In the wake of its diesel-emission cheating scandal, VW has been saying that its strategy now is all about electrification and/or autonomous driving?but before that shift, the company had been working on a number of conventional engines that it hopes will raise the bar across the industry. Case in point: the next evolution of the EA211 four-cylinder engine.
Dubbed EA211evo, the new engine gets a 1.5-liter displacement and comes in two power levels: 130 and 150 horsepower. Both versions aim to serve as benchmarks in responsiveness and efficiency. Thanks to a number of technologies that include cylinder deactivation, VW says they consume about 10 percent less fuel than the outgoing, already very efficient 1.4-liter EA211.

Why more displacement" It “paves the way for future power increases,” says VW, and that’s also why the company is developing new forced-induction technologies?such as the first mass-produced variable-geometry turbocharger in a non-diesel engine?a technology pioneered (and subsequently abandoned) by PSA, Honda, and Chrysler in the late 1980s and early ?90s. It’s currently available only on two Porsche models (the 718 Boxster S and the 911 Turbo) and in heavy-duty diesels from GM, Ford, and Ram. The variable-vane turbo is currently included only in the 130-hp version of the engine; it is essential in reaching maximum torque about 35 percent quicker than with a conventional turbocharger. The 150-hp version has especially...