Bruce Newton•11 Nov 2013
NEWS
Lexus turbo confirmed for SUV
Production version of LF-NX to be first home for new 2.0-litre turboLexus has confirmed its new turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine family will make its on-sale debut in the production version of the LF-NX compact SUV concept that is expected in showrooms before the end of 2014.
And it is bullishly declaring the engine will be more refined than European rivals.
The LF-NX, which made its global debut at the Frankfurt show last September as a petrol-electric hybrid, will reappear in Tokyo this month, with the new turbo-petrol 2.0-litre in the engine bay.
As yet Lexus has issued no technical details about the new engine, although it is known to be based on the 2.5-litre 'AR' four-cylinder employed in the IS 300h hybrid.
“When we come to market with a smaller SUV that will be the first opportunity we have to use that engine,” Lexus International executive vice president Mark Templin told motoring.com.au last week.
The debut of the engine in what is expected to be dubbed NX may surprise some considering the IS-based RC coupe is also due on-sale in 2014, but that car has been confirmed so far with 3.5-litre ‘350’ V6 and 2.5-litre ‘300 h’ petrol-electric hybrid drivetrains.
Templin made it clear the four-cylinder turbo-petrol, which is expected to be dubbed 200t in production, would flow into most other models in the Lexus range.
However, its introduction would be market dependent and not necessarily a blanket replacement for V6 engines in the same way BMW’s N20 turbo-four has eclipsed some of the company’s legendary straight sixes.
Nevertheless, the new engine is expected to eventually eclipse the smaller Lexus 2.5-litre V6.
“We need to cover our bases in every segment of the engine range, so we need conventional internal combustion engines, we need forced induction engines, we need turbocharged engines, we need to continue down the hybrid path,” Templin said.
“In many markets our V6s are still the core engine and will be for a considerable amount of time; the US market is going to be driven by the V6 engine because the refinement and power is what they are looking for.
“In other markets like the Middle East and Russia, the bigger engines will continue to be popular, but when you go to places like Western Europe and want to compete then you have to have small displacement cars. Taxation is driven on CO2, so it’s got to be a hybrid or a turbocharged engine that will get you there.”
The 200t engine would make sense for most models in the Lexus lineup whether they are front, rear or all-wheel drive. It would also seem an absolute certainty to be part of a new generation hybrid drivetrain.
“Could be,” offered Templin.
He also reiterated claims first made to motoring.com.au at the Detroit show last January that a Lexus turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine would be superior to BMW and Mercedes-Benz efforts.
“One thing that we want to do better than anyone else when we bring a small displacement turbocharged engine to market is that it is more refined,” said Templin. “Its noise level, its harshness, its vibration levels are much better than the competition and that we have a more linear feel to the power approach than the traditional old time turbos where you have the big lag and the big boost.
“That is not what we are looking for. We want something that feels like a luxury car.”
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Written byBruce Newton
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