Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has developed its own new family of what it claims are advanced technology, low-friction, high-performance petrol and diesel engines. The new engines are called Ingenium and are designed to meet growing customer demand for lower fuel consumption and cost of ownership, without comprising performance and the driver experience.

Jaguar Land Rover use strong and compact aluminium blocks for both diesel and petrol versions of the new Ingenium engines. These lightweight blocks share the same bore, stroke, cylinder spacing and 500cc cylinder capacity.

All diesel and petrol Ingenium variants will be equipped with state-of-the-art turbochargers that improve performance, particularly at low speeds, and that help reduce consumption and C02 emissions. Both petrol and diesel engines share many common internal components and calibration strategies.

For these new engines JLR engineers focused on reducing internal engine friction. In the first Ingenium engine to go into volume production, a 2.0-litre diesel known as AJ200D, friction is reduced by 17% compared to the current engine. JLR claims this makes it one of the most efficient and responsive 2.0-litre turbo diesels in its segment.

Ingenium engines feature six key technologies that combine to reduce friction, add refinement and improve performance. They include:

• Roller bearings on cam and balancer shafts, instead of machined-in bearing surfaces.

• Computer-controlled variable oil pumps that save energy by delivering the optimum amount of oil at all speeds, engine loads and temperatures.

• Computer-controlled variable water pumps that adjust the amount of coolant flowing through the engine, based on temperature, speed and driving conditions. The split or twin circuit cooling system offers the twin benefits of lowering C02 emissions by enabling fast warm ups, and providing quick cabin heat on cold days.

• Simplified cam drive system designed for modular application.

• Crankshafts that are offset from the centre of the block.

• Electronically controlled piston cooling jets to improve efficiency in the oil pumping circuit. Jets are switched off when piston cooling is not needed. They also enable the engine to reach its optimum operating temperature faster, further helping to reduce C02 emissions.

All Ingenium engines will be equipped with advanced and efficient turbochargers, central direct high-pressure fuel injection, variable valve timing and start-stop technology.

Ingenium will also come to market as one of the most tested and proven Jaguar Land Rover engines ever. These tests include a huge range of integrity and durability testing, including more than 72,000 hours of dyno testing and 2 million of miles of real-world testing to ensure these engines deliver – and continue to deliver.

JLR claims that the introduction of new Ingenium engines unites the company’s light-weight chassis expertise with engines specifically designed and calibrated to complement reduced weight vehicles. Jaguar Land Rover engineers are focusing on reducing vehicle weight by optimizing every component in every system, powertrains included. Despite adding features and increasing power output, Ingenium engines weigh as much as 80 kg less than today’s equivalent engines.

The £500 million state-of-the-art engine manufacturing centre near Wolverhampton is the first new plant that Jaguar Land Rover has built from the ground up. As part of the development of the new Ingenium engine family, Jaguar Land Rover has invested £40 million to expand and enhance its Powertrain Engineering facility at its Whitley Technical Centre in England.