Volvo today confirmed it is testing its new DrivE range of three-cylinder engines. And small doesn’t mean slender; Volvo’s three-pots develop up to 180bhp.
The engine range will complement the existing four-cylinder DrivE family; lopping a cylinder off will save even more weight and – we expect – add a growl of triple character.
The new petrol engines are being wholly developed by Volvo in Sweden, the company said.
Volvo DrivE three-cylinder engines
The Swedish company has a long history of developing its own engines, and it’s not the first time it’s made them modular. Remember the (insert compulsory ‘warbling’ description here) Volvo five-cylinder of the 1980s and ‘90s?
The new three-pots are more about saving fuel and CO2 grammes, of course, rather than aural excitement or outright power. But with up to 180bhp promised, it’s obvious that these diminutive engines will be heavily turbocharged.
‘We have learned a lot from the development of our four-cylinder DriveE engines and translated this into a highly responsive, compact and powerful premium quality three-cylinder engine,’ said Michael Fleiss, Volvo’s vice president of powertrains. ‘The engine is being developed primarily with our new [small-car] CMA architecture in mind but will also provide power for our 60 Series cars thanks to Volvo’s advanced turbo technologies, while also meeting Euro 7 emission targets.’
Petrol only
The three-cylinder engine will go down the same line as the four-pots, making it more efficient for Volvo to build at its Swedish factory.
Volvo has already started testing the three-pot engines in V40s in various states of tune, from 150bhp to 180bhp. It’ll also be used in the Twin Engine plug-in hybrid powertrain being prepared for the new XC90.