“Toyota's 1-litre three-cylinder is clearly
the best in its class. Fleet drivers tell
me that this engine is indestructible!”
Robert Bielecki, motoring journalist
Press "Play" to view the video of the winner.
This time last year, Toyota won the sub-litre category by only nine points. But some things just get better with time, and that’s definitely the case with the Japanese OEM’s three-cylinder unit, which romped home to win its class by more than 100 points over the second placed Smart diesel engine. Such an achievement means Toyota has won the sub 1-litre award for the last three years – making the Aichi-headquartered company the leader in small powertrain development.
Explaining why so many judges backed Toyota’s urban heart yet again, Christophe Congrega from L’Automobile Magazine in France said, “This three-cylinder has all the punch and torque to make city driving fun. But at the same time, its fuel consumption and emissions are incredibly low.”
Weighing in at just 67kg – which makes it one of the lightest automotive engines ever to be developed – the compact 993cc unit has been installed in a range of vehicles from four different car makers. Weight-saving technologies applied include an all-aluminium construction, an extra-small cylinder bore-to-bore distance and the innovative use of a resin throttle body and fuel delivery pipe. Marking a first for Toyota was the approach
to the intake system and engine cover, which for the three-cylinder powertrain is integrated into a single, compact design.
As a result, in a typical Toyota Aygo model, the eco-friendly three-cylinder ensures an ultra-efficient fuel consumption rating of 4 litres/100km (62mpg), while emitting a mere 109g/km of CO2. But the need to be green in an urban environment has been coupled with impressive performance. Its advanced variable valve timing system optimises timing to deliver 67bhp. As a result, the engine has speedy acceleration – a must for city cars. The 93Nm of torque that comes good at 3,600rpm is particularly helpful when needing to accelerate in urban areas.
