Perodua to use 1.0L 3-cylinder turbo in future models, as low as 5.3L/100 km!

Perodua will be introducing turbocharged engines to the Malaysian market in their future models, as highlighted by Perodua President & CEO, Dato' Zainal Abidin Ahmad at the company’s annual business review today.

This decision is in line with global market trends of introducing small capacity engines with turbochargers that not only offers better fuel efficiency, lower emissions but also better engine performance compared to a naturally aspirated engine.

Perodua referenced Audi (1.2 TFSI), Ford (1.0L EcoBoost), Hyundai (1.0 T-GDi) and Toyota (1.2 Turbo) in their presentation who have all introduced small capacity turbocharged engines to their line up.

For Perodua who will no doubt be adopting engines used in Daihatsu models, only 1 engine option is the most likely for the Malaysian market – the 1.0-litre turbocharged 3-cylinder petrol engine first seen in the Daihatsu Rocky.

The 1KR-VET 3-cylinder engine is paired to a CVT automatic, capable of putting out 98 PS and 140 Nm of torque. This engine used in the Rocky SUV is able to return 5.37L/100km (2WD model; 5.7L/100 km for 4WD model) based on the WLTP test cycle – which is mighty impressive.

This engine and transmission choice would be ideal for city driving situation as it offers strong low-end torque and a stepless CVT transmission for better comfort and fuel economy.

However, it is unlikely that the 1.0-litre turbo engine will make its way to existing Perodua models (Myvi, Axia, Bezza, Aruz & Alza) as these cars were not designed to handle turbocharged engines.

The first Perodua model to be equipped with this new turbo engine would be the forthcoming Perodua D55L SUV which is based on the Daihatsu Rocky/Toyota Raize in Japan. A Daihatsu Thor, which uses the same powertrain setup, was recently spotted in Malaysia, hinting that Perodua may have already begun evaluations of the 3-cylinder turbo and CVT transmission.