New 1.4 ECOTEC turbo direct-injection engine for the new generation of the Opel Astra

New 1.4 ECOTEC turbo engine

Opel will present a new small-displacement engine at the Frankfurt Motor Show, which takes place next September, and from which the new Opel Astra will benefit. It is a new 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder ECOTEC block with direct petrol injection and will be available in two power outputs: 125 and 150 CV.

This engine will join the already familiar 1.0-litre three-cylinder ECOTEC that is already fitted to both the Opel ADAM and the new Opel Corsa. It adds to the, for now, short family of small petrol engines below 1.6 litres. In terms of performance, it could compete with 2.0-litre engines and may even end up replacing them with this new unit.

During its development, great attention was paid to dynamic response and high performance without losing sight of fuel consumption efficiency. According to test records, the turbo engine equipped with Start/Stop technology consumes only 4.9 litres of petrol per 100 km (combined cycle) and emits 114 g of CO2 per km.

New Opel Astra

The engine block was manufactured taking into account several parameters, including reduced resonance, a two-part oil sump, an integrated cylinder head in an insulated exhaust manifold, a timing cover designed to absorb noise, decoupled injection valves, and a timing chain shortened to achieve low concentricity.

Because the engine block is made entirely of aluminium, it weighs 10 kilos less than the forged steel block of the current 1.4-litre turbo. This weight saving is achieved with components such as a hollow crankshaft, an oil pump with low friction that is capable of operating at two flow levels as required. Therefore, the new Opel Astra will benefit from a powerful, efficient and quiet engine.

Downsized engines tend to be smaller, lighter and more efficient, although Opel engineers speak of “optimised displacement” when referring to the perfect balance between efficiency at high and low load of the new 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo.

Source | Opel