Audi eyes better fuel efficiency with new 1.4 petrol engine

Fuel efficiency seems to be the name of the game for Audi India with the company introducing the downsized 1.4 TFSI engine that took place of the 1.8 TFSI.

This engine, which first found a home in the new-gen A4, develops 148hp, 250Nm torque and is equipped with start-stop tech to help the A4 deliver a claimed fuel efficiency of 17.84kpl in the official test cycle.

Audi seems to have taken this strategy a step further now with the recent launch of the revised A3 Cabriolet with a similar 1.4 TFSI engine that also features ‘Cylinder on Demand’ (COD) technology. 

This engine has 150hp on tap (down by 27 hp) and a similar torque output of 250 Nm. Fuel efficiency though has dramatically improved, going from a claimed 16.60 to 19.20kpl – an increase of 15.7 percent. This engine will do duty in the upcoming A3 sedan as well and will show similar gains in fuel efficiency.  

COD technology has featured on larger Audi engines in the past, but this is the first time the carmaker has introduced it on a smaller engine in India.

At low and medium loads, COD deactivates two of the four cylinders temporarily, by closing their valves (with Audi valve-lift system). If the driver accelerates powerfully, it switches back instantaneously into four-cylinder mode. The start-stop tech switches the engine off if the vehicle is stationary and the brake is engaged, for improved efficiency.

Mark Narakaden