Peugeot and Citroen to push three-cylinder engines in Australia

Hot on the heels of the PSA PureTech three-cylinder turbo petrol engine winning and International Engine of the Year award, the company’s two mainstream French brands â€" Peugeot and Citroen â€" are set to expand the availability of the high-tech powertrains in Australia.

The International Engine of the Year award was for the PureTech engine family, and it came in the highly competitive (for Europe, at least!) 1.0- to 1.4-litre category. The Peugeot 308 hatchback is offered with the 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged engine, which produces 96kW of power and 230Nm of torque.

The Peugeot 308 is fitted with the three-cylinder engine in the base Access and next-level-up Active (pictured above) specifications. According to the local arm, 52.0 per cent of all Peugeot 308 models have the PureTech drivetrain, which is available with a six-speed manual (Access only) or six-speed automatic (Access and Active).

That base PureTech engine is available in a non-turbocharged guise as well, and on a global scale, PureTech engines are offered in a vast range of Peugeot models (108, 208, 308, 2008, 3008 and 5008) and numerous Citroen variants (C1, C3, C3 Picasso, C4, C4 Cactus and C4 Picasso), not to mention the DS 3 and DS 4.

For Peugeot for 2015, we can expect the 208 â€" which has been updated in Europe and will be launched in the fourth quarter of 2015 â€" to be one the first on the list for Australian delivery, while a facelifted version of the 2008 could follow in 2016.

As for Citroen, the updated C4 hatch has been confirmed to take the fresh powertrain when it launches in August, while the eye-catching C4 Cactus is another possible recipient, though engine options for that car haven’t yet been confirmed for here.

The Australian general manager for Peugeot, Citroen and DS vehicles, John Startari, said the three-cylinder PureTech powerplants will be offered even more broadly in time.

“The PureTech range of engines have become one of the staples of the new 308 range, with over half of all vehicles sold specified with this powerful, yet frugal, drivetrain,” said Startari.

“Local response to the drivetrain has been extremely positive, with many customers not even realising the drivetrain is a three-cylinder. In fact, the turbocharged PureTech 1.2-litre is more powerful and economical than some of its key rivals.”

“The positive feedback from customers and the industry gives us great faith in the rollout of this drivetrain to further products in the future,” said Startari.

Peugeot and Citroen are among the first car brands to offer three-cylinder turbocharged engines in affordable model ranges.

There are micro cars including the Nissan Micra, Suzuki Celerio and Mitsubishi Mirage that have normally-aspirated three-pot engines, but turbocharging adds cost and complexity. That said, Audi, Mini and BMW all have three-cylinder turbo engines in some of their models.