Honda reveals turbo future

It might be famous for its high revving, sowing machine-smooth naturally-aspirated engines, but Honda has revealed plans for a turbo-powered future.

The brand will introduce three new VTEC turbocharged engines in the next two years, with the new donks revealed in prototype form ahead of this week's Tokyo Motor Show.

Leading the charge is the brutal 206kW/400Nm 2.0-litre four found in the next Civic Type R (read our exclusive first drive here), which Honda claims churns out 10 per cent more grunt than a 3.5-litre V6.

Sadly detailed information on the new engine was scarce, butWheels understands it uses an externally-sourced turbo, an electric wastegate, specially crafted ‘cooled’ cylinder heads and should achieve a fuel-efficiency target of better than 8.0L/100km.

But while the new performance-focused turbo is the highlight, Honda also revealed two other, smaller displacement powerplants which are currently under evaluation for Australia.

Sitting in the middle of the range is a new four-cylinder 1.5-litre 150kW/260Nm turbo petrol which Honda claims is 45 per cent more powerful and 20 per cent more efficient than its current atmo 1.8-litre unit.

Set to be mated exclusively to a CVT transmission, our time with the new engine was limited to one four kilometre loop of Honda’s R&D facility, but initial impressions were good with the turbo donk feeling suitably rapid and responsive.

Completing the new VTEC line up is a three-cylinder 95kW/200Nm 1.0-litre turbo, which like its 1.5-litre sibling is earmarked for a CVT transmission only.

Perplexingly, Honda wouldn’t be drawn on when these new engines will actually hit production or in what models, but engineers did hint the Chinese will be the first to get the 1.0-litre unit in the new Jazz.