Premier has officially confirmed that it will introduce a 72bhp 1.3L Fiat-sourced diesel engine on the Rio. It has listed this engine on its website, along with the 1.5L diesel and 1.2L petrol engines that currently serve India's first compact SUV.
Termed CRDi4, the BS4-compliant 1,248cc Fiat diesel engine produces 72 bhp@4000 rpm and 183 Nm@1800-2400 rpm. It is fitted with a fixed geometry turbocharger and an intercooler. The engine is married to a 5-speed manual transmission.
Premier has not listed the Rio Multijet's fuel efficiency on the brochure though it is expected to be the best of the three engine options.
The dimensions and technical specifications of the Rio Multijet variant are unchanged. It is 3970 mm long, 1570 mm wide with a wheelbase 2420 mm. It has a ground clearance of 200mm with a minimum turning radius of 4.7 m. The vehicle's kerb weight, trunk space, suspension systems, etc have not changed either.
Premier has not announced the launch date yet, but we're expecting the vehicle in dealerships in the next couple of months. The launch of the CRDI engine unlocks the Rio's availability in main metros where there is immense potential for a compact SUV.
The Premier Rio is the previous generation Daihatsu Terios, the manufacturing rights to which were sold to Chinese car company Zotye, with whom Premier Automotive struck a partnership in 2009 to import kits into India.
The Rio is a Japanese product, produced by a Chinese company, assembled in India with an Italian powertrain and sold under a Portuguese name.
Premier Rio Brochure listing the CRDi4 variant
[can't see the brochure above? Head over to Issuu]
[Source - Premierrio.com]
