[flickr size=”center” float=”medium”]http://www.flickr.com/photos/motorbeam/37333111260/[/flickr]
The new engine feels way better than the older unit in a lot of ways
Performance – Let’s talk about the main thing in question – the 2.0-litre Ingenium oil-burner. Our test car was the HSE trim which means that the engine had the lower 150 PS and 382 Nm tune. Meanwhile, the higher HSE Luxury trim gets a more powerful 190 PS tune from the same engine. The new engine feels very refined and even at higher revs, the engine noise isn’t all that bad. While 150 PS might sound low on paper, it has been tuned very nicely and thus the power delivery is linear. Turbo lag is minimal and the SUV gains pace swiftly. 0-100 km/hr comes up in a notch above 10 seconds though.
[flickr size=”center” float=”medium”]http://www.flickr.com/photos/motorbeam/36921340103/[/flickr]
Power is delivered in a linear fashion, engine is efficient too
The Ingenium engine is offered in two states of tune, depending on the variant
The engine doesn’t lose steam till about 4500 RPM and it is indeed excellent for cruising, with 100 km/hr in top gear coming in at around 1500 RPM. Most people won’t have a reason to complain while those who really want the extra performance will have to buy the top-most variant. The engine is mated to a 9-speed automatic gearbox which has been matched to the powerplant rather nicely. Gear shifts happen smoothly though I did feel some jerkiness at low speeds. Toggling Sport mode for the gearbox does make the SUV respond better. Fuel efficiency is pretty good, and we extracted around 10-12 km/l in a mix of city and highway driving. All said and done, I would have liked JLR to offer the same (higher) tune on all variants because a slight difference in fuel economy doesn’t really bother luxury car buyers.
