The Next Nissan Silvia Might Ditch the SR20 and That Changes Everything

A Worthy Successor

Say what you will about Nissan being in a precarious spot, but an injection of excitement might be just what the doctor ordered to get the brand back on track. Obsessed with its heritage and with a desire to relive its glory days, the Silvia is the only car that's left from the golden era of Japanese performance that got stuck in time.

News of the next-generation Silvia has been going around, and it appears that Nissan's current President, Ivan Espinosa, can't stop talking about it. It seems that Nissan is excited about the prospect of going toe-to-toe with Toyota, Subaru, and Mazda in the space.

Unfortunately, the SR20DET and all of Nissan's SR variants were discontinued years ago. The Silvia was discontinued by Carlos Ghosn to prioritize the Z and the GT-R, and we have not seen another SR motor since. Whether it was due to profitability or emissions, Nissan never gave us a clear answer for why another performance four-cylinder turbo engine never came to be. Even if that is the case, a look into the company's portfolio reveals a few candidates that might make it to the new Silvia with a few tweaks.

The Criteria

When it comes to the Silvia, we're looking for a few things. Number one is the engine's ability to be turbocharged, which we're hoping Nissan will continue to offer. Historically, pretty much every S-chassis generation had a turbocharger at its top-of-the-line trim, except for U.S. market 240SXs.

If we're to go by old rumors, the engine must also be ready for electrification. Nissan's current president once stated that the brand is considering electrifying the Silvia. Though nothing is set in stone, it's a possibility that we're incorporating into our criteria.

Next, the engine has to be modular. If you look at the history of the SR series of engines, you will note that it found its way into other nameplates like the X-Trail (Rogue), Pulsar, and Sentra. It makes sense given how Nissan does things. Think back to the 350Z and how it had the same powertrain as the Murano. You also don't have to look far, either, because the Nissan GT-R's VR series trickled down to the likes of the new Nissan Z (VR30DDTT) and the Nissan Armada (VR35DDTT). It's safe to assume the new Silvia will come with an engine tweaked from an existing line already in service.

Lastly, the DDT at the end of every engine code has to be (or ideally should be) in the name, and it should have a hybrid or e-Power variant. That means that the engine is dual-overhead-cam, direct-injection, and turbocharged.

Taking this all in and narrowing things down, we have two prime candidates. Note that these are our best guesses, not facts.

KR Series

K-swap, anyone? Kidding. Nissan has a K family of engines of its own, and if you look at the applications and variants of this family of motors, you will find that there are some very viable candidates in the lineup.

Take the KR15DDT, a turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder that is found in the fourth-generation X-Trail. It also has Variable Compression technology and is e-Power ready, meaning it's a hybrid. It's featured on nameplates such as the fourth-generation Nissan X-Trail e-Power and (more notably) the Nissan Aura RS Concept, which was unveiled at the 2026 Tokyo Auto Salon.

The Aura Nismo RS concept uses an upgraded KR15DDT, and on its own, it makes 142 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque. With its front and rear motors, however, it produces a combined 211 hp and 243 lb-ft of torque.

Given that the Silvia has to be rear-wheel drive, the KR series might be a bit of a stretch unless Nissan plans to mount this motor transversely and rely on an electric motor at the back. Nissan could use the Nismo RS concept's rear motor, which makes 134 hp and 144 lb-ft of torque on its own. Either that or Nissan can stick the front motor at the back, which makes 201 hp and 243 lb-ft of torque. Perhaps Nissan could consider upgrading the motors, since 201 hp nowadays feels a little underwhelming compared to the competition.

If Nissan goes with an e-Power setup, I fear that the new Silvia will lose the mechanical feel that many enthusiasts crave. The other concern with going e-Power is which transmission Nissan will use. It's likely the direct-drive transmission from the X-Trail and the Aura Nismo RS Concept will be used, but I hope a manual transmission will always be an option.

MR Series

Now, here is what I believe is the most likely candidate that I'm most biased toward, the MR series. As a successor to the SR series of motors from Nissan, I think this could be it, or at least the series I prefer. In terms of application, technology, and pedigree, this could be the series the new Silvia will pull from – or I could be totally wrong.

Historically, the MR series has supported hybrid technology, as with the MR20DD Hybrid (series-parallel hybrid) and S-Hybrid (mild-hybrid). While it isn't an e-Power system, both are found in the previous-generation X-Trail Hybrid and the previous-generation Serena S-Hybrid. I can imagine that either may work out for the next Silvia.

Also, the MR series can be turbocharged, and the most famous coupe to use a turbocharged MR-series engine is actually not a Nissan; it's the Alpine A110.

See, Nissan has an alliance with Renault, which co-developed the MR series, and if Alpine thinks the MR18DDT is good enough for its flagship sports car, then dang it, Nissan could consider the same thing for its entry-level offering. Power-wise, the MR18DDT makes about 222 to 296 hp and about 221 to 310 lb-ft of torque on its own. From the archives, I managed to unearth an older article stating that the next Silvia engine could be a Renault-sourced unit. How cool would it be for that scoop to come true after 20 years?

However, while the series has a performance pedigree, its hybrid tech is on the older side. We haven't seen a hybrid MR-series engine since Nissan went all-in on e-Power technology.

The Lineup

Nissan could go with the lineup they had with the S15 Spec R and Spec S, or with the Jack's, Queen's, and King's scheme like the S14. The question is: if Nissan is dead serious about hybrid performance, will it be for the top-of-the-line trim, the base-model trim, or standard throughout the lineup? I see it going either way. The thing is, there is no explicit confirmation just yet about what type of electrification Nissan will be doing to the Silvia, so whether it's mild-hybrid, series-parallel, or e-Power, we don't know yet.

The MR series is viable. It can be turbocharged and fitted with a series-parallel or mild hybrid system. Personally, this would be my pick, considering that it's in the Alpine A110 and, even as an MR18DDT, it delivers upgraded SR20DET levels of power, and Nissan can probably afford to bore it out up to 2 liters. The one thing holding it back is that its hybrid tech is outdated, and given the current push for Nissan's e-Power technology, that's a point against it. Also, only a few Nissan vehicles still run on the MR engine, such as the Nissan Kicks non-e-Power.

Considering that Nismo's been having a lot of fun with e-Power lately, I think the KR series of engines will be Nissan's ace up its sleeve. Perhaps bore it out to 2.0-liters, slap a turbocharger on it, and make sure that there is a proper transmission between it and the driven wheels, and it'll probably be good. It's also an engine platform that's still in production and widely used across multiple Nissan platforms.

Or why not both? Historically, the Nissan Silvia has been offered with many factory engine options throughout its life – whether we're talking about CA, SR, or KA series. It wouldn't be impossible for Nissan to go with an MR and KR mix, with the MR serving as the top-of-the-line enthusiast-spec while the KR stays at the entry-level – or vice versa.

Will it make sense to have a turbocharged hybrid Silvia? Yes, and no. Yes, because if the R36 GT-R Hybrid rumors are anything to go by, then the Silvia would make sense, giving enthusiasts a peek into what the next Godzilla can deliver. However, it wouldn't make sense given the current lineup, considering that the Z has yet to adopt any form of performance electrification.

If I were Nissan, I'd keep things simple. No hybrid powertrain just yet. Just keep it turbocharged. At the very most, give us a mild hybrid, but I don't think e-Power really fits the ethos of a Silvia; I'm open to the possibility. Finally, I certainly hope that regardless of what engine family Nissan goes with, a manual transmission will be available. I hope Nissan continues to put manual transmissions in its cars in the future, just like it did for the Z Nismo after numerous requests.

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This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 12:00 PM.