Jaguar Land Rover have a renewed vigour – not only have they set up the JLR SVO (Special Vehicle Operations) division to produce some seriously potent performance vehicles, but they’re on the verge of releasing the new Jaguar XE to rival BMW’s 3 Series, and now they’ve released details on a new modular engine family, dubbed Ingenium.
So, is the Ingenium engine family going to be an ingenious development for the brand? It looks like it – JLR claim the new modular engine family to be up to 80Kg lighter than current engines, and the emissions figures are nothing short of incredible with the entry level engines emitting less than 100g/km on the CO2 scales.
So what is it that makes Ingenium tick? Well to put it simply, Ingenium is a lightweight, modular engine platform that will be used for both turbocharged petrol and diesel engines. The modules measure 500cc per cylinder, and will start with a base of a 1.5-litre 3-pot turbo unit, with a theoretical (realistic) top spec engine boasting a 6.0-litre output in a V12 configuration. Sounds good, doesn’t it.
The first Ingenium engine to debut will be a 2.0-litre turbodiesel 4-pot known as the AJ200D. Jaguar Land Rover claim friction has been reduced by 17% to decrease energy wastage and increase throttle response and fuel efficiency. The power outputs are likely to be around 135kW and 380Nm in base trim, with higher states of tune a definite possibility. This AJ200D will probably debut in the upcoming Jaguar XE to compete against the BMW 320d.
Lightweight construction, variable fuel, oil, and water pumps, piston cooling, direct fuel injection, variable valve timing, and start-stop technology will all culminate into what will hopefully be the start of something beautiful for Jaguar Land Rover.
We can’t wait to see the final result and the thoughts of either a twin-turbo 4-litre V8 or 6-litre V12 definitely get our blood pumping.
