German automaker Daimler is in deep partnership with the Renault-Nissan Franco-Japanese car making alliance. From contract manufacturing the Citan vans for Mercedes Benz to platform sharing, the Renault-Nissan alliance is steadily making a bigger impact on the Daimler group. While Nissan is taking Mercedes Benz’s help for a new Infiniti small car based on the MFA architecture, Renault is in an engine supply pact with Mercedes Benz.
The 1.5 liter Renault K9K turbo diesel engine (A tried and tested, workhorse of a diesel motor available in a wide range of tunes) now powers an entry level diesel variant of the A-Class sports hatchback. Notably, Mercedes Benz could use the new inline-6 cylinder petrol engines developed by Renault-Nissan on future C-Class and E-Class models.
In fact, these inline-6 potters are expected to replace the current range of V6 petrol engines that Mercedes Benz uses on its cars. While the new engines are a few years away, BlogAutomobile.Fr reports that the next Renault turbo diesel engine to make a mark on a Mercedes Benz car is the 1.6 Liter DCi turbo diesel motor.
This engine is seen on cars such as the facelifted Renault Fluence sedan and the Nissan Qashqai. The 1.6 liter turbo diesel engine will output 130 PS-320 Nm and is said to be eyeing the 2015 C-Class sedan’s engine bay. The engine will serve on the entry level variant of the next generation 2015 C-Class, a car that is said to have shed over 100 kilograms of weight when compared to the current version.
Notably, the 1.6 liter Renault DCi turbo diesel engine will feature a longitudinal (north-south) mounting, meaning that the C-Class will retain its rear wheel drive architecture. On the A-Class hatchback though, the 1.5 Liter Renault K9K diesel engine is mounted transversely (east-west engine mounting), in keeping with the MFA platform based cars’ front wheel drive layout.
From the looks of it, Mercedes Benz is yet to jump on the 3 cylinder-turbo diesel engine bandwagon while BMW is betting big on its homegrown 3 pot turbo diesel motor for its entry level, 1-Series luxury range. Renault will continue to supply small capacity engines for Mercedes Benz cars , as a part of the Daimler-Renault-Nissan alliance.
Why is Mercedes Benz using the 1.6 Liter DCi turbo diesel engine on the C-Class?
The smaller 1.6 liter diesel motor is mainly intended to cope with tighter emission norms in Europe. In India though, the 2.2 Liter turbo diesel engine, found on the likes of the A-Class, and entry level models of the C-Class and the E-Class, could continue doing duty.
