Accord and Camry to receive turbocharged engines

“The powertrain is still an area where we see ourselves as being able to squeeze out a significant amount of efficiency”, revealed Andrew Coetzee, Toyota’s group vice president for product planning, in an interview with trade journal Automotive News.

In the recent years, most of the automakers have adopted the downsized, turbocharged engines with exception to two of the biggest names from Japan: the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord.

Both models will be getting turbo four-cylinders in the near future. That turbo 2.0L makes just 235 horsepower in the Lexus NX so all the Camry V6 owners who drag race on the weekends might be disappointed with the new mill unless power is somehow increased.

Mazda and Toyota are notable examples, as representatives from each carmaker have previously stated that improvements to economy can still be found in naturally-aspirated engines. This engine is expected to replace the Camry’s current V6, which makes 268 hp.

At Honda, the turbo headed the Accord’s way is smaller, at 1.5 liters. This engine will make its debut in the redesigned 2016 Civic and will then migrate to the Accord and then the CR-V. In the Civic, the 1.5-liter turbo will be offered as an upgrade over a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter; both are part of a new family of twin-cam VTEC engines. So, realistically, the Camry with the turbocharged four-cylinder engine shouldn’t have an issue delivering the same performance as the V-6 and significantly better fuel economy. The engine configuration is already seen on the Ford Fusion, the Chevrolet Malibu, the Hyundai Sonata, the Kia Optima, and the Volkswagen Passat.