While diesel engines gained immense popularity in the private car market around the beginning of the last decade, the focus has been shifting back to petrol engines now. With the increase in the cost of diesel engines post the BS6 emission norms update and the price gap between the two fuels almost negligible in some cities, petrol-powered cars make all the more sense.
However, petrol mills lack the punch of small-capacity, turbodiesel engines, hence shifting to petrol is not to the liking of many enthusiasts who enjoy a sportier drive. Manufacturers have been replacing diesel engines with the downsized turbocharged petrol engines which make up for the lack of torque in the naturally aspirated units.
Turbocharged petrol engines not only offer high performance but also reasonably better fuel efficiency than their naturally-aspirated counterparts. In this article, we look at the cars in India which are powered or will be powered in the near future by a 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine.
Skoda Rapid
The updated Skoda Rapid is a proper three-box midsize sedan. With the recent update, the Rapid now powered by a new-age direct-injection, 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine. The engine promises ample performance with a power rating of 110 PS and should help make the Rapid a more entertaining drive. As ever, the Rapid’s strong build and practical nature hold appeal. In the Rapid, this engine is mated with a 6-speed manual gearbox as standard.
Price: Rs 7.49 lakh- Rs 11.79 lakh (ex-showroom)
Volkswagen Polo TSI
Volkswagen pulled the plug on the 1.2-litre TSI and 1.5 TDI engines and has introduced a new 1.0-litre TSI turbocharged engine on the Polo, the same which is offered in the Skoda Rapid. This engine churns 108.62 bhp and a peak torque of 175 Nm. Buyers can pair this engine with a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission.
Price: Rs 7.89 lakh- Rs 9.58 lakh (ex-showroom)
Volkswagen Vento TSI
The next in the list is a product from the same auto conglomerate- Skoda Volkswagen Auto. The updated Vento TSI is powered by the same 998cc turbocharged petrol engine which powers the Rapid and Polo in the BS6 avatar as well. The 998 cc engine puts out 108.82 bhp@5000rpm of power and 175 Nm@1500-4100rpm of torque. In the Vento, this engine is paired with a 6-speed manual as standard.
Price: 8.86 lakh- Rs 13.29 lakh (ex-showroom)
Hyundai Grand i10 Nios Turbo
Hyundai Grand i10 NIOS was initially launched as Grand i10’s sportier-looking and more feature-loaded cousin. But the South Korean carmaker decided to take things up a notch when it decided to add a turbocharged variant to NIOS’ line-up. The hatchback is powered by a BS 6-compliant 1.0-litre turbo GDI engine that makes 100 bhp and 172 Nm of torque. The NIOS turbo is available with a 5-speed manual gearbox only and can return a claimed fuel-efficiency of 20.3 km/l.
Price: Rs 7.68- Rs 7.73 lakhs(Ex-showroom)
Hyundai Venue Turbo
The Venue definitely has the most powerful turbocharged engine in its category; it is a 1.0-litre GDI unit that makes 119 bhp and 172 Nm of torque. This engine can be coupled to a six-speed manual or a seven-speed DCT automatic transmission. The Venue ushered in Hyundai’s turbo-petrol push and today the turbo petrol variant accounts for 75 per cent of the compact SUV’s total petrol volumes.
Price: ₹8.46 lakh to ₹11.35 lakh(ex-showroom)
Hyundai Verna
A feature-packed sedan, the updated Hyundai Verna now offers the same engine as the Venue, a 1.0-litre turbocharged, 3-pot motor which cranks out 120 PS and 172 Nm of torque. Where the Vento, Rapid and Polo have stopped offering dual-clutch gearboxes, Hyundai has filled in and the Verna Turbo Petrol is only offered with a 7-speed DCT.
Price: ₹9.30 lakh to ₹15.10 lakh (ex-showroom)
Hyundai Aura
Hyundai has utilised its 1.0-litre GDI unit in as many as four products. The fourth being the recently introduced compact sedan Aura. It produces similar figures of 119 bhp and 172 Nm of peak torque and is definitely a lot more fun to drive than the 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated petrol unit, its other engine option. Plus it returns an impressive mileage of 21 kmpl(ARAI rated).
Price: Rs 8.54 lakhs(ex-showroom)
Nissan Magnite
The upcoming sub-4 metre compact SUV from Japanese automaker Nissan makes it to our list. The SUV which was supposed to be launched later towards the end of this year has been pushed to early next year. Dubbed as ‘Magnite’, the upcoming SUV will be powered by a newly developed HR10 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine. Though not much is revealed about the product or the engine, the motor could crank out about 100 PS of power. Gearbox options will include a manual and a CVT automatic.
Price: Rs 7.0 lakh onwards(expected)
Also READ: Nissan India Teases Upcoming Compact SUV In New Images
Renault HBC(Kiger)
Renault and Nissan have an international collaboration and hence will share the same HR10 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine which they have jointly developed. The sub-compact SUV is likely to make the Indian market towards the end of this year or early next year. The engine will carry the same output figures as that of the Magnite. Transmission duties are likely to be carried by a manual and a CVT automatic gearbox.
Price: Rs 7.0 lakh onwards(expected)