[Altocumulus]

I have had the pleasure of owning both , a 1.8L Laura Tsi and also a 1.8L Honda Civic NA Petrol both in MT. While nothing seems better than revving to 7000 rpm, you just can't ignore the in gear acceleration offered by the turbo engine. At the end maybe I would still prefer the NA, but not just any engine would do. It should have power and finesse to put a smile to your face the more you make it work.

[fhdowntheline]

I would also add that one of the main factors behind the enjoyable experience of the 1.2 TSI is the brilliant DSG. I am sure that it wouldn’t be half as good with a long/ firm clutch as a third pedal, especially in urban conditions. In contrast, the CVT of my City somewhat dulls the ivtec experience, unless you are in Sport/ Manual mode!

[Lambydude]

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

I would also add that one of the main factors behind the enjoyable experience of the 1.2 TSI is the brilliant DSG. I am sure that it wouldn’t be half as good with a long/ firm clutch as a third pedal, especially in urban conditions. In contrast, the CVT of my City somewhat dulls the ivtec experience, unless you are in Sport/ Manual mode!

True about the DSG part, it improves the experience.

However, I'm not sure about the manual version being bad. I always thought that a manual version of my 1.8 TSI would be great to drive. Primary reason being because of DQ 200, the torque is limited to 250NM. In a manual version it can go up to 320NM. Have driven the 1.4 TSI manual and experienced how brilliant it is.

[fhdowntheline]

I was referring to the potential existence of a manual 1.2 TSI with a not-so- light clutch. Let me also add one factor. If i am driving alone or with just a front passenger, a turbo petrol would be fun. But with a family, I’d say the steady linear output of a large NA engine is a more comfortable experience.

[nerd1200]

I had to vote for Turbo-petrols because there aren't any good NA petrol car (+drivetrain & chassis - basically the package) available in the market today (I'm not talking Mustang or exotics).
There's no two ways about the instantaneous response and diesel-like torque delivery of turbo petrols, they're just too addictive. And the easy power gains through simple remaps is just the cherry we need on top of our cake. However, not unlike core enthusiasts like us, my heart still yearn for a good NA, Alas! They don't make good NAs (with a proper drivetrain) anymore. If I have an additional parking spot, I wouldn't mind buying a Fiesta 1.6 or City ivtech Gen-1 fir the sheer thrill of the drive.

[sathyasuri]

I chose the other option with Wankel Rotary engine in mind. I have been in a Mazda RX8 and would definitely vouch for it purely on the fun factor.

[lrsays]

Voted for NA petrol engine(assuming similar power as turbo) for following reasons-
1. Less maintenance
2. Don't have to wait before shutting it down
3. More predictable power delivery, Tiago JTP is fun to drive on open roads but in bumper to bumper traffic it's bit confusing

[rajshenoy]

Voted for NA petrol for the ability to revv and linear power delivery without much lag. I am purely considering the mass market petrol engines here(1-2L) and the corresponding turbo engines(baring couple of TSI examples).

3 of my 4 cars are NA petrol engines

[Ragasruoban]

Naturally-aspirated petrol engine any day!

I just love the sweet sounding, linear-responsive nature of NA engines against the initially laggy and then spiky behaviour of turbo counterparts. We have got got turbo diesels for that. Also for Indian traffic conditions, turbo lag is a very annoying factor since one has to depress the accelerator pedal hard to counter the lag and release it before the turbo kicks in furiously. Repetitive cycles of these, leads to drop in fuel efficiency as well as results in driver-fatigue and tiring of co-passengers.

[shankar.balan]

Just as a clarification.

I do not experience any “Turbo Lag” in my Mini Cooper S 1.6 Turbo Petrol (AT).
The getrag auto-gearing is quite beautifully mated to the engine.
Consequently, this car is able to be happy just chuntering about like a “non aggressive regular joe floozit wilkins”, in traffic in the city and is equally happy to get into its “Wicked Wandering Wolf Avatar” when it is on a highway and/ or on a twisty road.
It truly has this Jekyll and Hyde personality, depending on the circumstances that one throws at it.


This sort of versatility or if you like, “dual personality”, that I am experiencing daily since I bought this car (second hand) around 3 weeks back, is what caused me to vote Turbocharged Petrol Engine as my choice.

[bluevolt]

Naturally aspirated. I like keeping things simple.

Though uncommon, a turbo failure can be heavy on pocket and high on stress! This is probably one of the reason we never bought a diesel car.

[adimicra]

Originally Posted by THE_DRIFTER

Not saying that one can't live without a turbo in small engines, but if an engine is 3 cylinders and less than, say 1.2l, then turbo is preferred, example - VW's 1.2 TSI.

Though, in cars (particularly engines) like the 1.5 Vtec Honda City , the real fun of driving comes. As GTO said, there is really no replacement for displacement.

Buddy , the lovely 1.2 TSI is a 4-cylinder engine.

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

In this day and age with emissions regulations and fuel efficiency priorities, naturally aspirated engines are a bit of a dinosaur. They'll go the way hydraulic steerings went. Apart from the simplicity and hence, reliability, there really isn't a good reason not to slap a turbo on.

I like that I still have one but I'm pretty sure my next car won't.

+1.. the refined and torue-y turbo petrols are the future.
There is a reason why companies like Hyundai/Kia/Honda (aborad) are having the turbo petrols in their top-end or sport models.
And there is a reason why people are buying those even though they are pricier compared to the NA models.

Originally Posted by Ragasruoban

Naturally-aspirated petrol engine any day!

I just love the sweet sounding, linear-responsive nature of NA engines against the initially laggy and then spiky behaviour of turbo counterparts. We have got got turbo diesels for that. Also for Indian traffic conditions, turbo lag is a very annoying factor since one has to depress the accelerator pedal hard to counter the lag and release it before the turbo kicks in furiously. Repetitive cycles of these, leads to drop in fuel efficiency as well as results in driver-fatigue and tiring of co-passengers.

I agree some turbo petrols suffer from turbo lag but that varies from engine to engine.. And it's not that the NA engine don't have lag (non-turbo lag I suppose ) I have a 1.2 petrol Honda Jazz which has pretty bad response at low rpms. Also, NA petrol engines develop most of their power at >3500-4000 rpms which many users seldom visit. In comparison, the turbo petrols generate peak torque at low rpms like 1500 rpm providing amazing in-gear acceleration.

About the comparison with diesel, I agree that diesels generate more torque but what about refinement? Drive the 1.2 TSI and 1.5 TDI from VW back-to-back and see the difference. The 1.2 TSI is super refined while the TDI sounds like a tractor in comparison. Also, the TSI has much lower turbo lag and more revv-happy compared to the TDI which makes city driving much easier in the TSI.

[THE_DRIFTER]

Originally Posted by adimicra

Buddy , the lovely 1.2 TSI is a 4-cylinder engine.

You got an eagle eye Sir!!
Oops! Actually, I meant about the less displacement of the engine i.e. 1.2 litre
By the way thank you for correcting Sir

[vj123]

Its tough to pick an engine in general as it depends on the whole package in a particular vehicle. But based on the vehicles in my garage, i have picked Petrol turbo.

Petrol NA - Durango with 5.7l hemi:
This big daddy is in its league of its own. Its been there for a while in different platforms and one can keep hearing that exhaust note forever.

Petrol turbo - Golf GTI with 2.0 turbo:
Its a gem of its kind and the power delivery is addicting with DSG. Amount of power which people extract with mods is just unbelievable.

[TSIVTEC]

I would anyday take a Turbo petrol home over a NA.Had experienced the difference between 1.2 I-VTEC and a 1.2TSI with 5 people on board on both a few days back..

The GT TSI just pulled like a freight train.It really didn't feel like a 1200cc motor the way it was pulling.

Whereas the brio A/T had to constantly shift back to 2nd gear and stay there for longer inorder to get up to some decent speeds.

Talking about large capacity engines, the only car I remember would be the 3.0L Holden commodore Evoke V6 which felt really good.

All my experiences are purely based on sitting in the car and not actually driving them..