The destroyers were powered by a single Parsons steam turbine that drove two propeller shafts using steam provided by Yarrow boilers. Ardent differed from her sister ships in that she had only three rather than four boilers and only two funnels. The engines developed a total of and were designed for a speed of . The ship reached a speed of during her sea trials. The Acastas had a range of at a cruising speed of .
