The Motoring World

The Motoring World

About 18 months later, a turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine rolls down the line. For Jaguar Land Rover, the two new engines will mark the first time since the 1990s that each brand will manufacture an engine of its own design. The new plant is another milestone in each brand's long struggle to take charge of its destiny. Wolfgang Ziebart, 63, a 23-year BMW manufacturing and product development veteran, who took over as Jaguar Land Rover's group engineering director in August. The company is saying little about the character and design of the new engines. But here's what has leaked out from published reports and the company: The engines will be light, powerful and, for a luxury manufacturer, surprisingly small, about 2.0 liters. They will be loaded with the latest engine advances, such as turbocharging, direct fuel injection and variable valve timing -- and almost certainly other innovations. Jaguar has a rich history of designing powerful engines with trend-setting combustion chambers and other features that helped establish the brand's performance image.

Land Rover's classic diesel engines, while not overly powerful, are known to be very durable. The company hired powertrain manufacturing experts, Ziebart said, to help set up the new engine plant, which is being done now. Ziebart said the company is considering other engines for the plant, including a three-cylinder gasoline engine in the 1.5-liter range. Ziebart said the reason to build a three-cylinder -- which would cost more than a four-cylinder -- is to reduce fuel consumption. A three-cylinder diesel is also possible, he said. He said Jaguar Land Rover did not lose the capability to design engines as corporate parents changed over the years. After passing through various corporate owners in the 1980s and 1990s, both brands were stripped of their engine plants. Sales of both brands, now owned by India's Tata Motors, are on a tear. Jaguar Land Rover's combined sales in the United States were up 19 percent through October on the strength of such new vehicles as the Range Rover Evoque compact SUV and the Jaguar F-Type sports car. Jaguar Land Rover delivered a record 102,000 vehicles globally in the third quarter alone.

The company's sales might be higher had an engine shortage in 2010 not slowed growth. The Range Rover Evoque is likely to get the new engines. Horsepower, torque and fuel economy ratings on the new four-cylinder engines are not yet finalized, but Ziebart said engineers are making the most of a rare opportunity to design a new family of engines. Like its competitors, Jaguar and Land Rover are under pressure to increase fuel economy and reduce carbon dioxide emissions, Ziebart said. The plan to do so involves moving to smaller, high-performing engines, transmissions with more than six speeds and lightweight bodies -- the same strategy adopted by BMW, Mercedes-Benz and other luxury brands. Ziebart said that after production begins at Wolverhampton, Jaguar Land Rover will still buy some of its engines from suppliers. Its contract with Ford, for example, expires in 2020. Ford makes Jaguar Land Rover's V-8 and V-6 gasoline and diesel engines. The new engine plant's volume is expected to reach 300,000 units a year eventually. Ziebart confirmed that the plant will have two lines, one for gasoline and one for diesel, but that both engines will share the same architecture. Blocks with common bore spacing, crankshafts and oil pans, for example, simplify manufacturing and reduce purchasing costs. The plant will be flexible and can change the production mix based on consumer demand.

My spanking new C220 certainly looks evo, coming as it does with the Evolution (of course) Panorama sports pack that includes 17-inch alloys, lowered suspension, sports exhaust and front-to-back panoramic glass sunroof, to name but a few of the goodies. Inside is a comfortable place to be. The seats are great and I can play with the sound system and computer via buttons on the steering wheel. It's taking me a while to get used to the parking foot brake, though, especially on hill starts. This is my first Mercedes but the solid build and interior layout remind me of the BMW Compact I ran a few years ago. The doors are reassuringly heavy and shut with the expected clunk whilst the climate control system is as good as it gets. Overall, first impressions are of quality and a feeling of being cocooned. From the outside, the head-on front view is full-on Mercedes-Benz but round the back it's really quite radical for a Merc, with the little panel of glass under the rear spoiler.