Ford reveals 1.5-litre Dragon petrol engine for India

Globally revealed in mid-2017, the new petrol engine will replace the existing 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol engine in Ford India’s line-up.

Ford has officially revealed its 1.5-litre ‘Dragon’ petrol engine in India. The facelifted EcoSport will be the first vehicle to house this engine under its bonnet.

The 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder, naturally aspirated petrol engine is capable 121bhp of power and 150 Nm of peak torque - which are 10 per cent and 7 per cent better over the outgoing engine, respectively. The engine will come mated to either a 5-speed manual, or a 6-speed automatic gearbox.

As per Ford, Ti-VCT (Twin independent Variable Camshaft Timing) system on the new engine allows each intake and exhaust cam to function independently of each other as operating conditions change. This delivers faster throttle response and better fuel efficiency. Meanwhile, the engine’s bore and stroke ratios have been optimised to produce higher torque at lower engine speeds.

Being manufactured at the American company’s plant in Sanand, Gujarat, the new Dragon engine is claimed to be lighter, stronger and more efficient than the unit it is set to replace. The highlight of this new engine is that it has received inputs from Ford’s Indian engineering team throughout its development cycle.

Ford claims that this engine has more than 80 per cent of its components sourced from Indian suppliers. With India being a major export hub for Ford, this new motor will be exported from here to other countries as well.

According to Ford, the new engine has been designed and fine-tuned to deliver reduced NVH levels for a  smoother driving experience. The engine’s balance shaft is supported by hydrodynamic bearings and works to eliminate natural first-order vibrations typical in standard three-cylinder engines.

Ford may also introduce this new engine on the Figo and Figo Aspire in future, as they too come powered by the outgoing 1.5-litre engine in their top-spec automatic variants.