ZEEGNITION/Ishaan Rastogi
We discuss the evolution of engines by focusing on the new Jaguar XJ and Maruti Celerio hatchback to give a unique perspective on how a wide range of companies are adopting smaller engines in a bid to sustain the inevitable crisis that will be caused by the dwindling supply of petroleum left on Earth.
Consider the new Jaguar XJ.
The British company’s flagship limousine is known for its seductive design, sumptuous and feature rich cabin and impeccable drive. The XJ exudes classiness and has been moulded to satisfy its passengers’ every whim and fancy when on the move be it a mid-ride massage or control over the temperature of its seats. Is the 2015 version up to scratch in every one of those departments? Most certainly. Now consider Maruti Suzuki’s Celerio diesel. The little hatchback epitomises functionality and comes equipped with all the basic in-car features required to make your city commutes a bit more pleasant without searing a hole through your wallet. At this juncture, it may seem quite whimsical to try and cover these two completely different cars under one umbrella. There is however one key factor that brings these two completely different cars together; the evolution of their engines.
Since the dawn of the automotive industry, the big car market has been inundated with massive engines which resulted in a power struggle between competitors. Jaguar has been an integral part of the aforementioned segment and has in the past equipped its top end offerings with mammoth V8 engines capable of competing with its European and American rivals. As a result, a lot of people were taken aback when Jaguar announced that the crown jewel in its repertoire, the XJ super-sedan, would be available with a parsimonious 2.0 litre engine.
At the other end of the spectrum, smaller car manufacturers chose to sell cars with economical engines to attract a vast majority of the price conscious consumer market. Taking India as an example, most sub-Rs 20 lakh cars come with 4-cylinder engines whose capacities tend to range between 1-2.5 litres depending on vehicle size. Additionally, pretty much all diesel variants are furnished with higher capacity engines than their petrol siblings and cost a bit more as well. In a first of its kind venture to break free from this trend, Maruti Suzuki has recently launched a diesel variant of its Celerio hatchback and has shocked the market by launching it with a 2-cylinder diesel mill. Therein lies the singular similarity between the giant XJ and the comparatively minuscule Celerio- small is the new big!
The green revolution has finally caught on among automotive manufacturers as the startling lack of fossil fuels has well and truly been realised to be a bitter truth rather than a pessimistic over exaggeration. Rather than channelling vast amounts of research into packing vehicles with powerful high-capacity engines, engineers are now trying to steer the industry towards more economical solutions without impeding the improvements in vehicle performance. In fact, the development of smaller hybrid engines has not only reduced the amount of oil burned by super cars but has substantially increased the power output as is the case with the sublime McLaren P1. Manufacturers are now concentrating on innovations that are set to reduce the dependence of the human race on fossil fuels or at the least reduce the rate of its usage. The most relevant of such creations is the increased adoption of the turbocharger.
The basic functioning of a turbocharger involves increasing the amount of air and fuel forced into the combustion chamber thereby increasing the engine’s efficiency and power output. Shifting market trends highlight the dependence that modern manufacturers have on turbochargers to pep-up their engines. Diesel engines in particular, tend to have erratic power bands and turbochargers help eliminate this issue by allowing for more oomph especially in lower gears. Petrol engines are a lot more refined with well-defined low range power surges and hence the addition of turbochargers to standard cars is an unnecessary expense. In the case of the XJ, a turbocharger was most definitely a necessary expense. When compared to its petrol powered entry level German counterparts, the BMW 750Li equipped with a 4.4 litre twin turbocharged V8 and the 4 litre bi-turbo V8 armed Audi A8L 60 TFSI, the XJ’s measly entry level 2.0 litre turbocharged i4 engine is a bit underwhelming.
However the addition of the turbocharger ensures that the luxury sedan gets an adequate 240PS of power and 320Nm of torque. At the cost of being a tad bit underpowered, the titchy engine does offer a fabulously smooth and silent ride and in all honesty, most people who look at purchasing the XJ in upcoming nations like India and China prefer to be driven around by chauffeurs and thus, power output isn’t necessarily an essential. Furthermore, the Jaguar’s predominantly aluminium body results in it being more than 200 kgs lighter than both the BMW and the Audi resulting in a fairly competitive power-to-weight ratio. At the end of the day, a smaller, lighter engine directly equates to a lower cost point and as a result the Jaguar manages to undercut the A8L and 750Li by a whopping margin of Rs 40-50 lakhs.
The Celerio diesel on the other hand is testimony to Maruti’s endeavours at being self-reliant when it comes to diesel technology given that they have been using Fiat sourced diesel engines for the Swift hatchback for quite some time. The revolutionary turbocharged 793cc DDiS mill only has 2-cylinders and has been completely designed in-house by engineers at Maruti. As a result of the frugal approach adopted by Maruti, the Celerio vaunts an ARAI claimed 27.62 kmpl fuel efficiency making it one of India’s most economical cars thanks to its superlight 89 kgs engine. We had a chance to test the diesel Celerio out and the verdict was a positive one. The car revs well in the lower gears and is overall a fantastic little budget car that is great to live with in a congested city.
Observing the quick change in technology over this current decade is vital in order to predict the type of cars that will dominate future markets. With company’s such as Tesla gaining popularity thanks to their functional electric cars, established manufacturers such as Ford still rely on fossil fuels and are forced to come up with innovative measures to improve fuel efficiency rather than do away with fuel dependent engines altogether. The Eco Sport set the compact SUV market ablaze with its 1.0 litre Ecoboost engine whereas the Mustang muscle car made waves in America when it was unveiled that the 2.3 litre 4-cylinder Ecoboost would make 10bhp more than the oil-hungry 3.7 litre V6. The world of motorsport has embraced the green revolution as well with Formula 1 now restricting engine size to sensible 1.6 litre V6s as compared with the early 90’s when they came fitted with monstrous 3.5 litre V12s. The future of automobiles lies entirely in the hands of the brilliant engineers of the world to continue coming up with enforceable solutions to reduce engine sizes and increase the effectiveness of add-on technologies that will help cope with the loss of power. Smaller capacity engines are the new rage in today’s day and age will continue to be a pillar of the automotive industry until another viable alternative is unearthed.
