Peugeot is introducing a new 'Turbo 100' engine, a three-cylinder turbocharged 1.2-litre petrol engine with a swept capacity of 1,199cc.
Hang on, that sounds awfully familiar…
You're right, those are the same basic vital statistics as the long-serving Peugeot 'PureTech' petrol three-cylinder engine, first introduced way back in 2012, and which has been serving ever since in various Peugeot, Citroen, DS, and Opel models.
So, is this actually a new engine?
Yes, it is. The Turbo 100 uses some of the basic architecture of the PureTech, but Peugeot claims that it's 70 per cent new by component count. It's not just small components that are new, either - according to Peugeot, the Turbo 100 timing chain, turbocharger, injection system, pistons, and cylinder block, among other items, are all new.
How much power does the Turbo 100 have?
Guess. Go on, guess. Nope, you're wrong - it's actually 101hp, but we guess Peugeot just felt Turbo 100 was a snappier name than Turbo 101. That 101hp (or 74kW if you're being all metric about it) is produced at 5,500rpm while the engine's 205Nm of torque is made at a low 1,750rpm.
While that doesn't sound like a lot of torque, Peugeot claims that the engine's variable-geometry turbo means that it's very drivable at low speeds.
Will it be economical?
It certainly should be. The old PureTech engine was pretty frugal, so we'd be expecting an upgrade from that, and Peugeot says that the fuel injection system uses a 350 bar high pressure injection system, and has a valve timing system that reduces internal friction, as well as new piston heads and a combustion operation based on the Miller cycle with a high compression ratio, improving the thermal efficiency.
I thought Miller Cycle engines were usually used in hybrids?
Yes, they are, and we suspect that is exactly what this engine has been designed for. Doubtless, in base 101hp spec, the Turbo 100 can be a standalone powerplant for entry-level models, but it will be used more and more in combination with a battery and an electric motor, from mild-hybrids all the way up to big-battery range-extenders.
Will it be reliable?
Almost certainly. Peugeot says that the new engine has been through more than 30,000 hours on test benches reproducing all driving situations. Prototype vehicles equipped with the Turbo 100 have totalled more than three-0million kilometres of driving, with several vehicles exceeding 200,000 kilometres. Peugeot's confident enough in this new engine that its recommended servicing interval has been stretched to every two years or 25,000 km (previously every one year or 20,000 km). It doubtless helps that this new Turbo 100 engine uses a timing chain, and not a belt.