[arindambasu13]

After having driven a well tuned turbo diesel on my Ecosport for the past few years, the thought of half the fuel economy and a much higher fuel cost is something I find hard to reconcile with. The TDCI engine on my Ecosport, no matter how hard I drive it, still return 13-15 kmpl in the city, and 18-20 when on the highway. The huge cost difference with the turbo petrol means that I have stayed away from them till now. Perhaps, the next purchase could be a turbo petrol if it is really worth it performance wise- but that is still a few years. off.

[Raghu M]

Yes, love the turbo. The 3OO has one of the best 1.2s. The engine is surprisingly refined, very powerful and has great highway behavior. While the NAs have their strength, I don't think I will go back to them anytime. My last drive was to Bengaluru and since it was an emergency drive, I had to be at the wheel non-stop. I drove 5 hours non-stop as I did not have an option to stop and I was on calls continuously. The engine was just awesome. The mileage was around 18 kmpl which is very decent.

[apache_aayush]

I dont drive an automatic but the Rapid TSI Manual. I am totally satisfied with the car. It has got great performance which can shame cars one class above and the fuel efficiency is also good if you drive sensibly. I easily get 20+ kmpl on highways when i drive with a light foot. NVH ofcourse cant be compared with Naturally Aspirated engines but its not crude at all.

[Swap_Abarth]

Yes. I own Abarth Punto and Linea T Jet. I am thoroughly satisfied with turbo petrols, they just lunges forward without hesitation. On open highways these cars are properly fast and fun in corners. Turbo petrols are effortless mile munchers. It is always a pleasure for me to drive a car with vast reserves of power. Personally, I don't care much about fuel efficiency.

[robimahanta]

Driving turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol cars since 2011 has been an exhilarating journey for me. It's been such a thrill that every car I've purchased since then has boasted turbo power. Interestingly, mileage isn't just about how heavy my foot is; it's a dance between throttle input and individual car quirks. Surprisingly, I've clocked similar mileage in both the 4 cylinder Thar petrol and the 6 cylinder BMW M340i.

Most of the issues highlighted are very specific to the 3 cylinder Rapid 1-litre TSi with a TC box. It's unfair to tar all turbo petrol cars with the same brush.

However, my heart still skips a beat for naturally aspirated (NA) engines, especially if they're as special as the legendary 6.2-litre AMG C63, the roaring V12 beasts from Lamborghini and Ferrari, and, of course, the spine-tingling 4-litre Porsche GT3.

But when it comes to everyday driving, give me the turbo petrol variant any day. There's just something about that extra kick that makes the commute a bit more exciting.

[igemini]

I drive a Polo GT 1.0 TSI since Dec 2020 and I had a Golf 1.4 TSI and prior to that a Daihatsu Mira 660 CC turbo petrol in the past. I don't think that I ever want to go back to a NA car. These cars are absolutely fun to drive and no two ways about it. Yes, it is true that I always felt if they had better fuel efficiency but it's a trade-off that we have to settle with. I absolutely love my turbo petrols.

[R_Gowardhan]

Got myself a Skoda Rapid 1.0 TSI Manual in 2021 in a pure Heart over head decision. 3 years and 65k kms down the line, I feel it was indeed a more practical purchase for my use. Worst overall FE (Tank to Tank) has been 10.5 Kmpl with 80% city and 20% highway. Best has been 24.5 Kmpl (100% on Expressway). Getting between 14-15 kmpl consistently on daily use. The predecessors to this car were Honda Jazz, MS Ritz & MS Wagon R. Regular overall FEs were 11.5, 12.5 & 12 respectively.

While a lot of users and reviews spoke about the initial turbo lag, I somehow didn’t find it bothering me yet.

On the NVH, definitely can’t be compared with any 4 Cylinder engine but the NVHs have grown on me now and is part of the car's character.

Honestly, I find it boring to drive any other NA car now. (Honda 1.5 & Suzuki K12 aside)

I did test drive the Torque converter version too. It was fun but it somehow felt an overkill with the 1.0 TSI. I could guess that the TC won’t do justice to the FE potential of the engine.

I have always wanted 2 cars in my garage : one a practical daily driver and the other a mad running fun car. With the 1.0 TSI, I have both in 1 car.

[ankur_fox]

It's the first turbo petrol of my life. I love the punch and godly feeling with the pedal down. I did not know the trade-off in mileage was going to be this noticeable. Will I get one again, hell yes!

[07CR]

Originally Posted by 1LR-GUE

Dislikes
1. Absurd running costs.
2. NVH is not great as a NA petrol.
3. Turbo lag in low RPMs is difficult to manage in mixed driving conditions.
4. Unknown maintenence costs.
5. Mileage is very sensitive to throttle inputs.
6. Mileage is very sensitive to outside temperature ( I get good mileage in nights, than afternoon with the same driving style).

Conclusion - My next purchase is NOT going to be a turbo-petrol. I will consider EVs, hybrids or as a simple NA petrol + AT only. So my question to all members of Team bhp will you buy a turbo petrol as a next car?

I have two turbo petrols- 1) 2021 Sonet Turbo P iMT. 2) Dec 2023 Seltos Facelift DCT Turbo. I am so happy with both these engine gearboxes, that I am never going back to naturally aspirated engines. Only naturally aspirated engine that comes close to the Sonet's 1.0 Turbo is Ecosport's Dragon engine (nothing comes close to Seltos's!).

For your set of cons, I guess you bought the wrong car, not the engine gearbox combo!

My experiences with respect to your cons-
1. No major increment in running costs for me. Both cars have been fill it shut it forget it (Touchwood). Service bills for Sonet have never crossed 6K annually, which is excellent considering the performance on offer.

2. NVH in Seltos is spectacular! It almost feels like an EV and I need to sometimes double check if the car is ON! Passengers don't even feel it. In comparison, Sonet certainly isn't as refined, but on it's own is very good as well. There is a 3 cylinder thrum associated till about couple of units when you cold start it, but it becomes very refined after that. Compare that to any 4 cylinder Nat Aspirated engine on this side of 20 L, and I am sure you won't be disappointed with Sonet's NVH.

3. I have never experienced such situation in either of my cars. Sonet does have slight turbo lag, but it's very easy to manage. Seltos is very seamless at any given speed.

4. Maintenance costs for my Sonet as mentioned above have been extremely economical. 6K per year for 3 years seems good to me.

5. This I agree. But the return in performance is exponentially more. I prefer it this way, because when driven casually Sonet delivers me stellar FE in city as well as highway (18-20 on highways)(sometimes breaches 18 mark in Pune city conditions, refer attached pic). But when I am in mood the car delivers only about 10-11 in Pune, while 13-14 on highways, which IMO is fine considering the increment in performance.


6. This is common with all cars. But I guess it affected Rapid more since all Skoda-VW cars have a weak AC that can't handle Indian summers. Their ACs therefore need to work extra hard and hence more fuel consumption. For me the FE drops by 2-3 KMPL when AC is ON and the outside temperature has breached 40, but since the cabin remains extremely chilled even at 25 degree in climate control, I am fine with this drop in FE.

To summarize again, your cons are more to do with wrong car, than wrong engine gearbox combo. Don't write off turbo petrols in your future car, just because of this one bad experience!

[vinbie2019]

Owned both turbo as well as NA in years of ownership.
1. Ford Ikon 1.3L NA was pathetic to drive with AC on. Lag in city and ok to drive in highways.
2. Honda CRV 2.4 L NA was in contrary a gem. None of current cars I own can match it. It has to do with engine capacity vs laden weight. Max 8kmpl city.
3. Scorpio N 2L turbo petrol TC has more than enough power all bands. No lag, again due to larger CC and turbo tuning. 8 to 9 kmpl, very careful with throttle.
4. Sonet petrol AT has lag in city speeds and with little getting used to power band, no issues driving in bangalore city. I drive eco mode with paddle shifters, get 12 kmpl with AC on. Early morning hours gets me close to 16.5 kmpl
Happy with both NA and Turbo. Voted yes for Turbo.

[abaliga]

Turbo petrol powertrains are fun on most of the offerings in the market today. Except for the poor fuel economy when the vehicle is being rushed, I do not see to many cons for this technology in general, in the bigger engines that is >1500 cc, turbo lag is well contained too, I drive a 2.0 TSI and do not feel any lag as the max torque kicks in quite early at around 1400 RPM.

- One bad trend I have come to hate with the introduction of turbo in a petrol powertrain is downsizing! I hate the transition to 3 cylinder configuration.

- All 3 cylinders are relatively crude sounding (Including the best from the 3 cylinder lot), at idle speeds the engine sounds utilitarian and at higher rpms they have a distinct thrum, this includes the 1.0 engines from VAG and Hyundai. 1.2 TSI from VW was such a gem when it came to NVH, 1.0TSI may be faster in a 0-100 dash, but I like the 1.2 TSI much better for its overall refinement and power delivery.

- I am not sure of the emissions, but the real world fuel economy of the 3 cylinder engines is not superior to 4 cylinders, in case of VAG, 1.5 TSI has better ARAI fuel economy than the 1.0 TSI.

- Most 1.0 turbo petrol engines have significant turbo lag which is irritating for city dwellers.

Having said the above, a turbo petrol is not a replacement for a turbo diesel, folks who drive over 12-15k kms per year are better off going for a Hybrid, while Hybrids will not be as fun as a good TDI was, with the changing trend we will have to make peace with the transition.

[igar]

Turbocharged petrol engines are designed to enhance both power and efficiency. I own a 1.0 TSI manual, and driving it is incredibly enjoyable and engaging. NA engines, we can't expect as much power, and the fuel efficiency can vary depending on driving style, which is acceptable from my perspective. A decade ago, many people were unaware of the true potential of turbo engines, but now most manufacturers offer turbo variants, and customers are increasingly opting for turbo engines for their enhanced power, even as NVH levels remain low. If manufacturers focused on reducing NVH levels in small capacity turbocharged engines, the driving experience would be even more pleasant. Technological advancements and hybridization in turbo engines will become a game changer in the future.

[Altocumulus]

Voted a big Yes

I have 3 Turbo Petrol ATs in my garage including a Rapid 1.0 Tsi AT bought in 2020, the others being a Thar P AT and a BMW 330 Li.

Am surprised, that you mention that it has a turbo-lag since it has a pretty aggressive creep and the gearbox does a great job in masking the lag. As a matter of fact it was this car which converted me to automatics. Before that I was also one of those guys who said its fun and you are an 'enthusiast' only if you are driving a Manual.

[Redex]

It really depends on how you use the car the most. If driving around town at low speed and low rpm with many stop/starts a non turbo engine will usually have better response and torque at low engine speeds. Turbo engines usually have lower a compression ratio than non turbo engines, that means less power and torque at low engine speeds. This will make driving slowly easier as you don't need to rev the engine to spool up the turbo. The turbo intercooler will be virtually useless as there is not enough airflow to cool the charge at low speed.
Highway driving is where turbos are king, especially diesel engines. Most diesels are on cam above 1,500 rpm and speeds above 50 kmh allow the intercooler to do it's job perfectly.
Regards Neil

[PeteKing75]

Very happy with automatic Verna 1.5 DSG and also with Kushaq 1 litre Turbo. I had a Rapid TDI which was manual turbo and that was fun too. Fabia NA engine was also fun but when it came to extreme overtaking it could not match turbo. If maintained well, Turbo will be fun to drive and bring a smile to your face always!