[ds.raikkonen]

Since we're talking about petrol engines, I'd fancy a supercharged one. Though for daily commuting, NA works just fine!

[shankar.balan]

I have now been using Turbocharged engine driven vehicles in my personal garage for the last 12 years.

1.Mahindra Scorpio - that 2.6 Crdi Turbo Diesel used to literally sing along the highways, in the hills and everywhere, propelling that bulky and heavy beast with aplomb.

2.Skoda Yeti - the classic 2 litre VW TDI Turbo Kick is awesome and used to literally push me back into my seat under acceleration on the highway and the in the hills, or even those short bursts of acceleration while overtaking in the city.

3.Several other Turbo charged cars which I ve driven abroad (on rentals) have also performed awesomely. Notably the recent BMW M 420D with its wicked Twin Power Turbo.

4.Test drives in the Merc GLA Turbo Diesel 2143 cc engine and more notably the new 2 litre engined Mini Cooper with its Twin Power Turbo Petrol, have also just served to “whet” my appetite for power.

5. My recently acquired (second hand) Mini Cooper S Turbo Petrol 1.6 litre which develops 184 BHP is my first experience in actually owning a Turbo Petrol. And I can say, quite simply that the gearing and the state of tune of this engine, is simply AWESOME - the purity of the Power Surge that one experiences under acceleration in the city, on the highway and along the twisty roads, is something which is totally totally addictive. One is literally thrown back into the seat. And the accompanying Sports Exhaust’s Burbly Growl which, under overtaking speeds / hard acceleration, almost becomes a “rasping howl” when heard from inside the car.

To me, therefore, the choice is made. Turbo Petrol of this kind makes me simply GRIN.

[longhorn]

1.5 NA petrol engine all the way. Most downsized engines with a turbo is pitted against this capacity of NA petrol. I would pick a naturally aspirated 1.5 petrol over a 1 litre turbo petrol producing similar bhp / torque figures.

[Lambydude]

Turbo Petrol definitely!
However, it depends from car to car. I haven't felt any turbo lag in 1.8 TSI and hence love it. But those engines where turbo lag is present will be difficult to drive.
NA petrol engines, especially 4 cylinder or less, is boring in my opinion. Top end is non existent in most cases.

[arindambasu13]

No doubt in my mind about this - a naturally aspirated, free revving, sweet sounding and powerful engine any day, over a similar turbocharged engine. Earlier this year when I was shopping for my next car, two of the main contenders were the Honda City iVTEC and the VW 1.2 TSI, and I opted for the iVTEC. Have not looked back since and every time I take out the iVTEC on my daily commute, I cannot help but smile at the responsiveness and creamy power delivery of the engine.

Also, in the absence of a turbo, greater mechanical simplicity (which is always a good thing) is assured and I have one less part to worry about. Especially the TSI engines, where DSG-related horror stories abound both on this forum as well as among my immediate circle, certainly did not pass muster for me when it came to putting down my hard earned money for a reliable and enjoyable daily driver. More importantly, enjoyed the free revving uncomplicated nature of the 1.5 iVTEC over the 1.2 TSI each time I drove them back to back.

The iVTEC is a relatively older engine, but it shines among the competition even today - and with good reasons.

[blackwasp]

Voted for other. There is no clear this or that choice for me. Having a nice 1.6L NA engine and a 1.4L turbo at home, I'm a fan of both. Can't really pick one over the other.

That said, I'm not at all a fan of the tiny 3-cylinder turbo units currently offered in the market. I would take a large 4-pot NA over those anyday.

PS - Can anyone share their experience of a supercharged car? I've heard its much better than turbo cars, but complicated as well.

[reignofchaos]

There are good NA petrol engines and good TC petrol engines. However for for sub 2 liter 4 cylinder engines to develop decent power, you need a turbo. The non TC ones just don't develop enough power to be fun to drive.

Larger performance engines - well if you have a 4L V8 or something like that, it would make enough power without a turbo anyways.

[VWAllstar]

For me it will be the turbo petrol. Yesterday I went on a good long drive on the Linea Tjet. I own a Vento 1.6 MPI as well as 2 Turbo Diesel cars.

Since diesels are not to be compared, I feel the drivability if a good turbo petrol is any day better than a NA petrol engine. I have never owned the iVtec but few times I have driven made me doubt why it is regarded so highly.

My Vento MPI is really boring even though it has a 1.6 ltr engine. Whereas the Fiat's 1.4 Tjet is mind blowing. Have driven the Etios 1.5 L NA as well and it was quick but did not excite me like the turbo engines of VW and Fiat.

Haven't driven the Ecoboost and Venue much so really cannot comment. But apart from the slight turbo lag in city traffic, I would go blindly for a Turbo Petrol Engine.

Till date regret buying Vento MPI over TSI or Tjet.

[jailbird_fynix]

Like it or not, pure NA engines are slowly dying. And with the advent of EV technology, the next thing to look forward to would be EVs with hybrid turbochargers and speakers that replicate those sweet NA exhaust notes.

Any thread about NA versus Turbo engines would be incomplete without a sound comparison!

http://youtu.be/ejFJTeoqZEQ

http://youtu.be/SXYupSWYDKc

[nikhilthegunner]

For me too, it depends on what the use case is. If the engine is only meant for commuting and smooth driving, I would not care whether it was turbo or not so long as there is good low end torque for stop start driving. Just like my Nexon's turbo diesel.

When the engine is meant for performance and spirited driving, I'd be likely to take the NA. AMG's older 6.2 litre NA V8s are an absolute treat! For spirited driving on curves, Richard Hammond showed us how fun it is in the MX-5 which has an NA engine.

[AYP]

I find the turbo-kick to be addictive. I would prefer a similarly powered Turbo equipped car over a Naturally Aspirated car any day.

I can manage the turbo-lag as long as I am assured of a 'Turbo Kick'.

This is something I miss in my Figo 1.5 TDCi. The engine is great, but I miss the kick of the Jetta(and the Ameo 1.5 TDI) every-time I floor the accelerator. Even the 1.4 CRDI of Hyundai offers more 'Kick'.

[nikhilthegunner]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

PS - Can anyone share their experience of a supercharged car? I've heard its much better than turbo cars, but complicated as well.

We had an old 2009 Benz C 200 Kompressor before dad decided to let it go. It's got a supercharged petrol engine so I'll tell you what I experienced.

The engine is a smooth one and performs well. You hardly notice the supercharger at work unless of course you floor the accelerator pedal. Then you get seamless and linear power increase with the whine that is heard over the engine sound. Honestly though, it drives like an NA, there's no lag like with a turbo. Also, please note my experiences were restricted to city and the occasional highway drive since dad never let me drive it often, only once in a while.

[SaiSW]

Turbo petrol anyday. However when I say turbo petrol, I am referring to 4/4+ cylinder ones like the 1.8 TSI or the GT TSI engine.

I have driven some of the tiny 3 cylinder turbo units on the market and while they certainly are fast, that initial lag just kills the experience for me, as far as I'm concerned. And that would be okay if there was a huge power surge following that, like the 1.6 DDiS, but that's not the case.

[Vid6639]

It's not clear cut and hence I voted for other.

Turbo petrol is good for medium capacity 4 cylinder engines like the Polo 1.2L TSI, Kia 1.4L T-GDi and Skoda's 1.8L/2.0L TSI.

I do not like any of the 1.0L 3 cylinder turbo petrol vs the 1.5L NA engine. Downsizing to that extent and turbo charging compromises on driveability. Give me the Honda 1.5L high revving motor over any 1.0L 3 cylinder turbo petrol. Even Ford's 1.5L dragon is better than the 1.0L Ecoboost.

Larger engines like 6 cylinders are fine. You lose the high revving nature but gain a lot more power and driveability with forced induction.

So there's no clear cut preference.

A video I posted on another thread:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8UNwd4OLXI

[Santoshbhat]

Big V6 and V8 petrols are hard to come by in our market and to be honest even if we get them, they are out of reach for us the aam janta. We've got to live with the 1.2s, 1.8s and 2.0s. Turbo charging has brought six cylinder performance to mainstream 4 pot cars and I am loving it!

I haven't driven small three pot turbo motors, so I'm not sure of my preference in these cases and I might just prefer a sweet 4 pot 1.2 N.A in place of these mirco turbos.