[84.monsoon]

Great thread. I have been very impressed by the 1.5 Turbo Diesel formula as well, quite an all-rounder format if done well including mating to a good gearbox.

I have driven the Renault/Nissan K9K, the Honda earthdreams, the VW TDI and I own the opre-facelift Ecosport TDCI with the DV5. The Honda is the worst of the lot, very gravelly, no excitement whether be it low end, mid-range or at the high-end of the rev range. I would rate the K9K and DV5 the best of the lot, not having driven the Mahindra Diesel yet. The K9K is amazing on the highway, has a muscular and unflappable quality and amazing grunt while delivering great fuel efficiency as well, the sixth gear helping tremndously in relaxed highway cruising. But the clutch is too heavy and uncomfortable on the earlier versions of Duster I drove. The Ford is the best balanced, minimal turbo lag, good refinement, strong torque and mid-range (though not as much as the K9K), and decent fuel efficiency. The clutch is not too heavy and the gearshifts are fiarly short throw and smooth. How I wish it had a sixth gear, the car could really use that - currently, it does 100 KMPH at 2300 rpm, a sixth gear would have dropped this to less than 2000 rpm and in the starting end of the rpm range for the meaty mid-range torque to kick in . The car has served me well without any issues, sans some vibrations, for 5.5 years as of date and it is going strong. So I would vote for the Ford DV5 TDCI at the top of the list.

[ADEY]

I am always very fond of diesel engines, in-spite of that fact that they come at a more premium price tag. Some how, the plenty of torque that the diesel mills come with always fascinates me. My vote is with Ford 1.5 TDCI. I owned a Ford Ecosport D and just love the way the car behaved , be it in the city or on the highways. I have driven to Kolkata from Hyderabad a few times and a couple of times non stop only with Bio and food breaks. I never felt that the Ford 1.5 is breaking a sweat.

[Kuldeep31]

A timely and interesting thread for sure. Having driven only 3 out of the 6 mentioned engines I am inclined to select that punchy Ford TDCi for now. It is an all-rounder with simple and robust mechanicals.

Rightly mentioned by GTO that Hyundai’s 1.6 is in a different league.

Originally Posted by AYP

In fact I find it better than the Hyundai's 1.6 CRDi.

IMHO, this is primarily because of the weight of the cars (Verna, Creta, Elantra) that deploy the 1.6.
Regards

[Alfa_Romeo1]

Although I have taken a delivery of Ford Freestyle TDCi only FOUR days back, voted for VW!

Hope mods will not delete the post as it is one liner, this one liner is self explanatory.

[COMMUTER]

Voted Ford.

I have a Ford Figo 1.5D and a VW Ameo 1.5D.

The Ford's acceleration is strong right from 60 kmph and aids my driving style(80-90kmph). The Ameo's acceleration get strong over 80 kmph only.

The Fuel Efficiency and refinement of Ford is also much better than the Ameo.

[abhinav.s]

Voted for Ford. Own the new Figo 1.5D which has done 42,000 kms in the last 22 months. Punchy engine for the highway, though it misses the 6th gear, cruiseability is good for highway speeds in the 5th gear and it delivers some good FE as well. City driveability in B2B traffic is just about ok but moderate traffic is not a worry and 3rd gear works like an automatic in the city. Very cheap to own and maintain in terms of service cost as well. What is not to like here!!

[AYP]

Originally Posted by Kuldeep31

IMHO, this is primarily because of the weight of the cars (Verna, Creta, Elantra) that deploy the 1.6.
Regards

The Vento diesel weighs slightly more than the Verna diesel and I would still pick the Vento and enjoy the 1.5 TDi.

[gupta_chd]

Can anybody shed light which of these is best on NVH levels. Having driven extensively, I am certain Hyundai 1.6 is the best but which one of these is at par or almost par with Hyundai's gem on this parameter?

[knightrider_7]

Have driven four out of the six options (except Mahindra & VW) and the engine that made me smile was the Ford TDCI. Voted for the same.

[sandeepmohan]

I picked Renault as it is the only 1.5l diesel I have extensive experience with behind the wheel. The highlights of this engine are refinement and tractability. The 110ps version makes something as old and boring to look at Duster quite exciting to drive. I won't be surprised if it is the most quiet of the lot too. An engine which is essentially a relic with some modern fuel injection and turbo charging to enhance economy and overall performance. It works really well.

I feel the Government ruling on petrol motors being capped at 1.2l for tax benefits is a disadvantage, atleast to us enthusiasts. I wish they kept it even at 1.5l for both fuels. By design, petrol motors do not produce the same levels of torque for them to be efficient or even as drive-able as a diesel. Lowering the capacity makes it worse and less appealing. This is somewhat addressed by fitting a blower but it still ain't as good as a diesel. A handful of motors excel, most do not. Between the ultra modern Ford Ecoboost (or even 1.5l Dragon) and TDCi, the motor to pick is still the TDCi.

Exciting times for small capacity diesels in our market for sure, even if the developed world is moving away from fossil fuel itself.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by H_Dogg72

Unpopular opinion.
Small diesels are bleh.
Didn't vote.

I own the 1.5tdi dsg and a 1.2tsi dsg. The diesel is faster if you are redlining it but it has horrendous turbo lag which I find a deal breaker vs the TSI. The VW diesel is super loud and unrefined to my ears too. Is it better than any other in noise? I call it hamara tractor.
Diesels are slowing down anyway. The ngt ban along with bs6 costs should reduce Diesel models even further.
Friend has a creta diesel auto and even that sounds like a tractor at 1L KMS. I have creta petrol auto and it's silent in the 2 month 5k kms done so far. The 1.6 petrol is the worst in terms of power but it is the smoothest in terms of noise IF you're driving like a nanny.

I've also driven the Honda 1.5 diesel. Extensively in my friends wrv and once in a rental city. I have nothing good to say about it except for the fuel economy which is why I believe they sell. They have no power. Super loud. Completely opposite to refined Honda petrols. Not fast but at least peaceful.

I expressed the same opinion in the DSG thread, small turbo diesel engine and DSG makes it an unpleasant ride, VW diesel engines in the rapid and vento are noisy, although powerful no doubt. It reminded me of the good old fiesta diesel, it was difficult to be a passenger.

Having owned Hyundai at one point, I find them to be the most refined be it petrol or diesel.

I think Bolero Power+ deserves a mention here. I thought 1.5 + Bolero was a bad idea, but here an engine has completely transformed Bolero, it is quiet, rev happy and incredibly powerful. You can say that Bolero is now fun to drive. It is a 3 Cylinder, but you do not really notice it, the heavy chassis takes care of those vibrations.

[Surya-TJet]

Voted for the Ford 1.5 TDCi.

For 3 reasons:

1. I was always a true "petrol" head as I considered diesels to have massive turbo lag (many cars still do) and not so free revving (again still exist) and high on maintenance (yes again) - Boy was I proven wrong - I got converted into a "Diesel-Man" ONLY because of this engine - I am now enjoying this gem of an engine; having covered 25,000+ kms of motoring nirvana (for my current phase of life) - and the service costs are so low with quality of parts exceeding many other players in this price range, its a win-win for me.

2. I have driven this car at all speed ranges with varying passenger loads and never once has it let me down by feeling strained or out of breath. I can only imagine what this engine would do if I gave it a remap.

3. I actually enjoy city driving in this car compared to many other petrol cars for its' "easy performance" and stellar fuel economy (inspite of its' massive 1300kg kerb weight)

[tarik.arora]

Voted for the Tata 1.5 present in Nexon.

I dont see many people talking about the Tata engine. I have not driven most of the engines listed here and thus cannot compare it with Tata yet, but the standalone performance of the Tata engine is very good. The turbo lag is very well contained and the drive ability is just excellent. In sports mode, the engine is a different beast all together. The 260 Nm torque is Creta territory and it just pulls cleanly from any rpm. This engine can do 100 kmph under 2,000 rpm and this makes it a splendid mile-muncher.

[deehunk]

Renault's K9K and Ford's DV5 are the best engines from my experience, Skoda's 1.6 TDI was probably the best in its segment before being replaced by 1.5TDI.

[revvenant]

Voted Ford as that's what I drive (1.5 L Tdci, Figo Titanium)

Seriously though, it's real bang for your buck and punches way above it's range. If raw power is your thing you have to try this.