Definition of CC
An engine CC, cubic centimeter represents the total volume of cylinders in a car where combustion takes place. Engine CC directly impacts power and mileage, such as a car with high CC will have high power and lower mileage whereas a car with less CC will have good mileage but delivers less power. If a car has four cylinders in it, then it will consume more fuel, as it must give displacement to all four pistons in cylinders. This can give higher power and higher pickup but delivers less mileage. Similarly, cylinders with long strokes (lengths) can give better torque to car which inturn results in better power, but consumes more amount of fuel in moving pistons to the longer distance.
Reduction in CC by Maruti Suzuki
With time, Maruti Suzuki updated its cars to meet the requirement of Indian conditions. One more step towards this was to improve mileage of cars with less price by reducing the CC of the cars. For this, the manufacturer introduced two K-series engines, K-10 and K-12.
- K-12 series engines
Maruti Suzuki used 4 cylinders just like previous engines, but they reduced the length of the cylinder, which had less capacity and increased mileage. K-12 engines are commonly seen in Ritz models.
- K-10 series engines
Maruti Suzuki used 3 cylinders for this K-series engine to reduce CC of the car. These engines have better mileage than K-12 engines. This type of engines are seen in Alto K-10 and Wagon R models with 998cc.
Comparison of old and new model cars based on CC
- Wagon R
Old Wagon R has a 4 cylinder engine with 1065CC which delivers a fuel efficiency of 18 Kmpl. New Wagon R uses 3 cylinder K-series engine with 998CC, delivering 20.5 Kmpl of fuel efficiency.
- Swift
Old Swift had 1.3 liter engine which used to have a fuel efficiency of 18.2 kmpl for petrol.
New model of swift has a K-series engine with 1.2 liter delivering fuel efficiency of 20.4 Kmpl in case of petrol.
- Alto
Alto, one of the best hatchbacks from Maruti Suzuki introduced two new models, Alto 800 (in 2012) and Alto K-10 (in 2014). Alto 800 which has a length of 3325mm smaller in size than Alto K10 is equipped with 796 CC engine which is comparatively a larger CC engine to the size. It delivers a mileage or 22 Kmpl. Alto K10 has a length of 3545mm and it is equipped with an engine of 998cc which delivers a mileage of 24Kmpl.
Other features of K-series engines
- K-series engines are made from light weight aluminum alloy, which adds to fuel efficiency of car.
- Weight of engine is reduced further by using nut-less connecting rod and plastic intake manifolds.
- Pistons inside are coated with resin to reduce friction.
- To reduce running costs, engine uses a higher grade engine oil, which has a longer first change over time.
- According to Maruti Suzuki, K-series models are certified under Bharath Stage emission IV.