Ducato gets turbo diesel
Page 16
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• Fiat has introduced a new 1,929cc 11)1 turbo-diesel engine in a bid to reduce its dependance on the Sofim range of diesel engines, currently available in UK Fiat Ducatos.
The new engine will make its British debut next year in the lower weight Fiat Ducato models, and will probably accompany a complete revamp of the Ducato range that will see the deletion of the naturally-aspirated diesel, and the retention of only one petrol engine.
Fiat has also introduced a new Ducato-based van for the Spanish and German markets. Known as the the Talento, the new van (above) is a downscaled Ducato with an overall length of 4.16m, and a platform length of only 2.06m. The payload is approximately 800kg, and the load volume is just 5m3.
Talento will not be imported into the UK unless a petrol engine is introduced, and only then if the volumes justify the production of a right-hand-dril example. For the moment, th Talento is powered by a 1,930cc naturally-aspirated diesel rated at 51kW (70hp).
The new turbo-diesel engin • weighs some 40kg less than the Sofim unit it replaces, and it will therefore enhance the payload capacity of Ducato models. Rated at 61kW (82hp at 4,100rpm, the unit offers 9% more power than the naturally-aspirated Sofim unit . lower revs, and a torque advantage of 13.5% over the same unit. The engine meets all the current emission requirements, and has refinements such as a water-to-oil heat exchanger, and air-to-air charge-cooling.
The Sofim engine will continue to be specified on the larger Ducatos so a probable UK engine line-up, after the revamp, will be: 2.4 litre DI turbo-charged Sofim unit; 1,929cc turbo-charged IDI unil and the two-litre PSA-derived petrol unit.