Turbo-petrol engines to look forward to
We recently brought you a list of all the engines we will miss in the BSVI era. But that doesn't mean that those looking for a bit of excitement in the daily runabout will be left completely high-and-dry from now on. The stringent emission norms put in place have mean that carmakers are having to find ways to extract as much power as they can from as small an engine as possible. While one option is to add electric power, another more cost-effective way, and one that has been around in Europe for sometime now is downsizing and turbo-charging. Here is a list of all such engines, some of which you can already go out and buy.
Hyundai debuted its new line-up of turbo-charged petrol-engines in India with the 1.0-litre three cylinder unit in the Venue. The carmaker has also made significant strides in how well its cars drive now, and this engine's strong numbers and good mid-range punch have played a big role in that. The version in the Venue makes 120PS and 172 Nm and can even be had with a fairly intuitive DCT. This 120PS version is also available in the facelifted Verna and will make its way to the Kia Sonet later in the year. A detuned version with 100PS is available on the Grand i10 Nios and Aura twins. The next-generation i20 scheduled for a launch later this year, will also get this engine.
Sister concern Kia took the lead in debuting the 1.4-litre version of this T-GDi engine in the exceptionally successful Kia Seltos SUV. Here too, the turbo-petrol has helped give the GT-Line trims its available in a strotier edge over other versions. The engine makes 140PS and 242Nm, and has also been introduced in the new-gen Hyundai Creta.
Skoda-Volkswagen TSI
While we lamented the loss of the VW Group's 1.2-litre and 1.8-litre engine, the brand's petrol-only strategy in the BSVI era is an enthisast's delight. Skoda and Volkswagen cars will be powered by three different turbo-petrol engines in India, all of which have seen an bump in power over their BSIV equivalents. While we haven't driven any of these cars yet, we suspect they won't disappoint.
The largest of these is the 2.0-litre TSI that debuted in the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace recently with 190PS and 320 Nm. This engine will also be seen in the Skoda Kodiaq and possibly in the upcoming new-gen Octavia later this year. Following this is a 1.5-litre four-cylinder unit, which also happens to be the first motor in this segment to offer cylinder-deactivation. This is available in the T-Roc and the soon-to be launched Karoq, further we also expect a localized version of this motor to feature in the VW Taigun and Skoda Vision IN's production version. This motor puts out 150PS and 250 Nm. Finally, the 1.2-litre turbo-petrol from earlier has been replaced by a 1.0-litre three-cylinder unit. This is available in a 115PS and 200 Nm, but is paired with a six-speed torque-convertor now, a manual is also available. This motor is avaible in the Polo GT and in the Rapid BSVI, and will soon make its way to the Vento as well.
Mahindra has been at the forefront of the push to make EVs a bigger part of out mobility needs, but that doesn't mean that the firm has completely given up on IC engines. In fact, the mStallion engine line-up is the brand's biggest push towards developing petrol engines.
There is a 1.2-litre three cylinder unit with 130PS and 230Nm, an increase of 20PS and 30 Nm over the earlier turbo-petrol motor seen on the XUV300. The mStallion line-up also consists of a four-cylinder 1.5-litre unit that will possibly make its way to the Marazzo and a flagship 2.0-litre version that will debut on SUVs like the new Thar, Scorpio and XUV500. Like with the next-gen Ecosport, these engines will also make its way into the vehicles being co-developed with Ford.
Renault is one of a host of carmakers who have decided to move away from diesel engines in the BSVI-era, given the higher costs involved in this transition, especially for less-expensive vehicles. To fill the gap that leaves in its leine-up, Renault debuted its new range of turbo-petrol engines that will be available on higher-end versions of its cars.
The big-news is the TCe 160 1.3-litre turbo-petrol that is set to be made availeble in the Duster soon. This motor has been co-developed with Daimler, and puts out 160PS and 250Nm. The Duster, equipped as such, will become the most poweerful car in its class. Also set to debut is a smaller TCe 100 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine. This motor will power the Triber MPV and the upcoming new sub-four metre SUVs from Renault and Nissan. The 1.0-litre motor makes 100PS and 160 Nm.
Tata Motors is working on a new turbo-petrol engine to go with the Tata Altroz hatchback. The car only gets a naturally aspirated petrol and turbo-diesel offering, but given its positioning as a premium offering, the home-grown carmaker is developing an engine to suit that image.
The BSVI Nexon recently received an updated 1.2-litre BSVI turbo-petrol which say its power increase by around 10PS to 120PS, while torque remains the same at 170Nm. We think the Altroz could get a detuned version of this motor, with power figures around the 100PS. It is also expected that the turbo-petrol Altroz will come with a seven-speed DCT, and not with an AMT as on the Nexon. The carmaker will possibly source this gearbox from Punch, a specialist in affordable small-car DCTs. This turbo-petrol version, though, is not a JTP. We expect the turbo-DCT option to be available of the top trims of the Altroz. Further, there is some talk of the Harrier receiving a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol option as well.