Toyota’s buildout of its new Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA), headlined by the latest Prius and Camry, has progressed to powertrains. Among the first developments out of that gate will be a new 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine called Dynamic Force for both gasoline and hybrid vehicles, a new six-speed manual transmission, two new all-wheel-drive systems, and?most intriguing of all?a new continuously variable automatic transmission.
Dynamic Force!
Toyota offers few specifics on its new 2.0-liter Dynamic Force gasoline inline-four, likely because it will ultimately end up in a plethora of cars and crossovers in various states of tune. The basics, however, are as follows: The Dynamic Force engine will have Toyota’s D4-S port and direct fuel injection as well as an electronically controlled thermostat and an electrically driven water pump; it also is said to be capable of an incredible 40 percent thermal efficiency. That pushes the boundaries of gas-engine thermal efficiency, and the version that will power future Toyota hybrids does even better, at a claimed 41 percent. Presumably, the 2.0-liter four will be compatible with the new six-speed manual transmission Toyota has developed for “global needs”?fingers crossed that it comes stateside. The transmission is more compact and lighter than Toyota’s current unit and incorporates rev-matching capability.

Continuous Variable Improvements
What about that CVT is so interesting" ToyotaR...