Peugeot has decided to close one of the most uncomfortable chapters in its recent history. The lion brand gathered the motoring press in Madrid a few days ago to do two things at the same time: apologize for PureTech engine problems and introduce your substitutethe new Turbo 100, a block designed from scratch that is in fact already available.
Bad reputation. For years, the PureTech 1.0 and 1.2 gasoline engines that the Stellantis Group installed in brands such as Peugeot, Citroën and Opel have had a considerable bad reputation for two of their most common breakdowns: their oil dipped strap deterioration and excessive oil consumption.
Now Peugeot has come forward and publicly acknowledged that it was wrong. “We recognize that we have done things wrong,” admitted those responsible at the press event, according to collect I amMotor. And, above all, that They took too long to respond to clients and workshops.
Figures. In Spain alone, around 500,000 units of these engines were sold, adding the three affected brands, and more than five million were manufactured throughout Europe. Furthermore, Spain is more affected than other territories by how things go for Peugeot, since as they mention Our colleagues at Motorpasión, Stellantis produces up to 14 models here in its plants in Vigo, Figueruelas and Villaverde. The brand closed 2025 with more than 81,000 cars sold in our country, so regaining trust is a priority for the company.
Issues. On the one hand, the timing belt deteriorated due to chemical aggression, because on short, daily city trips (3 to 5 kilometers), the fuel mixed with the oil, swelled the belt and ended up releasing fragments that clogged the oil pump, which led to quite serious breakdowns.
On the other hand, in the first generation PureTech (2014 to mid-2018) the repeated cycles of cold and heat accumulated carbon in the piston rings, which increased oil consumption. As the Stellantis engineers explained, the determining factor was not the total kilometers of the car, but the “quality” of those kilometers.
Between the lines. Peugeot insists that this was not cost cutting. Its engineers denied that controls were eliminated to save and they remembered that “non-quality in the end is very expensive”, alluding to what extended guarantees now cost. The real failure, according to the brand, was in testing protocols that did not take into account the intensive urban use that a good part of the drivers in Spain, Portugal, France or Italy do.
The wet belt, by the way, was chosen around 2010 because it was then a technically sensible solution, being quieter and with less friction than a chain, and useful for balancing the internal pressures of a three-cylinder engine. A decision that other manufacturers madeincluding Japanese (like Honda, although in a much more conservative way, until it turned out that it was not a good idea).
The new engine. Here enters the Turbo 100presented by Fabien Gouzonnat, Director of Engine Development in Europe at Stellantis, and Vincent Jaquier, Engine Project Manager at Peugeot. At first glance it looks similar to the PureTech, because it had to fit in the same cars, but inside it is something else. In fact, the brand states that 70% of all the components that make up the engine are completely new and of the above the only thing they say is preserved is screws and some gaskets.
The most notable change is that it dispenses with the belt and adopts a silent and maintenance-free distribution chain throughout the life of the car.
And not just the chain. The Turbo 100 is a 1.2 three-cylinder engine with 100 HP and 205 Nm that debuts technology that has hitherto been unusual in high-volume gasoline. It works with a Miller cycle, direct injection at 350 bars and a variable geometry turbo (the first that Peugeot uses in a mass-produced gasoline engine). To reduce oil consumption, the pistons have been completely redesigned, with an internal cooling gallery and reinforced segments, as well as a new oil separator with a more resistant membrane.
The brand assures have reduced mechanical wear up to 80%. To validate it, he says that he has subjected the block to more than 30,000 hours of bench tests and more than three million kilometers in real conditions.
The guarantees. The other front is customer trust. New cars with the Turbo 100 extend the usual coverage up to 8 years or 160,000 km through the Peugeot Care program, as long as maintenance is carried out on the official network. For those who already have a PureTech, there are a web tool that reimburses for repairs paid between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2024, providing the invoice for the repair and the three previous maintenances. And if the engine has not failed, the Check Plus certificate (free) covers up to 10 years or 180,000 km, even for second-hand cars or those with maintenance carried out in independent workshops, as long as they can be accredited.
And now what. The Turbo 100 is already available in the Peugeot 208 and 2008, and serves as the basis for the 110 and 145 HP hybrid versions that are fitted to the 308, 408, 3008 and 5008, in addition to being extended to the rest of the group’s brands. It’s clear that Stellantis is making a monumental effort to eliminate the footprint left by its PureTech engine. Time will tell us if this new engine lives up to its promise.
Cover image | Xataka and Stellantis
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