Maruti sedan SX4 in diesel shortly

The diesel party is growing bigger. Riding on the highly successful direct injection engine technology, Maruti Suzuki will soon launch another car fitted with a diesel engine.

Its fairly successful petrol sedan SX4 will now come fitted with CRDi (common rail direct injection) engine. To be launched on February 22, 2011, the 1.3 litre engine in diesel SX4 is the same DDSi engine Maruti has been using in its highly successful models like Swift and Dzire. But the company has added more power and torque to this engine by adding a variable geometry turbocharger which uses variable vanes to control exhaust flow against the turbine blades and boosts airflow & efficiency. Sources told Deccan Herald that with the help of turbocharger the 1.3 litre engine in SX4 diesel will produce maximum power of nearly 90bhp@4000 rpm (against 75bhp@4000 rpm from the same engine in Swift and Dzire). It will produce higher torque of 200Nm@1750 rpm against 190Nm@2000 rpm. Peppy power To make the car peppy, Maruti had to add more power to the engine because the kerb weight diesel SX4 will be 50 kg more than the petrol one thanks to heavier engine and sturdier suspensions. Externally, though there will be no change in the look of SX4, the company is expected to make some cosmetic changes inside. But to enjoy the benefits of diesel-more power, higher mileage and significantly lower price of fuel (compared to petrol), one will have to pay nearly Rs 75,000 to Rs 1 lakh more than petrol. For Maruti, that may not be a deterrent as car buyers are ready to wait between two to four months for its diesel Swift and Dzire