- Brian Byrne
New, more efficient, Opel engines
24 June 2003: Opel has announced a new range of more efficient engines with fuel savings of up to 23 per cent over their predecessors.
They include the 2.2 DIRECT ECOTEC, the first petrol direct injection engine from Opel, and a new 1.3-litre common rail turbo-diesel with Multi-Injection technology, developed in conjunction with Fiat.
After the debut of the 1.6 TWINPORT ECOTEC 103 hp in the Astra, two new TWINPORT units with 1.0- and 1.4-litre displacement will be launched. The 1.0 TWINPORT ECOTEC is based on the proven one-litre, three-cylinder engine and will be available for the Corsa and Agila, while the 1.4 TWINPORT ECOTEC for the Corsa is a brand new design based on the 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine.
All of the new units are Euro 4 emission compliant.
The 1- and 1.4-litre engines displacement with 60 hp and 90 hp outputs will be introduced in a facelifted Corsa this summer.
Opel is also celebrating the debut of the new 1.3 CDTI ECOTEC 70 hp in the Corsa. The smallest four-cylinder common rail turbo-diesel in the world requires only 4.5 litres of diesel per 100 kilometers.
The updated Agila also benefits from the savings potential of the 1.3 CDTI ECOTEC and the 1.0 TWINPORT ECOTEC as of this summer. After its debut in the Signum, Opel’s first petrol direct injection unit, the 2.2 DIRECT ECOTEC 155 hp, will also be offered in the new Vectra station wagon. It provides a fuel consumption savings of approximately six percent when compared to the conventional 2.2-litre manifold injection engine, while at the same time providing more torque and power.
TWINPORT technology builds on the standard four-valve technology of ECOTEC engines and reduces the principal disadvantage of petrol engines, the so-called throttling losses. The savings is achieved via a variable intake manifold in combination with a high rate of exhaust gas recirculation.
In partial load operation the engine receives more than an additional 25 percent of its fuel air mixture from the already burnt exhaust gas that is recycled back into the mix. The advantages of TWINPORT technology are obtained with the retention of the proven inlet pipe fuel injection system and the principle of exhaust emission control by three-way catalytic converter technology.
In the Opel Meriva and in the new Opel Corsa starting in the autumn, a new 1.7 CDTI ECOTEC engine with 100 hp will be available. The Euro 4 complying common rail turbo-diesel with 1800 bar injection pressure features a turbo with variable turbine geometry and develops a maximum torque of 240 Newton meters. The fuel consumption in the Corsa is only 4.8 litres (Meriva 5.3 litres) per 100 km.
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