Three major developments: 105hp 1.5 dCi with six-speed manual gearbox, 130hp 1.9dCi with particulate filter, 205hp 2.0 turbo Renault is presenting three new engines. A 1.5dCi engine boosted to 105hp (78kW) is fitted to Modus. It is teamed with a new six-speed manual gearbox co-developed by Renault and Nissan. This powertrain will equip several models in the B and C segments. The 1.9dCi engine evolves with a 130hp (96kW) Euro 4 version fitted with a periodic regeneration particulate filter. On display at Geneva on Grand Scénic, it will be fitted to the Mégane range and New Laguna. Finally, a 205hp (150kW) 2.0 T unit, derived from the Mégane Renault Sport engine, equips the Laguna GT. Renault is presenting at the Geneva Motor Show a Modus powered by a 105hp 1.5 dCi diesel engine coupled with a new six-speed manual gearbox developed jointly by Renault and Nissan. The new engine brings further improvements on the 100hp 1.5 dCi diesel from which it is derived, with power up from 100hp (74kW) to 106hp (78kW) at 4000 rpm, and torque up by 20%, from 200 Nm to 240 Nm at 2000 rpm. Performance rises accordingly, with a racetrack top speed of 186kph and acceleration from standstill to 100kph in 11.2 seconds. This version of the 1.5 dCi engine carries over all the technologies that made the 100hp version so successful (second-generation common rail, multi-vane variable-nozzle turbocharger, 1600 bar injection pressure) and adds a few more. The solenoid injectors on the 100hp version give way to six-hole piezo-electric injectors on the new unit. Siemens piezo-electric technology makes multi-injection a viable proposition: with the tuning adopted, the response of the new injectors (four times quicker than a solenoid injector) is fast enough for three injections per cycle: pilot, main and post. With dosing even more precise than before, the pilot injection stage improves acoustics by minimizing the diesel clatter effect, especially at idle speed. The post-
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injection stage helps cut down on pollutant emissions by burning off the soot produced during combustion. The new engine thus achieves benchmark fuel consumption and pollutant emission performance for this vehicle category: 124 g of CO2/km in a mixed cycle on Modus. Another major upgrade concerns piston geometry, which also contributes to compliance with the Euro 4 emission standards. Vehicle acoustics are further improved by using a twin-mass damping flywheel, which cuts out booming noise at low engine speeds. Noise is further reduced by the specially developed wide-faced cylinder block and fourth powertrain mounting point. And multi-injection technology (with the pilot injection stage in particular) cuts down combustion noise. The 105hp 1.5 dCi engine is assembled at the Renault plant in Valladolid, Spain. First jointly developed gearbox from Renault and Nissan The 105hp 1.5 dCi engine is available with a new six-speed manual gearbox. It was jointly engineered by Renault and Nissan under the Alliance’s third powertrain co-development project (following on from the 1.4 and 1.6 litre petrol engines). The new manual gearbox does not come as a replacement for any existing gearbox. Through Renault-Nissan cooperation on cost control, the new unit offers excellent value with the best in available technology. Powertrain cooperation is based on established Alliance practice, with Renault leading projects in manual gearbox technologies and Nissan in automatic transmissions. Co-development marks the second major stage in powertrain cooperation across the Alliance partners, following on from the cross-sourcing of engines and gearboxes. With maximum torque of 240 Nm, the new gearbox addresses small and mid-sized petrol and diesel engines. The sixth gear brings further improvements in response and fuel consumption. While closer-spaced ratios for the first five speeds make the most of engine response, the sixth enables the driver to cruise at a lower engine speed, which means lower noise levels and lower fuel consumption. Motorway fuel consumption is about 10% lower than with the J gearbox on a mixed cycle. Triple-cone synchronization for the first two gears, plus synchronized reverse, lend the new unit excellent driveability. This new two-shaft gearbox is particularly compact and lightweight (41 kg, which is just 10% heavier than the J gearbox) considering its torque capacity of 240 Nm. It is made at the Renault powertrain plant in Sevilla, Spain. The initial plant capacity of 450,000 units per year breaks down as 80% for Renault and 20% for Nissan, with Renault and Nissan splitting industrial
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investment on the basis of the volumes used. Renault will be introducing the new six-speed manual gearbox along with the 105hp 1.5 dCi engine on Modus and Mégane in 2005.