The 2020 Honda City will not employ the
old model’s BS6 1.5-litre petrol engine. According to a new media report, it
will use an all-new BS6 1.5-litre petrol engine. The old Honda City uses the
L15A 1.5-litre (1,497 cc) cc SOHC petrol engine that produces 119 PS of maximum
power at 6,600 rpm and 145 Nm of torque at 4,600 rpm. The all-new Honda City
will have the ‘L15B’ 1.5-litre cc DOHC petrol engine under the hood. This
engine will produce a maximum power of 121 PS. The maximum torque is expected
to be at around 155 Nm. There’ll be more to the twin cam engine than what the
difference in numbers would suggest.
Honda makes the L15B engine in naturally
aspirated and turbocharged versions, for models like the Civic, HR-V and CR-V
among others overseas. The HR-V, for example, can be had with both naturally
aspirated and turbocharged versions, in tuning of 131 PS/155 Nm and 172 PS/220
Nm respectively. The exact displacement of the L15B engine varies depending on
the market, and we’ve seen two counts so far: 1,496 cc and 1,498 cc.
The Indian-spec 2020 Honda City’s L15B
engine will be a 1,498 cc naturally aspirated unit. The L15B engine has larger
intake and exhaust valves for better better breathing and also a higher
compression ratio. Thanks to a 25% lighter crankshaft, the all-new engine in
question is more responsive compared to the L15A engine.
The bore and stroke of the pistons of the
L15B unit are nearly identical. However, its pistons have better oil jets for
improved cooling. Also, these pistons have aluminium sleeves positioned over
the normal cylinder sleeve, for better heat transfer.
To sum up, the 2020 Honda City with the
L15B engine should offer much better improvements than what the changes in the
product literature may suggest. The launch is just around the corner. The key
features of the upcoming sedan had leaked online last month.
