[Gypsian]

Mahindra SUVs have been equipped with mHawk diesel engines since 2009. Apparently mHawk engines have been the biggest highlight of various Mahindra SUVs. Great drivability, refined and smooth, efficiency, oodles of torque being notable characteristics of this engine and not to mention the reliability and longevity.

Undisputedly the Scorpio mHawk ( 2009 - 2017), Scorpio mHawk ( 2017 - till date ), Mahindra XUV 500 ( I and II generations ) , the diesel versions of the THAR 2020, XUV 700 and the latest Scorpio N are powered by the 2.2 litre mHawk engines. The power and torque figures of the mHawk 2.2 litre engines in different SUVs are as below :-

1. Mahindra Scorpio (2009 - 2016 )
Power and Torque figures - 120PS/290NM.

2. Mahindra Scorpio facelift (2017 - 2022 )
Power and Torque figures - 140PS/320NM.

3.Mahindra XUV 500 (2011 - 2018 )
Power and Torque figures - 140PS/320NM.

4. Mahindra XUV 500 facelift (2018 - 2021 )
Power and Torque figures - 155PS/360NM.

5.Mahindra THAR 2020
Power and Torque figures - 130PS/300NM

6.Mahindra XUV 700 2022
Power and Torque figures - 182PS/450NM.

As observed varied power and torque outputs from the engine of same displacement , bore and stroke ratio remaining the same in the aforesaid models. I have tried my best to know the actual difference in mechanism or technicality which contributes to different outputs at different RPMS in the aforementioned SUVs of the Mahindra stable.

The personnel at Sireesh Auto service centre, Bengaluru when posted with this question so as to know the basic difference amongst the mHawk engines in the above said vehicles, they have no definite answer and it appears that not everybody who work in the technical department in the service station has learnt the basic differences which has resulted in different outputs from the mHawk engines and they would only say it has different tuning. When asked to elaborate " tuning" in the mHawk context I could not find a satisfactory answer.

Subsequently the same question was put to one of the Bengaluru based tuner who is into ECU remapping etc and his answer was that the difference lies in the turbo charger i.e. varied power outputs from the same engine are due to the different models of turbo chargers used on the aforesaid SUVs with mHawk engines.

I have been highly interested to know if the difference lies in the design of the cylinder head, turbo charger, intake and exhaust designs, ECM tuning or any other factors which make such a noticeable difference. Further some tuners claim to achieve 30% increase in performance from the mHawk engines by playing with the ECU which further adds to my bafflement.

My queries are :-

1. What are the technical factors for varied power outputs of the mHawk 2.2 litre engine? How does Mahindra make such a significant difference in terms of output in different vehicles?

2. Are there instances where some parts from an high powered mHawk engine ( that improve performance ) have been swapped and remapped on a low powered mHawk engine.

[SmartCat]

Related (but old) threads on other engines:

VW 2.0 TDI: Different Power & Torque outputs - How & why?
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...s-how-why.html (VW 2.0 TDI: Different Power & Torque outputs - How & why?)

Nissan-Renault 1.5L DCi : Difference between the 68, 85 & 110 PS variants
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...-variants.html (Nissan-Renault 1.5L DCi : Difference between the 68, 85 & 110 PS variants)

[Gypsian]

Originally Posted by SmartCat

Related (but old) threads on other engines:

VW 2.0 TDI: Different Power & Torque outputs - How & why?
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...s-how-why.html (VW 2.0 TDI: Different Power & Torque outputs - How & why?)

Nissan-Renault 1.5L DCi : Difference between the 68, 85 & 110 PS variants
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...-variants.html (Nissan-Renault 1.5L DCi : Difference between the 68, 85 & 110 PS variants)

Certainly the above threads appear to be on the same line, in the mHawk perspective an elaborate discussion would help considering the volume of mHawk equipped vehicles, exploring options to safely swap parts for improvements in performance as there would be many mHawk equipped SUVs which are waiting to be used as project cars as the engine in question has been around since the year 2009.

[GForceEnjoyer]

Small differences in power can usually be achieved by changes to the ECU mapping. However, for very large variations, there will be several different factors changed, such as turbochargers, intercoolers, fuel injectors, throttle bodies, fuel pumps, strengthened internals, compression ratios, different valve timing, different head design, inlets and exhaust manifolds.

These are vital for the engine to be able to produce higher power reliably. Similarly, such reinforcements can be dialed down in order to lower the power output of a high-power engine. In the case of the mHawk engine, I unfortunately only know that a variable geometry turbocharger (which started off as single-stage) plays a part.

[Gypsian]

Originally Posted by GForceEnjoyer

Small differences in power can usually be achieved by changes to the ECU mapping. However, for very large variations, there will be several different factors changed, such as turbochargers, intercoolers, fuel injectors, throttle bodies, fuel pumps, strengthened internals, compression ratios, different valve timing, different head design, inlets and exhaust manifolds.

These are vital for the engine to be able to produce higher power reliably. Similarly, such reinforcements can be dialed down in order to lower the power output of a high-power engine. In the case of the mHawk engine, I unfortunately only know that a variable geometry turbocharger (which started off as single-stage) plays a part.

Now considering the fact that dieseltronic boxes inflate the engine output by about 30% by tweaking the air fuel mixture and turbo boost, wont the stock internals take beating? Instead is it possible to upgrade the turbo on the existing mHawk engine and remap the same accordingly?

[GForceEnjoyer]

Originally Posted by Gypsian

Now considering the fact that dieseltronic boxes inflate the engine output by about 30% by tweaking the air fuel mixture and turbo boost, wont the stock internals take beating? Instead is it possible to upgrade the turbo on the existing mHawk engine and remap the same accordingly?

That can be done, yes. However, a lower compression ratio will most likely be needed to reduce the likelihood of detonation (knock), which is a major killer of turbo builds. The pistons and piston rings (possibly their respective coatings too) will need to be robust enough to handle the increment in power. The engine head sealing also needs to be looked into, by installing a stronger (preferably a multi layered steel unit) head gasket.

[Gypsian]

Well I remember the factory tuned XUV 500 which was called ‘SUPER XUV’ and the same barring a lot of body weight reduction was a remapped version of the original 140bhp engine and the car was made to activate all-wheel drive full time. If the compression ratio is not the same on all mHawk equipped cars, then upgrading turbo would never be a feasible option if it involves changing pistons and conrods as the same would turn out to be expensive. So by far are the diesel tuning boxes the only safe option for performance upgrade.