As part of the engine strategy of the Volkswagen brand the modular diesel component system (MDB) is being expanded to include a new 1.4 litre 3-cylinder engine. The development focused on achieving a clear reduction in weight and fuel consumption as against the predecessor engine as well as improved performance.
The compact construction enables it to be fitted in the Volkswagen Group's A0 and A segment vehicles. The new 3-cylinder TDI will initially be available in three power ratings (55, 66 and 77 kW) with a torque range of 210 to 250 Nm.
The example of the 55 kW engine clearly shows the progress made: whilst 177 Nm acted on the crankshaft of the predecessor engine that also had an output of 55 kW, the new engine has 210 Nm – an impressive increase of 20 per cent.
The new TDI engines, which all comply with emissions standard EU6, are replacing all previous diesel engines (1.2 litre 3-cylinder TDI and 1.6 litre 4-cylinder TDI) in the Polo.
A focus of the development activities for both the TSI and TDI engines was on reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. In conjunction with measures relating to the transmission and BlueMotion Technology, a reduction in fuel consumption of up to 21 percent has been achieved compared with the predecessors, which were already fuel-efficient. Despite the additional technology modules needed to comply with the demanding emission regulations, an uncompromising lightweight design and the switch to an aluminium cylinder crankcase enabled a weight reduction of approximately eleven kilograms compared with the previous 3-cylinder engine. The weight reduction as against the discontinued 4-cylinder engine is even around 30 kilograms.