Dacia reveals its largest engine in the lineup

It has four cylinders and will be installed on the new Bigster.

Photo by: Dacia

By: Angel Sergeev

Oct 15, 2024 at 3:20am ET

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Dacia’s new flagship SUV, the Bigster, is receiving the brand’s largest displacement combustion engine in the lineup. The Hybrid 155 powertrain, making its debut a Renault Group product, is set to be powered by a 1.8-litre petrol engine courtesy of Horse, a division of Horse Powertrain, in which the French automaker and Geely are main shareholders.

The family SUV marks the first car to sport Horse’s entirely in-house developed engine, fresh off the assembly lines in Valladolid, Spain. Boasting 107 bhp, this four-cylinder mill comes paired with a 50 bhp electric motor, making this hybrid setup also the most powerful in the Bigster’s range.

Gallery: 2025 Dacia Bigster live images

Source: Christopher Otto

What’s special about this combo? It’s got a high-voltage starter/generator motor, a 1.4 kWh battery, and a gearbox with a twist. Instead of a traditional setup, this hybrid marvel offers four gears for the engine and two for the electric motors.

Dacia's Bigster Hybrid 155 aims to make your trips to the petrol station a little less frequent with a 6 per cent bump in fuel efficiency compared to its predecessor, the Hybrid 140. It also sports regenerative braking and can run in full-electric mode up to 80 per cent of the time in the city, according to estimations. Yes, that means it could zip through town like a whisper and still start up in all-electric mode every single time.

“The flagship all-new Bigster will be a perfect showcase of Horse Powertrain’s hybrid powertrain leadership and expertise. As the first engine produced entirely within our Horse division, this moment is extremely significant for the automotive industry: Horse Powertrain has now proved that it can handle the full life cycle of engine development and production. With our consoliated powertrain expertise, we are helping brands and OEMs to innovate and bring new offerings to market at an unparalleled pace,” Matias Giannini, CEO of Horse Powertrain, commented.

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But Dacia has other powertrain options on the menu for those who still prefer their engines to roar. There's the TCe model, powered by a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine (hello, turbo!) alongside a 48V mild hybrid system. With 140 PS, it's nothing to sneeze at and comes with a six-speed manual gearbox for anyone nostalgic for the good old stick shift days.

Dacia Bigster (2025) Launch

Christopher Otto

Not to be outdone, the ECO-G 140 version flexes with its ability to run on both petrol and natural gas. Throw in a mild hybrid system for some added efficiency. And for the off-roaders out there, the TCe 130 4x4 version brings all-wheel drive to the party, making it the perfect companion for those looking to take the road less travelled, literally.

Source: Horse