Mitsubishi 4N1: a good diesel engine with variable valve timing

In 2010, the Japanese brand introduced the first diesel engine with MIVEC system and displacements ranging from 1.8 to 2.4 litres.

By: Filippo Einaudi

Oct 14, 2023 at 1:00am ET

Add Motor1.com as a preferred source in Google

Comment

A sort of urban legend says that Japanese manufacturers have remained somewhat alien to diesel engines. It is true that they have often not been the benchmark in their development, but a few times they have been, creating technically advanced blocks.

Alongside Honda and Toyota, whose i-DTEC and D-4D powertrains contributed to the success of models such as the CR-V and RAV4, Mitsubishi's four-cylinder 4N1 range, remembered as the first diesel engine with variable valve timing, is also worth mentioning.

SUV debut

The first engine in this family was the 4N13, introduced in 2010 in the Lancer and ASX compact SUV. The Peugeot 4008 and Citroën C4 Aircross were derived from the ASX two years later.

It was powered by a 1.8-litre 'square' engine (bore/stroke 73 x 73.1) with a power output of 115 bhp or 148 bhp. Equipped with common rail injection and variable geometry turbo, it used MIVEC variable valve timing technology, already used on the company's petrol engines. This system improved peak torque and fuel economy.

Mitsubishi 4N13 engine on 2011 ASX

Among the structural features, these engines featured an all-aluminium construction, aided by a low compression ratio that reduced combustion stresses, allowing the block to also be made of light alloy.

Almost immediately came the 2.3-litre 4N14 variant, obtained by increasing the bore and stroke to 86 x 97.6 mm, for a final displacement of 2,268 cm³. Compared to the previous engine, it was distinguished by the addition of piezo injectors and a more advanced variable geometry turbo. It offered 175 bhp and 380 Nm of torque.

Mitsubishi 4N14 engine in 2016 ASX

This engine was the most widespread among Mitsubishi: it debuted in 2010 in the Outlander, but was extended in the following years to other models such as the Delica and Eclipse Cross, and also to the ASX in combination with the automatic transmission and the L200.

2015 Mitsubishi Montero Sport DI-D Engine

2.4-litre arrives

What do you think?

View

Comments

In 2014, the 4N1 family was enriched with a third unit, the 4N15, intended for pick-up trucks, SUVs such as the Montero Sport and commercial vehicles. It had a slightly larger displacement, 2,442 cm³, from a 105 mm stroke, but retained the turbo. Power was raised slightly to 179 bhp, but above all maximum torque was increased to 430 Nm, ideal for cargo vehicles.

This 4N15 underwent an evolution in 2022 that led to the birth of the 4N16, identical in displacement but offered in two power levels, 130 and 201 bhp, with 380 and 470 Nm of torque, respectively. The less powerful 4N16 was for commercial vehicles and models from Nissan and Isuzu, while the more powerful 4N16 is used in the latest evolution of the L200.