Peugeot is building a brand new petrol engine – who says ICE is dead?

Peugeot has revealed a brand new three-cylinder petrol engine that will be available across its 208 and 2008 models in the coming months. However, it won’t stop just with Peugeot, because the unit will also soon be offered across a range of Stellantis models, replacing the ‘PureTech’ motor wholesale leading up to the introduction of Euro 7 emissions regulations. 

The new engine is similar in size and layout to the existing PureTech unit in being a 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, but from here the new motor is comprehensively overhauled, reducing fuel consumption, CO2 figures and improving longevity, Peugeot claims. 

New elements include a clever variable-geometry turbocharger that will ensure the motor is responsive at low engine speeds without compromising on performance. There’s also a redesigned high-pressure fuel-injection system that will run in a more efficient ‘Miller’ combustion cycle. This varies the opening or closing of inlet valves to create a higher expansion ratio than compression ratio. 

For now, Peugeot has only revealed one specification for the engine, which will produce 99bhp at 5,500rpm, with a maximum torque figure of 205Nm from just 1,750rpm. These figures underline that this engine will have a significant amount of low-end performance considering its size. 

Peugeot has also confirmed that this new engine will signal the end of the dreaded ‘wet-belt’ layout, which saw the timing belt sitting within an oil-drenched environment. Instead, a more robust timing chain is fitted. This means Stellantis has been able to extend the maintenance periods to every two years or 15,500 miles, up from the 12-month service intervals of the PureTech. 

While the engine will initially only be available in a purely combustion layout, we expect it will also form the basis of future hybrid models, too. This will include mild and plug-in hybrid formats – as already seen in existing Stellantis models – and future full-hybrid models. 

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