1.5Blue dCi – the latest generation of the immortal engine – DUSTER II

A little about the engine in general

The famous 1.5dCi has been on the market for 18 years. Today is the eighth generation. It will have very little to do with the original K9K from 2001. Originally a cursed engine plagued by many pains of a mechanical nature, even in the field of injection, today it has literally become a diesel pearl of the offer that even Mercedes fell in love with. At Renault, it surprises with a wide range of applications. You can find it in budget Logan / Sander and until recently even in the great Talisman.

The eighth generation differs the most from all versions. This is the biggest revolution in the entire long development of the K9K unit. This is not just an update to an existing engine. There is a completely different head – newly developed. Among other things, it has completely covered injectors, including a common rail ramp, which is evident in the overall sophistication. The new 1.5Blue dCi is one of the quietest and most cultured diesels ever. If you thought that the previous seventh generation Euro 6c was already very quiet, then this new one is even quieter. And it’s not just about silence. The engine is probably miraculously economical thanks to the use of Ad-Blue. It consumes even less than the low-generation praised previous generation K9K, which seemed almost impossible.

The new generation has intensified in all versions. Torque never goes below 200NM and the most powerful version can offer even the so-called overboost. So instead of 115k and 260NM, it can provide a short term of another 5k and 25NM extra. This crutch helps the perceived dynamics a lot, when you feel that no generation of K9K has ever been able to be so nimble in history. One of the basic principles of WLTP is that the engines are not overloaded and burn as often as possible in the effective range. That’s why the 1.5Blue dCi ended up in big cars like the Talisman, Scenic, where it was replaced by the basic 120k version of the 1.7Blue dCi .

Main innovations of 1.5Blue dCi:

• turbocharger control via electric actuator
• brand new 8V head, this is not a redesign of the existing one, but really a new design
• water intercooler + short suction
• will be offered as a whole with 7EDC (so far there was a K9K with 7EDC only in one case – Scenic IV)
• AdBlue selective catalytic reduction
• overboost providing 115k short term 120k and 285NM
• brand new injectors working with a pressure of 2000 bar
• Extensive use of DLC material to reduce internal friction

Progress chart:

How does it run in Duster 2?

There is very little to be heard in the Duster, but thanks to more economical sound insulation than in Renault, you can still hear them a little. Fortunately, it does not typically produce diesel riveting, but quite a nice sound. It will definitely surprise the very good mounting of the engine in the body, to which it therefore transmits almost no vibrations. The short conversion of the previous 1.5dCi 4×4 is now a bit longer for the 1.5Blue dCi. The number one is no longer so extremely short and the six is ​​finally reasonably long on the highway. It spins about 2700 rpm. (The predecessor spun around 3000 rpm.). Thanks to the short intake (water intercooler), the engine has a quick response to gas and is therefore an excellent companion in difficult terrain for off-road use of the 4 × 4 version.

Readers write to me that with the new Duster 1.5Blue dCi they usually drive with a diameter of up to 5.5 l even in versions with all-wheel drive. I didn’t get over 6.4l on the test track no matter what I did. I drove him on the highway, tested the acceleration from zero, overtook him in the districts and I really didn’t get over 6.4 l in the overall average. Unseen. Consumption is really from the realm of dreams. Even the box-like Duster 2 4 × 4 will get to an average starting with four with a little effort.

It liked:
+ quiet and refined running
+ the engine transmits almost no vibrations to the body
+ really low consumption, without extra effort around 5l even in the Duster 4 × 4 and 4,5l with ECO activated (3 peoples inside 6+ baggages) and AC for my 4×2
+ more reasonable transmission than before
+ the engine is really pleasantly powerful. 

In my Duster 4×2 version, it will offer only 0.1s worse acceleration per 100kmh than the 1.3TCe 150k → 10.3 seconds measured by performance module from medianav 9.1.4 software.

What can be improved?
– interior soundproofing is at a higher level with Renault, you really don’t know about 1.5Blue dCi during normal driving
– The Ad-Blue pump located in the tank at the rear of the car is a bit audible at Duster idling. This will require habit- although the transfer is longer than before, you still need to get used to the shorter one and two (Duster 4 × 4).
– strict emission regulations make the engine more expensive by EURO +2,000 € against its predecessor (Duster) and in comparation with 1.6 16V.
– against its predecessor now does not exist with Duster with EDC. 

Only at Renault, on the other hand, it is combined with the excellent seven-quality EDC.