Porsche four-cylinder engines to pump out 210bhp to 360bhp

Porsche had announced in March, this year that they were working on four-cylinder engines to power the next-generation Cayman and Boxster sportscars. Now, more details about these turbocharged and fuel-injected engines have been revealed including their displacement and power figures. 

These turbocharged four-cylinder engines in question will be based on the company’s tried and tested flat-six engines, minus two of the six cylinders. They will be available in three displacements- 1.6-litre, 2.0-litre and 2.5-litre. The base 1.6-litre engine will produce 210bhp while a 2.0-litre engine will produce 286bhp and 399Nm of torque. Currently, the AMG 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol unit is the most powerful four-cylinder engine in production, though it will soon be dethroned by the new 2.5-litre unit from Porsche, which will churn out 360bhp and 470Nm of torque. 

Despite the lesser number of cylinders and reduced displacement, Porsche engineers have managed to extract good power figures out of these new engines. Hence these units will not only return better efficiency and reduced emission figures, but are also expected to aid performance and handling, thanks to the reduced weight. The Macan SUV is the first Porsche product since 1995 to be offered with a four-pot engine, though the engines have been sourced from the parent company, Volkswagen.

Like many other car manufacturers, Porsche seems to have adopted a downsizing strategy for their engines. The stringent emission norms have led to manufacturers turning to turbocharged smaller capacity engines, which also help them reduce production costs. After being launched in the Boxster and Cayman, we can expect these four-cylinder engines to make their way into other models too.