Volvo will soon launch its smallest ever engine, a 1.5-litre 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine. The new engine will first be available on the XC40 and will form the base model of the SUV in the United Kingdom. The new engine will make 156 bhp of peak power and 265 Nm of peak torque and will be mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox for now. With this engine, the Volvo XC40 is set to do the 0-100 kmph sprint in 9.4-seconds. That said, even with such a small engine, the rated towing capacity of the XC40 (which is a very important feature in the UK), is set to be 1600 kg.
Also Read: Volvo XC40 vs BMW X1 vs Audi Q3 vs Mercedes-Benz GLA
A few years ago, Volvo announced that the biggest engine that it will offer on any car in the world will be a turbocharged 4-cylinder 2-litre motor. Even the high powered versions that used to get V8 engines have now been replaced with a 2-litre turbocharged version that also gets an addon hybrid setup. The new smaller engines are a step in the right direction and follows what automakers like Audi (with the A3 and A4) and Mercedes-Benz (with the upcoming C-Class) are going in.
Volvo also announced last year that in a few years, every single Volvo SUV and car offered around the world will have an electric option with either a plug-in hybrid or a full electric variant. This will include both the standard Volvo models and the high end - and rather sexy - Polestar badged models. While the Volvo XC40 in India is only available in a 2-litre diesel engine option, we will not be surprised if this smaller engine makes its way to India soon too.
