Miracle of modern fuel injection tech for all to behold!

The Terracan with the 2.5-litre engine was already undergoing homologation trials at ARAI in Pune when Hyundai Motor India decided to hold its horses for a while and wait for the 2.9-litre CRDI engine to find its way under the bonnet of the Terracan for the European market. This 2.9-litre oil burner is the largest of Hyundai’s family of three common rail direct injection engines, the smallest of which (1.5-litre) we have already seen, experienced and raved about in India on the Accent CRDi.

The common rail direct injection near-square engine with turbocharger and intercooler displaces 2902cc, works on a 19.3:1 compression ratio and is fed through an aluminium head which features four valves per cylinder, and has double overhead camshafts unlike the CRDi engine on the Accent which is sohc.

We have now come to expect exceptional output figures from CRDi engines following our experience with them on the Mercs as well as in the Accent, and the Terracan does not disappoint.

Maximum power of 148bhp is churned out at 3800rpm while maximum torque of 333Nm comes at 2000rpm. The engine has a very high specific output of 51bhp/litre which compares favourably with any of the other diesels including the Mitsubishi Pajero 3.2 which has a specific output of less than 50bhp/litre.

In India the 2.9-litre brute of an oil burner will be mated to a five-speed manual gearbox which will drive the rear wheels in normal operation but will have an option of driving all the four wheels. The Terracan uses a system called electrical shift transfer (EST) developed by Borg Warner, which allows drivers to change between high ratio four-wheel drive and two-wheel drive at speeds of up to 80kmph. There is also a low ratio mode in four-wheel drive, which generates maximum traction for slow manoeuvring in poor conditions. The car must be stationary to shift between high and low ratio four-wheel drive. These three settings can be chosen through a dial near the handbrake.

Instead of having a freewheeling hub, the Terracan uses a centre axle disconnect system (CADS) to switch between two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive using the engine’s negative pressure. The CADS system also eliminates noise and vibration from the propeller shaft and gear ring set, as the front wheels and axle would be rotating idly in two-wheel drive mode besides effecting a slight increase in fuel efficiency and power characteristics of the vehicle. When in four-wheel drive, the power is transferred equally between the front and the rear wheels. In two-wheel drive, the power transfers to the rear wheels completely. Limited slip differential on the rear axle also ensures that more power is transferred to the wheel having the most traction.

We had ample opportunity to try out the traction and engine capabilities of the Terracan to the extreme around the hills of Munnar. Pouring rain meant that the roads through all the villages from Kochi to Munnar were deserted and there was comparatively little traffic on the road. As the rain got heavier and I started getting the hang of the characteristics of the Terracan and my right foot started going lower on the extreme right pedal, Aspi, who had been warning me to take it easy saying, “slip kar jayegee”, suggested that we put it into four-wheel high and that’s how it stayed throughout our trip to Munnar. The only limiting factor was the visibility and not the machine - it did require some slick gear-shifting though at times, but it was an enjoyable experience that made one warm up to the Terracan.

As a major portion of the 333Nm of torque is available right through the rev range, if one keeps the revs over the 1700rpm mark there is always a surge of power available on tap, no matter which gear you are in and the extra gear-shifting that both Aspi and me resorted to was on account of doing even better, extracting the best out of the raring beast.