Exclusive: Maruti Suzuki Working On Z12-Based 3-Cylinder 1.2L Turbo Petrol To Replace 1.5L Petrol Engine | V3Cars

The Nexon Turbo Petrol Backstory

Several years ago, Tata Motors were in this dilemma about what displacement to choose for their small SUV. We interacted with Tata’s product team about the decision making and they said, “A 1.0L turbo engine would have somewhat adequate performance for the time but not enough to future-proof the product. Buyers also want a high displacement engine. While 1.2L turbo is not a 1.5L non-turbo or 1.6L non-turbo, it matches these engines in terms of performance. A 1.0L turbo would fall short in this area as well. So, with a 1.2L turbo, we get the benefits of a small car tax bracket along with high performance and better displacement to cater to these demands. End of the day, a 1-litre engine is just a 1-litre engine.”

Please note that this is not a verbatim quote but it’s to the best of our recollection.

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Maruti’s Dilemma

Maruti Suzuki’s decision to go with a 1.0L turbo keeps them a notch below the 1.2L turbo petrol cars in their respective segments in terms of the perception of performance. Not to mention, a 1.5L non-turbo, non-hybrid will deliver poorer performance in everyday driving compared to a smaller turbo petrol engine.

Maruti Suzuki too ended up in this dilemma and brought the 1.0L turbo back to hold the fort while they work on the 1.2L turbo. This new 1.2L turbo petrol engine will help them save about Rs. 1.5 lakh on the Brezza as the car will then sit in the lower tax bracket. Even if some of this goes towards turbocharging the car, they can still expect to pocket about Rs. 1.0 lakh per car in tax savings alone. Moreover, the smaller turbo petrol engine will also bring material cost savings as it’ll require less metal for engine casing and fewer parts (3-cylinder).

May Get 6-Speed Manual

While the source wasn’t able to confirm this, we expect Maruti Suzuki to offer this new engine with a 6-speed manual transmission. This will make this new powertrain more future-proof than if they end up offering it with a 5-speed manual. It’s certainly possible for them to offer a 6-speed  manual later but that will add to their R&D costs. Testing the engine with 2 different manual transmissions is naturally more expensive than testing it with just 1.

Also Read: Maruti Suzuki Swift Pros & Cons

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