Dacia is celebrating 10 years of unrivalled success in Europe and the Mediterranean basin at the Geneva Motor Show by introducing a new TCe 125 turbocharged petrol engine to the four-wheel-drive Duster.
The TCe 125 engine is perfectly suited to the Renault Group’s downsizing strategy to reduce fuel consumption and emissions while enhancing driving pleasure and performance. It is a 1.2-litre unit crammed with the latest energy-saving technologies – engine Stop & Start, deceleration energy recovery and reduced friction – while delivering comparable performance to a normally aspirated 2.0-litre unit.
This aluminium-block 1,198cc unit develops, as the name suggests, 125 hp, but of greater importance for everyday driving and off-roading is the maximum 205 Nm of torque available from just 2,000rpm to 3,000rpm. This endows the Duster with outstanding driveability and flexibility. Ninety per cent of maximum torque is available from just 1,500rpm.
The high torque output also allows for a wide spread of gear ratios. A short first gear in the six-speed four-wheel-drive transmission allows the car to manoeuvre at very slow speed on rough terrain, while a long sixth makes for quiet, comfortable, economical highway cruising. That high torque output comes from a combination of direct high pressure fuel injection and a turbocharger with a twin continuous angle variator on the camshaft.
