2NZ-FE the Longest Serving Toyota Engine in Pakistan

We often talk about cars with prolonged production periods in Pakistan. Cars such as Cuore, Cultus MK-II & Mehran, etc were produced for several years without any significant change offered. However, there is something that has been in duty for nearly 17 years and hasn’t been much in discussions– it’s the Toyota 2NZ-FE engine that is finally going to depart by the end of this year.

Related: X, XE, XLi- The Most Popular Corolla Grades in Pakistan

The 2NZ-FE engine first appeared in our market with the introduction of the 9th generation E120 Corolla in 2002. The E120 replaced the 7th gen Corolla E100 after a stretchy period of 9 years and while the E100 had a 1.3-liter 2E carburetor engine under its hood, the 1.3-liter variants in the E120 lineup had the 2NZ-FE which was the first 1.3-liter fuel injected unit offered with any local assembled Toyota Corolla model.

Initially, the 2NZ-FE was offered without the variable valve timing function. In 2005 Indus Motors discontinued the 1.6-liter SE-Saloon variant and replaced it with the 1.8-liter Altis, however, the hot-selling 1.3-liter 2NZ-FE variants (XLi/ GLi) remained on the menu.

Related: The Best Local Assembled Toyota Corolla in Pakistan?

In 2008, when the 9th Gen E120 Corolla was replaced with the 10th Gen E140, the 2NZ-FE was offered with the VVT guise and served all through the era of E140 from 2008 to 2014. In 2009, Toyota Corolla surpassed Suzuki Mehran to become the best-selling car in Pakistan and again the bulk of the Corolla variants contributing to the sales had the 2NZ-FE under their hood.

But it wasn’t the end, since the 1.3-liter variants happen to be the top-selling variants in the Corolla lineup, the company continued to offer the tried and tested 2NZ-FE with the 11th gen Toyota Corolla E170 that was introduced in 2014. Despite the fact that the Corolla E170 substantially grew in size compared to the 9th gen E120 which first brought the 2NZ-FE engine into our market, Indus Motors had its faith in this engine.

Pakistan is currently the only market in the world where the Toyota Corolla is powered by a 1.3 liter 2NZ-FE engine. And while its performance was optimum with the 9th Gen Corolla it originally came equipped with, it felt quite underpowered and fitted under the hood of the 11th Gen Corolla that weighs around 1200kg.

Related: How Will the Next Generation Toyota Corolla for Pakistan Look Like?

The 12th generation Corolla that made its global debut in November 2018 has already started to replace the 11th gen in key markets and is most likely to reach Pakistan somewhere in 2020. The TNGA-based 12th gen E210 Corolla has more powerful and efficient power-plant options under its hood and it’s not possible for Indus Motors to deploy the old-school 2NZ-FE with the new Corolla. Therefore the company is in the process of introducing the Yaris sedan in Pakistan with 1.3 and 1.5-liter engine options, while the new 12th gen Corolla will have 1.6 liter & bigger engines on offer.

Related: IMC Testing Toyota Yaris with 2 Different Engines

The Yaris compared to the 11th Gen Corolla is nearly 200kg lighter and its 1.3 liter 4NR-FE engine churns out 98hp of power compared to 84hp developed by the 2NZ-FE. Indus Motors is planning to launch the Yaris which will replace the 1.3 liter Corolla variants either towards the end of this year or early next year. This will bring an end to an era of the 2NZ-FE engine spanning over 17 years witnessing 3 Corolla generations between 2002 and 2019.

Have you got an experience with the 1.3 liter 2NZ-FE? Share with us using the comment section below.

2NZ-FE Technical Information

The Toyota 2NZ-FE is a 1.3 liter (1,298 cc) in-line four-cylinder 4-stroke natural aspirated gasoline engine from Toyota NZ-family. The 2NZ-FE engine was developed in 1999 and features a lightweight aluminum block and aluminum cylinder head with dual overhead camshafts (DOHC) and 4 valves per cylinder (16 in total). Its power output is rated at 83.5 hp at 6,000 rpm.

The breakdown of the engine code is as follows:

  • 2 – 2nd generation engine
  • NZ – Engine family
  • F – Economy narrow-angle DOHC
  • E – Electronic Fuel Injection

The 2NZ-FE engine was redesigned in 2003 due to the introduction of Euro IV emissions regulations. The changes that were made to the engine were:

  • The piston shape was changed
  • The shape of the exhaust manifold was modified
  • The construction of the three-way catalytic converter was changed
  • A three-way catalytic converter was fitted
  • The 16-bit ECU was changed to 32 bit
Engine Specifications
Engine code2NZ-FE
LayoutFour-stroke, Inline-4
Fuel typeGasoline (petrol)
Production1999
Displacement1.3L (1,298 cc)
Fuel systemElectronic Fuel Injection (EFI)
Power output83.5 hp at 6,000 rpm
Torque output121 Nm at 4,400 rpm
Firing order1-3-4-2
WeightA/T: 84.8 kg, M/T: 92.5 kg

 Useful Maintenance Information

Oil system
Oil consumptionup to 0.5 liters per 1000 km
Recommended engine oil5W-20, 5W-30, 10W-30
Oil type APISH or SJ
Engine oil capacity (Refill capacity)With filter change 3.4 liters
Without filter change 3.7 liters
Oil change interval5,000-10,000 km
Ignition system
Spark plugDENSO: K16R-U11, NGK: KBR5EYA-11
Spark plug gap1.1 mm (0.043 in)
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