[GForceEnjoyer]

The Elantra diesel comes to mind. While the pre-facelift version came with the 1.6 Litre diesel which was just enough for the car, the facelift came with the new 1.5 Litre diesel instead of the Tucson's 2.0 Litre diesel that it should've had all along!

As expected, the performance was barely above "mediocre", although refinement was up by a notch.

[amol4184]

Someone must have mentioned it before, one of the most unfortunate examples of small engine in big car is Renault Triber. That car deserves so much better, it's infuriating.

[aqualeo2040]

From the views above, it seems like our market is flooded with underpowered cars and to summarize the observations, that was due to 2 main reasons :
1. Govt regulations providing tax sops to manufacturers for length/engine restrictions
2. Govt restrictions related to engine size/power etc. during the pre-liberalization era of the 90s

However, think we also have another 3rd factor, which has contributed to this harakiri, which us petrol-sniffers do not approve of :
- "KITNA DETI HAI"

The mileage obsession of the citizen of this country has resulted in ridiculous claims and over the moon advertorials.

While our neighbours in Nepal and Bhutan get the V6 Prados, we have to deal with the inline 4, so that people dont complain about the mileage.

If that's what the market demands, how can the manufacturers shy away?
So, should we really blame Maruti-Suzuki for discontinuing the torquey 1.6 DDIS or not plonking the Abarth(sic) tuned 1.4 TJET in the original Punto/Linea.
Remember when Hyundai put the beautiful Accent CRDI mill in the Getz, but they forgot to put the ABS and removed the hydraulic steering! also, not that the CRDI Getz set the charts on fire.
Same happened with the Accent Viva which was a beautifully balanced notchback! All because the market was keen on the drinking habits.

I was in the market for a Ford Fiesta 1.6 and we know how many of those Ford sold.

In my opinion, we are just a small percentage of automobile-nerds who love the smells of rubber-petrol-clutch-brakepads, who pine for a good balance. The rest of the country, "Comes home in a *****"

[asit.kulkarni93]

Fiat Punto 75HP wasn't fast but definitely adequate for general usage. With a remap, the drivability was much better. The same engine on the linea with a VGT was far from acceptable. The 90HP on the Punto was sad too. The later versions were slightly better but overall the linea deserved the 1.6 multijet.

The 1.2L i-vtec- It was fun on the Brio but the weak bottom end was bothersome on the Jazz. Jazz definitely deserved the 1.5L i-vtec-.

A lot of people got the ertiga after swift or dzire diesels. The same engine on the ertiga had poor drivability. It was fast on the open highway but in traffic or around the hills, it was very annoying. The petrol ertiga wasnt fast but the torque spread was terrific which aided the drivability and made it a much better proposition.

i10 1.2 was quick but the same engine on the i20 felt way too underpowered. One common characteristic of the engine in both the cars was the lack of fuel efficiency.

The 1.5 dragon engine on the auto Figo was a rocket. After ages did ford bring in a NA petrol engine which was fun to drive. The same combo on the heavier ecosport was just about adequate. Although, it drove much better than the 1.5+ dct in the older ES.

1.0 TSi AT on the polo is punchy. Definitely feels fun to drive. The same engine on the Kushaq/taigun is just about adequate. Especially when you bring in the 1.5 TSi.

Nissan Sunny CVT wasn't fast but it drove well considering the segment standards. The same 1.5 CVT on duster was very annoying. Rubber band effect damped the performance.

[Cresterk]

I see a lot of hyundais have already been mentioned, including the lethargic 1.2l in the last gen i20 which was prompted me to get the manual 1.4 diesel even though I was technically in the market for a petrol automatic car.

And now hyundai still continues the trend with the 7 seater Alcazar getting a 2.0l petrol engine making 150hp and a tiny diesel 1.5l engine making barely 115hp. These engines were adequate in the 5 seater Creta but using the same 1.5l 4cyl diesel with the exact same state of tune in the bigger, heavier 7 seater was just bad. This was supposed to be hyundai's offering to compete with the Tata Safari and the Mahindra xuv700 but the lethargic diesel engine means barely anyone from their target audience is cross shopping them. Even though it's feature packed and reasonably good looking, it is considered to be a segment below the 2 Indian offerings solely due to the less powerful engine.

[sukhbirST]

Thanks a lot for bringing to the notice of potential buyers like me. Till such comparison is made, it is difficult to shortlist. Am sure this maybe a clear deal breaker for many. While the manufacture may have his own reasons, the buyer feels cheated. Ultimately value for money plays an important part in decision making.

[Emvi]

I believe Tata Punch deserves a mention in the thread. While the on-paper specification- 1.2L engine, 85 bhp(approx.) of max power, and 113 Nm of max torque is not terrible by any stretch of imagination, though it may sound cliché, the on-road performance just lacks the Punch to say the least. This one-ton mini Tata could do with a turbo motor to realise it's full potential.

[landcruiser123]

Hyundai used their 1.1P engine in the large Getz. Okay for Santro/i10, but certainly not the premium hatch Getz was supposed to be.

Amen.

[divyadeeptsi]

First engine I thought of is VW 1 ltr TSI.

1. Feels explosive in Polo (0-100 in 9.5/10 Secs for MT/AT).

2. Feels fast in Rapid and Vento. (0-100 in 10/10.5 Secs for MT/AT).

3. Feels brisk in Slavia. Adequate in AT gearbox. (0-100 in 11/12 Secs for MT/AT).

4. Feels adequate in Kushaq/ Taigun. Pretty Average in AT gearbox. (0-100 in 12/13.5 Secs for MT/AT).

Anyone driving Kushaq/Taigun 1.0 AT if gets an hands on Polo 1.0 TSI MT/AT would agree that the same engine is a complete revelation in Polo, especially the MT.

[sudeepg]

Originally Posted by Aditya

Maruti Swift and Maruti S-Cross

India loved the Swift 1.3L diesel - it was a runaway success. With 74 BHP and 190 Nm on tap, the hatchback was peppy and quite a favourite among enthusiasts on a budget. Sadly, Maruti used the same engine in the S-Cross with a bump up in power & torque. In the heavier S-Cross, the 1.3L's performance is extremely mediocre and the engine ends up exasperated with a full load of passengers + cargo onboard. This is especially disappointing to us enthusiasts as the S-Cross feels more European than Japanese (in dynamics & build), and Maruti discontinued the delicious 1.6L DDiS version prematurely. The 1.6 made the S-Cross very exciting, whereas the S-Cross 1.3 is characterless & boring.

Having driven the 1.3 MJD in the S-Cross for over 1L Kms, my perspective is slightly different. I think it is not extremely mediocre from a performance perspective, unless you are taking it right out of the box. Out of the box, the performance has been clipped, but isn't a problem that a good remap cannot solve. In fact Code6 & Wolf have done a commendable job with a good remap which has not only improved low end torque but mid range and top end as well to a certain degree. I have been running it with remap since 10,000 KMS and I would like to add that the car has been so much better than what it comes from the factory. It can cruise all day long at 120 KM/Hr with the RPM just shy of 3000. I've not found it underpowered one bit even on ghats with 4 passengers and luggage on board. Add to it ~20 KG of damping in the doors.

But just to re-iterate - Out of the box the map isn't good at all and it's not even safe for overtaking on a single-lane carriage. Enthusiasts should not consider this engine for sure.

Recently, I also had a chance to drive the Hybrid version and it is even worse! The performance is very dull and in that sense this observation is correct. I personally take the 1.3 MJD as a jewel of an engine.

[DRIV3R]

Originally Posted by Benoit

Abarth Punto and Jeep compass have the same turbo petrol engine with 1368 cc. While the compass has the power bumped version, I am not sure everyone enjoys the compass petrol as much as the diesel.

You may call them similar. Core Engine block design is same and there ends the similarity.

Injectors, ECU map, coil packs, plugs, turbocharger, intercooler etc. are different. Additionally it has the variable valve technology and hence called MultiAir in the Jeep.

For that matter, the block design is shared with the regular 1.4 NA FIRE engine that came in the Linea and Punto. Though by design they are same, the T Jet's block has forged components and other differences and costs about 3.1 L for the half engine while the NA 1.4 costs just 65k INR.

[giri1.8]

Originally Posted by Emvi

I believe Tata Punch deserves a mention in the thread. While the on-paper specification- 1.2L engine, 85 bhp(approx.) of max power, and 113 Nm of max torque is not terrible by any stretch of imagination, though it may sound cliché, the on-road performance just lacks the Punch to say the least. This one-ton mini Tata could do with a turbo motor to realise it's full potential.

Agreed, had this engine on my Tigor, man it was slow! Even Alto 800 felt a segment above in terms of peppiness.

[ashutoshb]

Some blame also goes to the 1.2 petrol / 1.5 diesel restrictions for sub 4 metre cars.

Technology changes rapidly. Today, a newer generation 1.5 might be more efficient than an older generation 1.2.

IMHO, they should remove the engine size restrictions and let the consumers decide whats best for them.

[Porcupine]

The 2.0L petrol engine in the Jaguar XJL and the Range Rover Sport. Never drove the XJL but the Range Rover was atrocious with this engine, I'm surprised it ever got the green light.

[SaiSW]

1.5 diesel in the alcazar. I've never driven a more average car for quite some time. Just a point A to point B engine, with 6 people and luggage onboard, even more average.