Overall rating:

Renault might be keen to promote its assortment of electric cars, but it's convinced there's some life in the old dog that is the internal combustion engine. The company's 1.6-litre dCi 130 Energy unit has the lowest emissions and the most power of any 1.6-litre diesel engine currently on sale.

Key Facts

Pricing: from £20,900
Engine: 1.6-litre four-cylinder, turbodiesel
Transmission: six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Body style: five-door MPV
Rivals: Peugeot 3008, Citroen C4 Picasso, SEAT Altea
CO₂ emissions: 115g/km
Combined economy: 64.2mpg
Top speed: 121mph
0-62mph: 10.3 seconds
Power: 128bhp at 4,000rpm
Torque: 236lb.ft at 1,750rpm

In the Metal:

Pricing: from £20,900
Engine: 1.6-litre four-cylinder, turbodiesel
Transmission: six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Body style: five-door MPV
Rivals: Peugeot 3008, Citroen C4 Picasso, SEAT Altea
CO₂ emissions: 115g/km
Combined economy: 64.2mpg
Top speed: 121mph
0-62mph: 10.3 seconds
Power: 128bhp at 4,000rpm
Torque: 236lb.ft at 1,750rpm

Driving it:

The thing that stands out the most about the engine is its quietness. At idle you struggle to notice any sort of noise at all and it's even muted when under full load, so refinement is exceptional. The power delivery is smooth and it's pretty flexible, with ample torque throughout the rev range. Bear in mind the fact that you've got 128bhp available, as well as emissions of only 115g/km, and that's really quite impressive.

A stop-start system comes as standard with this engine, too. As soon as it had warmed up, it performed seamlessly at just about every set of lights we encountered, even with the air conditioning running, which is good sign.

What you get for your Money:

The thing that stands out the most about the engine is its quietness. At idle you struggle to notice any sort of noise at all and it's even muted when under full load, so refinement is exceptional. The power delivery is smooth and it's pretty flexible, with ample torque throughout the rev range. Bear in mind the fact that you've got 128bhp available, as well as emissions of only 115g/km, and that's really quite impressive.

A stop-start system comes as standard with this engine, too. As soon as it had warmed up, it performed seamlessly at just about every set of lights we encountered, even with the air conditioning running, which is good sign.

Worth Noting

Renault stressed that this engine will not replace the 1.5 dCi unit, which will continue in production for lower powered models. The 1.6 dCi 130 engine will also be wheeled out across the Renault and Nissan range as time goes on.

Renault is so chuffed with the new engine that it has registered in excess of 30 patents on the new technology that comes with it, so there's some serious profiteering to be done.

Summary

It's difficult to get too excited about a new diesel engine, but Renault's latest 1.6-litre lump is a fine example of a mass-market oil-burner. Supremely refined, smooth and torquey, with rock bottom running costs, it's as good as a 1.6 diesel gets.