's a part that covers two thirds of all Volt miles driven, the other third is handled by its range-extending 1.4-liter Ecotec gasoline engine. The 2016 Chevrolet Volt is expected to downsize to a three-cylinder unit to boost...
Antony Ingram -
Ford's Three-Cylinder Engine Does Well In Fiesta; Focus Next Up
Three cylinders is about three-quarters what many U.S. consumers will tolerate, about half the number they prefer and three eighths that of what some consider ideal. It may come as a surprise then that Ford's 1.0-liter EcoBoost three-cylinder, as found in the Fiesta, is actually beating Ford's...
Antony Ingram -
Daimler Plans 3-Cylinder Engines For Future Compact Hybrids
Three-cylinder engines were popular with Japanese automakers back in the 1980s and 1990s, as a way of reducing weight and fuel consumption in smaller vehicles. Now, they're making a resurgence, as low weight and improved efficiency are once again at the forefront of automakers' development tasks...
Antony Ingram -
Downsized 3-Cylinder Engines Not Refined Enough For Mercedes
Three-cylinder engines are all the rage right now. Once the preserve of basic economy cars, they're now used in everything from the latest generation of economy vehicles, through sporty hatchbacks like the 2015 MINI Cooper and Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost, to BMW's i8 plug-in hybrid sports car...
Antony Ingram -
2015 Ford Focus To Offer Fuel-Efficient 1.0 EcoBoost Option In U.S.
Ford's global 'One Ford' policy means that fewer and fewer cars in the manufacturer's range are sold in just one market--they need to be viable worldwide to be viable as a whole. That's why you can buy Fiestas in the U.S, while Fusions and Mustangs will soon be on sale in Europe. It's also why the...
Antony Ingram -
It's been expected for some time that the next generation Chevrolet Volt could use a smaller, more efficient and likely three-cylinder power unit as its range-extending engine. Now, we may be getting our first glimpse of that engine, in a more conventional installation than last year's Opel Monza concept. GM's European arm Opel is launching a new 1.0-liter 3-cylinder turbocharged powerplant at this year's Geneva Motor Show in early March. It'll first see service under the hood of the Opel Adam--a stylish MINI and Fiat 500 rival designed to pull fashion-conscious buyers away from those marques...
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2014 MINI Cooper: 3-Cylinder Subcompact Breaks Cover
It's the world's best-known small car, and it's all new for 2014. It is of course the MINI Cooper, though you might have stumbled over the phrase "all new", since a quick glance won't really reveal what parent company BMW has changed--the quirky retro styling is as familiar as ever. BMW has changed...
Antony Ingram -
2014 Ford Fiesta EcoBoost Priced, 45 MPG Highway Too
Ever since Mitsubishi revealed its gas-sipping Mirage was capable of 40 mpg combined, we've awaited the figures for Ford's 1.0-liter EcoBoost Fiesta with interest. That wait is now at an end, with Ford's customer website and the EPA's FuelEconomy.gov website both confirming the three-cylinder...
Antony Ingram -
Forbidden Fruit: Europe's Ford Focus 3-Cyl EcoBoost Gets Even Greener
As the U.S. still eagerly awaits the introduction of the 3-cylinder EcoBoost Ford Fiesta, European drivers are buying Ford's tiny-engined cars in their droves. Various versions off the 1.0-liter, three-cylinder, turbocharged gasoline unit are available in both the Fiesta and larger Focus--and when...
Antony Ingram -
2025 Gas Mileage Reachable With 'Radical Downsizing' HyBoost Engine, Says Ricardo
Noticed engines getting smaller recently? You're not alone. "Downsizing", as it's called, involves using a smaller engine to do the work of a larger alternative--usually through turbocharging--while enjoying the fuel efficiency benefits associated with its size. Engineering firm Ricardo thinks this...
Antony Ingram -
BMW's Small Front-Wheel-Drive Models Confirmed For U.S. Launch
To many auto enthusiasts, the term "front-wheel-drive BMW" is one that fills them with dread. BMWs have always been rear-wheel drive, a layout that offers balance and handling purity rarely found on front-drive vehicles. Dreaded or not, BMW has confirmed that its first front-wheel-drive models (not...
Antony Ingram -
The car you're looking at is the result of German automotive giant Volkswagen filling another niche in the market. Among its portfolio of worldwide brands there are very few shapes and sizes not yet explored, and the Volkswagen Taigun Concept adds a compact crossover to the list. Unveiled at the Sao Paulo Motor Show currently underway in Brazil, the Taigun is Volkswagen's interpretation of a rival for the Nissan Juke. At around 12'8" long, and 5'8" wide, it's actually almost a foot shorter than the Juke, and an inch narrower. A relatively long wheelbase and short overhangs front and rear...
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Confirmed: U.S. Mini Will Soon Get 3-Cylinder Engine Option
At last week’s Paris Auto Show, BMW unveiled the Concept Active Tourer, a compact plug-in hybrid wagon powered by a combination of battery power and a 3-cylinder gasoline engine. At the moment, BMW’s new 1.5-liter, 3-cylinder engine, designed in part for use in its upcoming i8 plug-in...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2012 Ford Focus 3-Cylinder: Quick Drive Report
Downsizing: The car industry's buzzword for both consumers shopping for smaller cars than their previous model, and carmakers equipping their models with smaller, more efficient engines. Both are linked to lowering the cost of driving, but the latter is most interesting from an efficiency...
Antony Ingram
