Toyota Verso powered by BMW diesel engine

2 Dec, 2013 11:24am Jonathan Burn

The Toyota Verso is the first model from the Japanese manufacturer to be available with a BMW-sourced diesel engine

The new Toyota Verso will be available with the option of a BMW-sourced 1.6-litre diesel engine from launch early next year. The announcement of the shared powertrain is the first collaboration between BMW and Toyota in their new technical partnership.

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The engine is a 111bhp 1.6-litre diesel, producing 270Nm of torque and emitting just 119g/km of CO2. It’s the same engine used to power the BMW 1 Series and the previous-generation MINI. While BMW's diesel engines are not know for their refinement, they do offer impressive efficiency, which is likely to been a driving factor in the Japanese brand's decision to partner up with the German firm.

It was back in 2011 when BMW decided to provide Toyota with both 1.6 and 2.0-litre diesel engines. The Verso is the first Toyota model to benefit from a BMW motor, which will enter production next month at Toyota’s Adapazari plant in Turkey. This gives Toyota a competitive rival to cars like the Vauxhall Zafira Tourer and Renault Scenic, both of which use clean 1.6-litre diesels to appeal to company buyers.

The BMW-sourced engines are also part of a wider collaboration between the two manufacturers, which includes the co-development of a fuel-cell system and a joint sports car. The manufacturers will also be conducting research into lithium-air batteries - which could revolutionize the was electric vehicles are powered.

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Submitted by HTG on Mon, 2013-12-02 13:47.

"BMW's diesel engines are not know for their refinement"

Understatement of the year that one, yet very rarely (if at all) do you point this out when reviewing a BMW - an instant 5 stars and no mention of the rattly old power plants. So We'll look forward to the review of the new Mini with this same engine. I trust you will also state it to be unrefined? Or will that get glossed over as usual like all the other inherent faults of German cars?

Submitted by Horatio on Tue, 2013-12-03 07:04.

Putting together Toyota known to be the most reliable car company in the world with the most unreliable company BMW, has got to be the worst mistake in the world. Obviously Toyota didn't read the reviews on the Mini or stop by a BMW garage to see the nonsense issues these cars come in to be fixed for. Big Mistake

Submitted by paulhitch on Tue, 2013-12-03 07:24.

No personal experience of BMW diesels but, if they are worse than the VW group ones, they must be coarse indeed!

Submitted by Andy on Tue, 2013-12-03 12:54.

Dangerous move! As is now finally common knowledge, BMW's are one of the most unreliable cars on sale. I really hope Toyota are going to let their engineers loose on it first.

Submitted by nuffield on Tue, 2013-12-03 13:34.

The British media generally are very praising of products made in Germany! God knows why because as you all know from say BMW diesels they are certainly not the best on the market in terms of economy or reliabiltiy!

Submitted by Longbridge on Tue, 2013-12-03 14:00.

Toyota builds in Turkey and still sells successfully throughout the EU? This makes nonsense of the impertinent and stupid threat of the NISSAN COE Ghsosn - I quote:

" Nissan will reconsider its investment in the UK if Britain leaves the European Union, chief executive Carlos Ghosn has told the BBC on 3 November 2013!"

After the national referendum on in or out of the EU if and when the UK then leaves the EU this is entirely a matter for the UK and its citzens and not foreign company bosses like Ghosn!

NISSAN should count itself lucky it is building cars so successfully in the UK and then selling them so well here at a not inconsiderable profit to his company Renault-Nissan that is certainly not doing so will in other countries!

The Chinese and possibly others would jump at the chance to take over the Sunderland plant and its experienced and dedicated work force from Nissan as a going concern if Ghosn decides to leave!

Submitted by Dingolfing on Tue, 2013-12-03 14:03.

How very true!

Please pass to Ghosn for his information!

Submitted by Lev Taskan on Wed, 2013-12-04 10:00.

Maybe some reliability will rub off on BMW. Whatever happened to Toyota's D4D and D-CAT engines?

Submitted by Lev Taskan on Wed, 2013-12-04 10:08.

Turkey is not an EU member or an EEC member but is a European Union Customs Union member, which means cars and products built in Turkey can circulate in Europe with little or no customs fee and vice versa.

On the other hand I really don't see why Nissan boss thinks building in the UK will stop being profitable should the UK choose to leave the EU. Maybe he fears the afore mentioned customs fees raising the cost of Nissan cars in Europe but as far as I understand leaving the EU and leaving the EUCU are totally separate matters.

Submitted by kalo88 on Wed, 2013-12-04 16:07.

They did this ALL backwards.

Toyota mechanics, BMW interiors is what they should of done.

Instead they left the cheap scratchy plastics and put in an unreliable engine. Hmm, smart move Toyota =/

Submitted by kalo88 on Wed, 2013-12-04 16:09.

Marketing at it's best :) For example: When you say VW to someone people think 'bulletproof reliability' but in reality that's just not the case.

Submitted by Allanh on Mon, 2013-12-23 11:06.

Is this an admission from Toyota that their diesel engines are not up to scratch. The post camchain Rav4 engines have had a diabolical reputation and although not common knowledge Toyata have had huge commercial issues with their oil burners! Ironic, that their camchain diesel and petrol engines up to the mid 2000's were virtually indestructible.