VW Has Squeezed 269bhp From A 2.0-Litre Diesel, Making The Most Powerful Four-Pot TDI Ever

Diesel engines have come a long way since the noisy, agricultural units of old, as evidenced by this latest offering from VW. To create it, VW’s top boffins took the 237bhp 2.0-litre TDI engine found in the Passat, and had a damn good fiddle. Among the new developments is a two-stage electric turbocharger - which should help quell lag - a re-engineered variable valve timing system, and a piezo common rail injection system capable of operating at pressures up to 2500 bar.

The result is 268bhp, an impressive output for something displacing just two litres. A torque figure hasn’t yet been revealed, but expect a slight increase over the current engine’s 369lb ft.