New details about Volvo’s Drive-E engines
The new Drive-E engine family from Volvo will be considerably more powerful than the current generation, with up to thirty percent more fuel efficient and ready to be integrated with next-generation hybrid technology.
The Drive-E diesel engines will produce between 90kW and 170kW, while the petrol version will be in the range of 104kW to 225kW.
According to the company the various levels of turbocharging will provide enough flexibility to offer a range of performance characteristics, ranging from optimized fuel efficiency to high power and torque variants.
Europe will be seeing the new powetrains installed in the mid-sized S60, V60 and XC60 models: the 135kW D4 diesel, the 182kW T5 petrol and the high-performance 228kW T6 petrol. The D4 and T5 versions will also be available in the larger V70, XC70 and S80 models.
This engine trio will be coupled with an enhanced six-speed manual transmission or a new eight-speed automatic.
On the diesel part of the coin, the Drive-E engine family is said to deliver lower fuel consumption than the company’s current four-cylinder engines and also higher performance than its six-cylinder offerings.
The diesels come with something Volvo called i-Art technology, which features pressure feedback from each fuel injector rather than the traditional single pressure sensor in the common rail thus allowing for continuous monitoring and adaption of fuel injection per combustion in each cylinder individually.
Each injector features its own small computer on top which monitors injection pressure and makes sure that the ideal amount of fuel is injected during each combustion cycle.
As we mentioned earlier, the engines are also prepared for electrification, the company explaining an integrated starter generator can be easily connected, and thanks to the compact size of the electric motor can be mounted either at the front or the rear of the vehicle.
