[GTO]

As we all know, sub-4 meter cars with <1.2L petrols & 1.5L diesels are taxed at a lower rate by the Indian government and hence, car manufacturers have flooded the market with them.

Now, with 1.2L petrols, it's a hit or miss. Some are really good (Maruti's K-Series, Hyundai's Kappa, Nexon's turbo-petrol, VW's TSI), but there are an equal number of lame 1.2s (Tiago, Figo, Micra, Punto).

There are good & bad 1.2L petrols in the market. Interestingly, with the 1.5L diesels, they are all - universally - excellent. Pick any 1.5L diesel in India and you'll see that it:

• Is powerful enough
• Has good driveability / low-end torque
• Is fuel efficient
• Offers quick performance
• Has a punchy mid-range
• Is acceptably refined

Fact is, unlike 1.2L petrols, you won't find a single bad 1.5L diesel. Some even have nice automatic gearboxes mated to them (Honda's CVT & VW's DSG).

It was different before. We had 1.3L diesels (still do, not for long though), 1.4Ls (Toyota, Tata, Ford) and even some 1.2L diesels (Polo). Not anymore. The 1.5L size is becoming the gold standard & manufacturers are making full use of this 1.5L limit. The 1.5L size is to diesels what 1.2L is to petrols. Maruti & Hyundai are the most prominent manufacturers to not have a 1.5L diesel in their line-up, but both have plans to. In fact, Maruti's 1.5L diesel is ready for the market and we'll be reviewing it soon. IMHO, it's just too bad that diesels are getting a bad name when the market has better diesels than its ever seen before. Have we seen "peak diesel"? I surely think so. Sales are slowly going down & the OEMs are backing off on diesel investments.

Which of the following are your favourites? Please vote in the multi-choice poll.

Tata's sweet 1.5L Revotorq:


Mahindra's 1.5L makes 121 BHP & 300 Nm!


Honda's all-rounded but noisy engine:


Ford's punchy TDCi is at home in the city or the highway:


The VW / Skoda motor is great, although I miss the explosive 1.6L it replaced:


Renault-Nissan's old yet competent diesel is a workhorse:


P.S. The only motor better than the 1.5L diesels in the mass market is Hyundai’s outstanding 1.6L diesel. Now, that engine is really something else! I hope that Hyundai's 1.5L retains all the characteristics of the 1.6L.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Indian Car Scene!

[arindambasu13]

Voted for the Ford TDCI, its a fantastic performer with versatility for the city drivability as well as the highway runs. In my view, now is probably the best time to get a competent diesel engine in the garage before these cars are priced out of contention in the years to come.

[AYP]

The primary reason why I went for the Figo diesel is the 1.5 TDCi unit.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...-titanium.html

I was looking for a car for a budget of around 7L on road and after driving almost all the 1.2 petrols, it was the K12 which made me feel that the 1.2 petrols are not too bad. But it was only after I drove the 1.5 diesels in the segment that I realised that I could get a car which would make me smile everytime I hit the accelerator, without breaking the bank.

I drove 3 out of the 6 mentioned 1.5 diesels- Honda, Ford and VW. Among these, when it comes to performance, there is little doubt about the fact that the VW 1.5 TDi is the best unit out there. In fact I find it better than the Hyundai's 1.6 CRDi. I am pretty sure that the 1.5 TDi would still be my pick among all the 1.5 diesels mentioned here though the Mahindra's 1.5 diesel looks quite good on paper at least. Looking forward to driving it.

It's a different thing that the non-enthusiasts still don't understand why I went for a diesel car. Even after explaining it to them multiple times. I tend to get strange, non-confirming looks from them. And I know that I am going to get many more of these in the future .

Voted for the explosive VW 1.5 TDi.

[myavu]

Ford TDCI hands down.

• Almost nil turbo lag.
• Excellent Mileage (Aspire)
• Superb mid-range punch (Fun to drive)
• Good reliability (subject to timely service and prescribed parts change)
• Acceptable clatter

Cheers!

[vb-saan]

Voted for the ones from VW and Ford (I have not driven the other options). I had the Ford for a couple of weeks in December and it was just brilliant – nice and punchy, and extremely fuel efficient as well!

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by GTO

Have we seen "peak diesel"? I surely think so. Sales are slowly going down & the OEMs are backing off on diesel investments.

IMHO - Not just yet, GTO - not yet.

The 1.5 is the future of diesels (atleast for the medium term) - anything lower is probably going to get killed with BS6. Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Kia, TATA, Mahindra - Name a mass market manufacturer and all of them have picked the 1.5 sweet spot to upgrade to BS6 - and make no mistakes, ALL of these are brand new engines as well. With the announced demise of the 1.3 multijet, and the fact that smaller diesel engines are going to be an expensive affair for manufacturers to build - I think any upcoming diesel engine will be a 1.5, or a 2.0.

Reason? Probably because 1.5 makes for a powerful diesel in a small car, and a competent diesel in a bigger vehicle - thus enabling better economies of scale amongst reduced market shares of diesels. The sporty performance of the XUV 3OO diesel, against the competent Marazzo is a current example, whereas Maruti is sure to replicate the same with their Ciaz / Ertiga range, and even TATA with their Altroz / Nexon range. Even Hyundai might play the trick with their Karlino / Next generation Creta.

Slightly bigger vehicles are consolidating their range to 2.0 diesel, possibly keeping NGT sentiments in mind. 2.0 multijet shared by Jeep, TATA, Maruti Suzuki and MG, 2.0 CRDe getting developed for Mahindra / Ford etc.

[Ragasruoban]

My vote goes for the fantastic 1.5l unit from Ford! It was one of the key deciding factors for me while choosing the Aspire and I am very much satisfied with the performance that it offers on the highways. However my father feels the throttle response is a bit too sharp and prefers a bit more dulled response than the current setup. Even I feel that Ford must consider the option of multiple driving modes for catering the needs of different drivers. Apart from that it I enjoy every bit of what it offers - an excellent mixture of performance, refinement and fuel efficiency which is very rare combination in any of the other diesel engines.

[speedmiester]

Voted for Ford TDCi.
As rightly mentioned it is perfect for City as well as Highway. Very tractable engine with enough power to cruise comfortably on the highways.
I have driven my Ecosport non stop from night 10PM to 7AM covering over 650KMs without breaking a sweat. Ticks all the right boxes for me.

[prithvibelli]

Voted for the Ford. This 1.5L TDCI unit on my Figo makes me grin everyday. It is just effortless to zip in and out of traffic in the city. On the highway a complete beast. Made me a fanboy due to its all-round character.

PS: This engine deserves a sixth gear.

[rakesh_r]

The Ford TDCi (voted)wins hands down, simply because of the driveability and ol skool reliable construction (SOHC). Was a strong contender before I picked up the SCross 1.6. The other engine I would have voted for would be the Renault/Nissan 1.5dci, very much similar to the 1.5 TDCi.
The 1.3 Multijet from Fiat is another gem which we would definitely miss once the BS6 kicks in. Waiting for Maruti's 1.5 DDiS to hit the market. Have been driving Diesel cars for 10+ years and for some reason I enjoy it more than driving petrol cars, though they are silent and smoother than their Diesel counterpart.

[AMG Power]

Aren't we missing out on the XUV 3OO's 1.5L with 115 Bhp and 300Nm of torque?

It kills the entire competition at least with its numbers.

[Prathiiik]

Voted for Ford’s 1.5 TDCI.



When we went car shopping last November, we shortlisted the Ecosport Dragon petrol and the Aspire TDCI. Finally, we went in for the Aspire ONLY because of the excellent 1.5 TDCI under the hood. 3 months and close to 2000 km later, I’m happy we chose he TDCI.

1) 100 horses under the hood!



This engine is all about power! The low end is fantastic, thanks to the 215 NM of torque on offer. Post 2000 rpm, the turbo comes into action and there is a slight push in the back feeling, although the power delivery is comparatively linear. The engine pulls effortlessly until around 4500 rpm (no top end as such!) and one would never even realise that he’s hit 100 km/h! 0 - 100 comes in at around 10 seconds which, coupled with the light weight, makes this car F - A -S - T.

2) Fuel economy



Even though the engine is more focused towards the fun side, it doesn’t compromise on fuel economy. On a recent highway trip, the car returned 22 km/l with the Air Conditioning switched on and speeds of about 80 - 100 km/h.

3) Refinement




The TDCI is very refined and very little engine noise enters the cabin below 3500 rpm. Outside the car it’s a different story though, the diesel clatter is very evident.

4) Mod friendly

Source

The TDCI is very mod friendly and there are many Figo’s running around with remaps from Wolf Moto, Code6 etc. Ask Dr.Naren

5) Reliability



The TDCI is largely trouble free and reliable, there are quite a few TDCI's that have crossed the one lakh mark ( and more!) and Stull going strong! Adding to this, Ford's spare parts are also priced very competitively, making servicing and maintenance costs low.
Over the past 3 months, out Aspire TDCI has done about 2000 km and is due for the first service this month. The TDCI is a gem of a motor, and most importantly - An all rounder.

[heydj]

But are 1.5L Diesels the future? In hybrid cars and electric vehicle future do 1.5L engines hold a place?

I think turbo engines of smaller capacity along with hybrid technology are the future.

[tharian]

Of course voted for the TDCi.

The reason I shifted to a diesel was this engine. Being an old/simple engine when it comes to functioning (SOHC, CRDi), it is surprising to see it can match modern day diesels when it comes to power and performance. In stock state of tune, it has perfect characteristics for an all rounder. Smooth, quiet, powerful and efficient. If at all anything needs to changed on this engine for me, it would be to make it smoke free like a Toyota diesel.

Recently I got to drive a Polo 1.5 (90hp) and although it is powerful enough, it didn't feel as free or eager as this engine.