Stiffness and softness as required. That’s the principle behind the dynamic engine mount system now being offered for the first time as part of the Sport Chrono Package Turbo. Essentially, it’s an electronically controlled system for controlling the stiffness of the engine mounts.

The engine is bolted to the body using two mounts and follows Newton’s law of inertia, namely that a body will continue to move in a uniform straight line unless it is made to change its direction by a force acting upon it.

Put more simply: when you are driving into a bend, the vehicle will follow your steering but, at first, the mass of the engine won’t. This means that the rear of the vehicle is pushed outwards because of the inert forces from the engine’s mass acting on it.

The dynamic engine mount system minimises this effect. The steering angle longitudinal and lateral acceleration values are constantly recorded by sensors and the stiffness of the two engine mounts is changed automatically according to the driving style. This is achieved using a magnetisable (magnetorheological) fluid and an electrically generated magnetic field. The magnetisable particles align with each other and the fluid’s viscosity changes. This alters the stiffness and absorption of the engine mounts: softer for greater comfort and less vibration when driving normally, harder for a more direct driving feel when driving more sportily.

The dynamic engine mount system also reduces the vertical oscillations of the engine when accelerating under full load. The result: greater and more uniform force on the rear axle, increased traction and better acceleration.

All this means two things: perceptibly more stable handling under load change conditions and in fast corners and a step closer to the ultimate sporty drive – combined with enhanced levels of comfort.