Vauxhall Adam

Vauxhall Adam gets new 1.0-litre engine

New three-cylinder turbocharged engine produces 113bhp, expected to average over 50mpg and claimed to be as refined as a four-cylinder

An all-new three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine is being added to the Vauxhall Adam line-up next year.

The 1.0-litre unit is the first in Vauxhall's new SGE (Small Gasoline Engine) family and will spawn other lightweight aluminium three and four-cylinder petrol engines of between 1.0 and 1.6 litres.
Vauxhall's 1.0-litre Adam produces 113bhp and 122lb ft of torque (available at 1800-4700rpm), and will partner a new six-speed gearbox.
The new 1.0-litre engine, which has a lightweight aluminium cylinder block, uses direct injection and continuously variable valve timing to help deliver the required performance and efficiency.
Countering the typical offbeat running characteristics of a three-cylinder engine is a chain-driven balancer shaft mounted in the sump. Noise reduction features include acoustically-optimised engine covers, a specially tuned intake system and a low-hiss turbocharger compressor.
Refinement is said to match a four-pot’s, while economy is claimed to beat the 44.1mpg of the Astra’s naturally aspirated 1.6-litre petrol engine by 20 per cent, suggesting an combined fuel consumption of around 53mpg.
"In developing this small engine, we not only set out to to minimise fuel consumption and CO2 emissions but we also wanted to demonstrate that three cylinders can be just as refined as four or more," said Dr. Matthias Alt, chief engineer of Vauxhall's Small Gasoline Engines division.