The experiments were performed using a modified six-cylinder turbocharged direct injection diesel engine with diesel of different distillation ranges to investigate the effects of (exhaust gas recirculation) EGR on engine performance and emission characteristics of low-temperature combustion engine. The results showed that for the same fuel, with the increase of the EGR rate, the cylinder pressure remained almost unchanged. Increasing the EGR rate slowed the combustion, the peak value of heat release rate increased and the indicated thermal efficiency decreased. The peak value of heat release rate increased with the decline of the initial boiling point at the same EGR rate. The ignition delay of combustion increased with the decrease of initial boiling point. When EGR rate was low, the level of HC and CO emission was low, while the HC and CO emission increased rapidly with the increase of EGR. The NOx emission was reduced with the increase of the EGR rate. The study also showed that the wide distillation range diesel can reduce emission over diesel in low temperature combustion. Wide distillation range fuel had potential to reduce soot emission at different EGR for low temperature combustion engine. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.