No Bridge, No Problem: New Turbo-Four Gas Engine Can Actually Run Underwater

The new Horse B20 is a 2.0-liter gas-powered turbo—one of the most common types of car engines these days—with a twist: It’s waterproof. The engine can run fully submerged in almost four feet of water.

Horse Powertrain supplies various types of engines to OEMs and is mainly known for making motors that support hybrid powertrains (the gas part of the equation in PHEVs and EREVs). That’s what the B20 is—a direct-injection turbo four-cylinder designed to support hybrid trucks and SUVs that can go off-road.

It makes sense in 2026. Land Rover, Jeep, and Toyota have been marketing off-roaders with hybrid power for years; they all brag about water-fording capabilities on spec sheets and sales pitches.

Actually, Jeep bailed on hybrids this year, but who knows if that will stick.

All that to say—hybrid plus 4×4 is definitely a thing now, so it’s not surprising, but still cool to see this kind of off-road-focused development in the space. Waterproofing isn’t just helpful when you need to ford a river; it’s good to have some headroom in protection against splashes and weather in general.

Horse is a joint venture of co-parent companies Renault and Geely, and a version of the B20 is already being offered in the big, boxy 1,113-horsepower Geely Galaxy Cruiser 700. It can’t quite utilize the B20’s full capability of a 1.1-meter dunk, but it’s still an impressive machine with a max wading depth of almost 35 inches.

Geely Cruiser 700 Can Actually Float

You’ve got to love Chinese car names. It’s like they were looking at a Toyota dealership across the street and said, “Land Cruiser, huh? Oh yeah? Well, we’re doing a Galaxy Cruiser, suckers.”

It actually is a pretty cool-looking SUV. Styling is more Land Rover than Land Cruiser, but the interior is packed with nice-looking knobs and toggles. I actually think it looks better than LR’s own Defender.

As for the B20, the IPX8 waterproof rating (certifying it for operation under 1.1 meters, about 3.6 feet, of water) is achieved with a fully sealed structure. It has torsional vibration dampers and dedicated engine-transmission sealing. IPX8-rated sensors monitor the environment, and when submerged, the control system automatically limits power or adjusts throttle response based on sensor feedback.

That combination—not just wading through water but continuing to run while fully underwater, with active electronic management of the submersion—is the novel and interesting factor.

The Horse B20 weighs about 287 pounds, using a gantry-type aluminum block with an integrated exhaust manifold and a simplified balance shaft system (for NVH, durability, and overall efficiency).

High-pressure injectors and high-tumble intake ports are in place to promote “superior air-fuel mixing and more efficient combustion.” Horse’s press release also says “the engine features pistons designed to make full use of the ‘squish’ effect to promote air-fuel mixing at the peak of the compression cycle” for “cleaner and faster combustion.”

Horse reports output ranges of 188–248 hp, and 221-280 lb-ft of torque.

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