Lexus took the opportunity at the Tokyo Motor Show not to only tweak its LF-NX SUV concept but also hinted at its future turbo powertrain: a 2,0-litre, four-cylinder unit. This will be Lexus’s first turbocharged petrol engine and with it the Japanese firm joins the trend of engine downsizing.
It will feature Lexus’s advanced direct fuel injection and variable valve timing (VVT-i) technologies, with the exhaust manifold integrated with the cylinder head and an active wastegate valve fitted to a twin-scroll turbocharger. Lexus claims the powerplant will deliver strong performance, fast throttle response and excellent fuel efficiency with low exhaust emissions, while the turbocharger is effective across the widest possible rev range.
No power or figures are available but Teru Ogawa, Lexus’s manager of product design, did hint that it will have more torque than BMW’s 2,0-litre turbopetrol unit, which produces 350 N.m.
