Top US Award For The VC-Turbo Engine Of The Nissan Roque
They call it the Nissan Roque in America; here we know it as the X-Trail. This car by any name is a whole lot of car – and to that point, the Nissan Rogue’s VC-Turbo engine has just been honoured with the 2022 Wards 10 Best Engines & Propulsion Systems award.
You may not be familiar with this engine, but a 1.5-litre variable compression turbo petrol engine with 3 cylinders. More about that last point shortly.
For the 2022 awards, Wards’ panel of judges tested a group of 29 all-new or vastly improved engines by putting them through the paces of daily life, including commuting, road trips and errands. All the tests are carried out in real driving conditions, as opposed to using simulated driving and instruments.
Evaluation criteria included horsepower, torque, noise, fuel economy, comparative specifications and applications of new technology.
According to the judges, this engine delivered impressive fuel economy and optimal power output, and one judge wryly noted: “This engine inspires words that never have been uttered in the same sentence – 3-cylinder engine, very smooth, exceptionally quiet during idle, pleasant to drive in traffic or on the highway.”
The VC-Turbo engine can seamlessly vary its compression ratio to optimize power output or for greater efficiency, as determined by the driving conditions. A new generation XTRONIC transmission works in tandem with the engine to help deliver improved acceleration while reducing fuel consumption. The engine is standard on all trim levels of the Rogue, giving not only great power output but also best-in-class fuel economy and torque.
The VC-Turbo engine also powers the X-Trail in China, where it won the China Heart Top 10 Best Engines in 2021 award.
You can watch a detailed video on Nissan’s VC-Turbo technology on Nissan’s YouTube channel.
10 of the World’s best engines is an annual list of the ten “best” automobile engines available in the U.S. market, that are selected by Ward’s AutoWorld magazine. The list was started in 1994 for Model Year 1995 and has been drawn every year since then, and published at the end of the preceding year.
Engines must be available in regular-production vehicles on sale in the U.S. market no later than the first quarter of the year.
Ward’s AutoWorld is a car trade magazine and has been published since 1924.
