If you haven’t heard of Horse Powertrain before, it may be time to start taking notice. The company supplies four-cylinder engines for the Mercedes-Benz CLA, and in recent months, it’s been innovating at a breakneck pace, unveiling more efficient hybrid powertrains, an engine that runs on methanol for range-extended EVs, and the world’s lightest production V6. As if those feats weren’t impressive enough, the U.K.-based company has announced the Horse B20, a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo engine that is claimed to be “fully waterproof,” meeting IPX8 standards. The engine was specifically designed for extreme off-roading and water-fording, and it’s pretty gutsy, too.
Waterproof Turbo-Four Makes Decent Power
Mercedes-Benz
Unrelated to the iconic Honda B20, the Horse B20 is capable of between 187 and 248 horsepower, with torque ratings ranging from 221 to 280 lb-ft. Horse says the engine can operate at depths of up to 1.1 meters, or over 43 inches. For comparison, a Range Rover’s wading depth is roughly 200 mm lower, at 35.5 inches. The engine is also capable of providing continuous and stable power output when tackling a 100 percent grade climb (a 45-degree continuous slope). The engine runs on the Miller cycle for a brake thermal efficiency figure of 48.4 percent, and the focus on efficiency extends to the beltline – the Horse B20 weighs just 286 pounds, making it considerably lighter than the (admittedly more powerful) BMW B48 four-cylinder turbo engine (317-427 lbs and up to 302 hp).
To handle high combustion pressures, the block is a gantry-type aluminum block with an integrated exhaust manifold. It also boasts a variable-displacement oil pump, high-tumble intake ports for better atomization through the high-pressure injectors, and pistons designed to capitalize on the “squish” effect (the forcing of the air-fuel mixture towards the center of the combustion chamber at top dead center) to promote better air-fuel mixing at the compression cycle’s peak. Horse also cites a fully active dual-cooling system that it says is exclusive to this engine, but the real cleverness is in the sensors that detect when the engine is submerged, automatically adjusting power output and throttle response for maximum traction.
Autoblog’s Take
Geely
Horse Powertrain has not given us any specifics as to where this engine may be used in the future, only saying that it supports mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and range-extended EV applications, which means it could go in just about anything. However, the B20 was combined with a PHEV powertrain in the Geely Galaxy Cruiser 700, a China-only off-road vehicle. We expect to see the engine make its way to European products soon enough, but will it come to America? The upcoming baby G-Class may be the perfect application.
