Volvo makes good engines that last over 200,000 miles. Volvo engines last as long as its competitors like BMW or Mercedes do. The engines are usually reliable and don’t need much attention. On average, Volvo engines have a failure rate of 1 in 111.
What kind of engine do Volvos have?
Volvo has always been a producer of straight engines. They usually produce a smaller number of cylinders, but with higher fuel efficiency and performance. Their four-cylinder engine with an electric motor can even compete with the V8 engines.
In the past, when Volvo was under Ford Motors, they allowed Volvo to make their own engines. In terms of power, Volvo’s four-cylinder engine is even better than six-cylinder engines by their competitors and can compete with the V8 engines.
Volvo, under the VEA program, has produced some really quality engines. The engines were excellent in fuel consumption with their low emissions. The drive-E program was launched specifically to cut out emissions. Therefore, Volvo stopped making diesel-based engines in 2017.
The Drive-E program is also making three cylinder-based engines for Geely, Volvo’s parent company. They marketed the VEA program as G-power. The engines made by Volvo have been used by Lynk and Co and Geely and Proton. This surely makes their engines as good as other car manufacturers’ engines.
History of Volvo engines
Volvo started their company with engines from Penta and then later acquired Penta. The first ever engine used in Volvo was a straight four-cylinder side-valve, which produced 28 hp. They continued to design their own engine when they were under Ford. Recently, Volvo has announced their VEA Program, under which they will design their own engines to provide the best driving.
VEA Program
Under the VEA program or marketed as the “Drive-E” program, Volvo has focused on making better engines with fewer cylinders. The program started in 2006 when they decided to just make four-cylinder engines. With a smaller number of cylinders, their goal is to make more fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly, and smaller engines.
With its inception, Volvo has invested around $2.5 million in its development. The first-ever cars which received these new engines were second-generation S60 and V60 Series. With its success in these models, Volvo started phasing out other 5-cylinder and 6-cylinder engines. By 2015, they completely transitioned towards the Drive-E engines. Since 2017, they have stopped making diesel-based engines all together.
With their announcement of electrification goal in 2017, they have started working to fully hybridize all of their engines. Their engines that are used in hybrid cars are some of the best. According to Volvo, the engines with plug-in hybrid technology can even compete with the V8 engines. These engines have been a huge success for Volvo. They are more fuel-efficient and have exceptional performance.
Gasoline Engines
Volvo produces 4-cylinder-based engines. The displacement ranges from 1.5 liter to 2.0 liter. All the gas engines have turbocharged and intercooling with injection technology. They have produced a total of 14 engines in the 1.5-liter category till now. In the 2.0-liter category, they have produced a total of 35 engines till now.
In gasoline engines, they have two categories of GEP3 and VEP4 engines. Under the GEP3 program, they are developing three-cylinder engines for their parent company, Geely. It is marketed as G-power. However, the other VEP4 category produces the standard 4-cylinder engines for their cars. These engines include:
- T2 122 PS
- T2 152 PS
- T4 190 PS
- T5 245 PS
- T6 320 PS
- Polestar 367 PS
- T8 320 PS turbo, supercharger, and rear electric motor developing 87 PS
Diesel Engines
Volvo used to make 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engines. They eventually discontinued diesel-based engines in 2017. They did this to follow their ambitions of cutting car emissions. All of these diesel-based engines were turbocharged and intercooled. However, some high-power models had balancer shafts. The diesel engines were marketed as VED4. Some of them include:
- D2 120 PS
- 181 PS for Volvo 60 models, 70 models, and S80.
- 190 PS for the V40 series.
Does Volvo make good engines?
By looking at the reliability of engines and their track record, Volvo does make good engines. Their older engines are also still pretty good. Older Volvos are still in use by some people, and they are still happy with the engine performance. The newer engines under the VEA program have also been a success. They even export their engines to other companies. Therefore, looking at all these facts, one can say that Volvo does make good engines.
FAQ
Do electric cars have engines?
Electric cars don’t have conventional fossil fuel-based engines. However, they have electric motors which run the car with batteries. The cars are designed in a way to convert electric energy into mechanical energy without moving any pistons or other parts. The motors are different from engines. In motors, energy is converted into mechanical energy.
However, in engines, it uses thermal energy to convert. Therefore, every motor is an engine, but not every engine is a motor. So, electric cars use either AC or DC current. The electric motor then uses intensity and rotation to power the car.
What are the main parts of an engine?
Car engines have several parts. Some are more important than others. These parts move around to create power. Moving of parts results in wear and tear, which requires maintenance and care. Some engine parts are
- Pistons
- Crankshaft
- Camshaft
- Spark plug
- Cylinder head
- Valves
- Engine block
- Oil pan
What makes an engine good?
What makes car engines the best is if they are reliable and have a strong cast-iron block and an aluminum head. This allows the engines to be sturdy and dissipate heat better. All the companies design their engines to have these, but it needs to be done carefully.
Some of the most unreliable engines also have iron blocks and aluminum heads. This is mainly because of their poor management of thermal expansion. Companies have to manage kinetic energy from the movement of pistons. Engine quality also depends on
- Engine layout
- Engine cycles
