[Nazaar25]

In 2020, we bought a Hyundai Verna 1.5 MPI IVT which was a very well thought out decision and the car perfectly suits the kind of usage of we have but still, sometimes, just sometimes, Dad and me, both feel we should’ve gone with the CRDI for the extra grunt and turbo boost.
Now when I was looking to replace my 2010 i20 1.2 with a better and safer car, two options were shortlisted (pre-owned), one was an Ameo 1.2 MPI (which was significantly cheaper) and the other with the 1.5 TDI. Went with the latter without even thinking twice!

[the.dogfather]

We have a 2007 Ford Fiesta 1.4 Petrol. It was a big upgrade for us when we purchased it as compared to the Maruti 800 we had earlier, and we were worried about the fuel efficiency of the 1.6 Petrol.
In the 16 years we had it and continue to use it regularly, we didnt miss a bigger engine,however, I do regret not going for the version with ABS and Airbags.

[speedracer05]

In my experience, cars with larger engines (power/torque) are more relaxing to drive. This can be felt in long drives, I don't feel much fatigue even after 7-8 hour drives in my Octavia TDI.
Smaller engines on the other hand is more tiring as you have to constantly wrestle with gear, rpm, throttle pressure etc and they start to feel out of place in overtakes, quick movement in traffic etc

Larger engines are quite efficient too, as they can cruise in lower gears and some offer cylinder turn off technology. They also hold up better over time as they are not pushed to higher rpm and higher engine loads as often.

Overall, bigger engines offer a lot of benefits over the ownership period, they are not aways apparent in initial test drives.

[ArvindMaveric]

Have always tried to buy the one with the bigger/more powerful engine. My second car was the Swift Diesel with the DDiS engine and fell in love with it. However, I bought the 85 PS Duster instead of the 110 PS variant as I heard from multiple people that the 110 had a lazy turbo lag. And never regretted buying the 85 over the 110.

Presently, I chose the Diesel 2.0 Fiat-sourced engine on the Hector versus the 1.5 available on the petrol variant. The amazing low-end torque and zero lag from the engine make it easy to drive in the city too.

[theexperthand]

Voted for Mixed experience. Mostly fine, but with occasional regrets.

Not only the engine but the variant also - my Punto 1.3 Active 75hp. Coming from an Ambassador and Vista, 75 HP looked like a healthy number, but as time went by, there were occasions where thought wishfully that I should have done a bit more due diligence and plonked money to get the 90hp engine, and shouldn't have gone for the base version.

1. No options to tune the 75hp engine. If I had the 90hp, I could have gone for a tune, down the lane.
2. In gear acceleration - an additional 15 horses would have been a great help
2. Barebones MID (even though it was feature-rich than most of the competition). The mid and top variants had much better MID and Speedo consoles and it was something I missed a lot.

--Anoop

[vignesh.cv]

Voted for "Yes, all the time". To me the driving experience is the combination of the motor, handling & braking. I've always went for the larger engine where available as that gave me a lot of comfort knowing that there is power on reserve when needed. I've found the roll-on torque to be better in larger engines, as that's what we tend to rely when overtaking on highways or going up ghats.

[bijims]

Thankfully, I have always bought the bigger and most of the time better engine in all my cars, the same goes for my relatives too, I always used to feel there was no replacement for displacement and that has made me go for the Renault Kwid 1.0 L instead of the 800cc, the Kia Sonet 1.5 LDiesel AT instead of the 1.0 L Turbo-Petrol or the 1.2 L N.A Petrol, the Wagon-R 1.2 L instead of the 1.0 L, even for my relatives, I recommended the 1.5 L Virtus over the 1.0 L Virtus. I always felt you couldn't go wrong with the extra power and torque provided your budget allows for it.

[SatishChour]

Yes, I did regret going for 75bhp Punto instead of 90bhp back in 2010. However, that was only after having driven the 90hp Punto. Until then, I was quite happy with what I had. And once I drove the 90hp Punto, I did not settle until mine was remapped.

So, IMO, it depends on your experience and exposure to bigger and more powerful engines. If you have always driven smaller-engine cars, then you would never know what you are missing

[avdhesh15]

I bought the Baleno in 2022 which had only 1 option at the time. But then came the Fronx with the turbo and CVT gearbox. Would have surely opted for that if it were available.

[0raZe0]

Back in 2009 I got my father to buy the 1.2L DOHC kappa i10 instead of the 1.1L SOHC one. Turned out the right choice. It still gives me a rush when I floor the pedal in second or third gear. Now when I am looking to buy my first car I want to buy the 1.5L DSG Virtus but dont want to stretch my budget beyond 20 lacs. Thankfully they now have it in the lower GT variant as well. Only if they could add 6 airbags in it too I would buy it instantly.

[gauravanekar]

I bought 2015 Ford Figo 1.2 petrol in place of the brilliant 1.5 Diesel. I regretted every time I drove the car for 8 years.

[vivekz]

I have the Polo 1.2 NA which I bought in 2012. The only more powerful option was 1.6NA but it was being discontinued and was quite a jump in price. Since GT series was not launched then, 1.6 was the enthusiasts choice. I wish I had the money to make the jump. Till today Polo remains one of the most enjoyable cars in city - strong, sturdy, reliable. I can just blast through bad potholes of Bangalore when so called SUVs are struggling. It's just perfection below 80 kmph for me.

I got a Taigun GT DSG as second car and it simply is not enjoyable in the same environment. It does unleash itself on highways and open roads but till city speeds, Polo takes the lead. Having driven other popular cars like XUV 700, BMW 3 series, Creta etc of family and friends in same urban environment, the excitement is simply missing in these cars for day to day drive. The other cars definitely have their strengths but for me they simply lack the excitement for city traffic, maybe because that's not what they are intended for

I just wish if I had taken the 1.6 then, probably it would have been even a bigger joy in city.

[CarML]

I bought my Duster about 8 years ago. Two Diesel engine options were available, 110 PS and 85 PS.
This was my first diesel car and 85 PS felt adequate during the test drive. I went for the mid variant of the 85 PS variant.
It is superb for city usage. For highway rides, while cruising at triple digit speeds, the engine feels slightly underpowered. A 6th gear is also sorely missed.
I have decided that my future car will be an automatic, with the best engine option and the top available variant. It might be 10 to 15 percent costlier, but will always provide that satisfaction in return.

[Sedate driver]

I was about to make the mistake of buying the 1.5L Petrol CVT Hector, however the lethargic performance of this engine made me switch over to the 2.0L Diesel and no regrets thereafter, be it engine power and performance or the fuel efficiency. Back in 2015 also I avoided the 1.2L Petrol i20 and got the 1.4L crdi Diesel i20 which was also a great engine with excellent low end torque and fuel efficiency.

It is not that one is going to drive at the maximum power band always. As someone already mentioned, the powerful engine provides a relaxed cruising experience as is evident by the simple fact, the 2.0L Diesel Hector cruises smoothly at 90kmph at just 1600 rpm without straining the engine. Quick overtaking in undivided roads is possible with a powerful engine with power on tap.

[ron178]

My parents bought a Polo 1-litre MPI because I insisted (the alternative they were considering was a Ford Figo, so in retrospect I take blame only for the choice of engine). It serves its job in the city fine, but on the highways you really have to work the gears. Besides, it would have been much nicer with an automatic transmission (some in the family no longer remember how to drive manual) and sometimes I wonder they would have been better off with a GT.

More than anything I do regret not making them wait for the 1-litre TSI that was due the next year. In my defence, I thought it would be priced close to the [existing] 1.2 TSI, because there was no news then either about the switch to a torque converter, or of the subsequent availability of the AT in lower variants.

It is not a terrible engine for its size, in fact I'll go on to say it's quite peppy for 76hp on a 1000+ kg car, but I think anyone would feel shortchanged if the same variant became available with a turbo and automatic a little over a year later.

The more concrete instance would be our Nissan Terrano 1.6 petrol. That engine was riddled with problems right from the word go; bad starters, timing belts gone kaput prematurely, you name it; everything that could go wrong in our mere 4 years of ownership, did. In contrast I know multiple diesel owners whose cars still run very well.