[H_Dogg72]

Petrol best indeed.
Best picks from all the cars I've driven or owned

328i : bit of low end lag. But man. Super planted beautiful.
Cooper S : again. Low end is slow to move. More so with the transmission not being ZF but massive fun go kart once you get the hang of it.
TSI Gang Gang : 1.2 + 1.8 + 2.0 sheer beauty

What I consider crap:
Maruti baleno 1.2
Brio / jazz at 1.2
I20 1.2
Creta 1.6
Just plain sad these cars. All of them dead except the Creta which has beautiful off the line start thanks to TQ but once you're off the line it's all noise and the speed only 60. Yuck.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by mohansrides

1.) The 1.4 L turbo petrol in the Jeep Compass? On the face of it, this spec looks woefully inadequate for a 20 lac car.

What is the criteria? Engine displacement? Because the turbocharged + variable valve tech engine of the Compass certainly produces some impressive figures otherwise - 163ps, 250Nm.

To put that into perspective -

• Creta 1.6 petrol produces 123ps, 154 Nm.
• Tucson 2.0 petrol produces 155ps, 196Nm.
• CRV 2.0 petrol produces 154ps, 184Nm
• Or even the Fortuner 2.7 petrol that develops 166ps, 245Nm.

Woefully inadequate now?

[suhaas307]

10 years ago, I would have said Honda's 1.8 iVtec in the Civic or even the 1.2 in the Jazz, closely followed (if not matched) by the 1.2 K Series from Maruti.

But today, it's got to be the TSI engines all the way.

I really like the Baleno RS' 1.0 turbo engine, as I do Ford's EcoBoost. But for sheer refinement, it's hard to beat the little 1.2 TSI.

Oh, and I have also extensively driven the Mini Cooper S, and the 2.0 turbo petrol in that car is an absolute gem! Refined and super punchy at the same time!

Originally Posted by xcentrk

But for me, when you place 1.8L VTEC and TSI next to each other, I would pick VTEC without any doubt. Owing to it's rev-happy nature, unbelievably awesome refinement(which TSI lacks in my option) and the sweet sounding motor which is addicting. I didn't mean the 0-100 timings or the top speed, it's just I prefer VTECH for it's unique character and there is nothing against TSI. If someone is going to gift me Octavia 1.8 TSI, I don't mind.

When it comes to refinement, nothing beats VTEC. Hope you agree with me.

Can't help but disagree.

Having owned and driven both the Civic and the Octavia, there is simply no comparison. You say rev-happy, but the Civic in 2nd gear would take an age to reach the redline whereas the Octavia's 1.8 TSI revs like no other 1.8 I've driven. The needle in the rev counter literally flies to the redline, sweeping across the rev-counter in barely a few seconds. In fact, the Civic will still be revving at 5k RPM when the Octavia would have bounced off the limiter in 2nd gear and is completing its 3rd ratio.

Oh, and you should hear the 1.8 TSI at around 4-5k RPM, I.e. when it is on song! No Honda other than perhaps the S2000 or the '90s Civics / Integras can match that engine note!

As far as refinement is concerned, the 1.8 TSI's power delivery is as creamy as it gets. I agree, it may sound a bit gruff at idle (the 1.2 TSI does), but it's supremely refined once the engine is sufficiently warmed up.

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by VKumar

Where the 1.5 Dragon still beats the i-VTEC is when it comes to overall driveability. IMO the best tuned petrol motor one can get under 15 lac today is the 1.5 Dragon from Ford.

While the Ford Dragon 1.5 is certainly very drivable at lower parts of the rev band, I found its refinement to be pretty ordinary. Perhaps I was expecting too much going into the test drive, given the praise that this engine has garnered since its launch. It is among the better ones in the three cylinder bandwagon, but there is simply no comparison with the butter smooth four cylinders of the iVTECs and K-Series engines in the market today. The latter two would just demolish the Dragon 1.5 when it comes to refinement.

The Honda 1.5 iVTEC is also very drivable at lower revs, and I would say it is as good as the Dragon 1.5 in terms of drivability at lower revs. In fact, the 123 horses in the Ecsoport feel missing in action purely because of the heavy weight of the car, unlike the iVTEC in the Honda City, where the engine just makes the car fly from the get go.

The Dragon engine is much more sprightly in the Aspire automatic though (would have been loads better with a snappy manual tranny!).

Originally Posted by GTO

Among the hatchbacks, my favourites are Maruti's 1.2L K-Series & Hyundai's 1.2L Kappa. Both are superb engines. These really make the car.

Among the larger N/A petrols, the City's 1.5L has always been and remains the benchmark. It is a jewel of an engine. Butter-smooth and very rev-happy. Hyundai's 1.6L is almost as impressive and shows just how the Koreans have bridged the gap to the Japanese.

Just upgraded from a Swift 1.2 K Series to the Honda City 1.5 iVTEC, and have to say that the difference in the two powerplants is huge. The bigger capacity iVTEC engine just makes the drivability and performance that much more satisfying.

While I have been a long- time fan of the K12 engine on the Swift and loved mine to bits, having driven it for close to 60,000 kms, I always felt that the low end was a bit lacklustre. However, the K12 is a super refined unit and in the new lighter Swift/ Baleno, the performance is pretty good as well. Remains my pick when it comes to the 1.2 liter segment.

Did test drive the Verna before zeroing in on the City, and somehow, the Verna did not appeal to me overall. The engine on the Verna is pretty refined and smooth -revving though. Hyundai have definitely upped their game in the recent past when it comes to petrol engines, but the 1.6 VTVT pales in comparison to the iVTEC on the City.

Originally Posted by suhaas307

I really like the Baleno RS' 1.0 turbo engine, as I do Ford's EcoBoost. But for sheer refinement, it's hard to beat the little 1.2 TSI.

As far as refinement is concerned, the 1.8 TSI's power delivery is as creamy as it gets.

Do not have much experience driving the TSI engines for any significant length of time, but from what little I could make out in your car, the engine did seem pretty refined! In the >1.5 liter segment, there is no doubt that the 1.8 TSI in the current Octavia is pretty much the king. That thing just takes off like a jet as soon as you give the throttle a prod or two.

[sai_ace]

From my limited experience in driving - a 1.3 Qjet, 1.4 Tjet, 1.0 K10.

In the 1.2L NA category.

I have not driven a 1.5 ivtec but the 1.2 ivtec in the Jazz gets my goat. It revs, but what is the point, you have got to drop a gear every single time. in the city, in the highway. Rev happiness should be accompanied by some semblance of torque at lower RPMs.

1.2Kappa in the i10 was better than the Jazz, but still quite a lacklustre engine.

1.2 in the beat - boring, neither here nor there.

1.2 in the Grande punto - Nah! Dull, slow, and a heavy car.

1.2K in the swift is a lovely one- esp in the 1st gen guise. Had a sufficient low end and a wonderful throttle response too. The suzuki engine would be my Pick, not too sure about the cars though.

*the 1.2 TSi if not looking at NA, is easily the best engine here. hands down. Imagining what a hoot it would be in a manual.

On another note -
In my A-star the low down torque is way better than the new petrol 1.2s. I love driving this car in the city - compact dimensions and a responsive engine. I think the new regulations kill the power delivery in the current engines.

The 1.4 Tjet engine is a simple one - they have upped the excitement by slapping on a turbo. But the poor intake plumbing and the way the car wheezes in hot weather is an irritant. And yes my engine now seems inadequate after I drove a Wolfed Tjet. What a difference a remap does!

[xcentrk]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Can't help but disagree.

Having owned and driven both the Civic and the Octavia, there is simply no comparison. You say rev-happy, but the Civic in 2nd gear would take an age to reach the redline whereas the Octavia's 1.8 TSI revs like no other 1.8 I've driven. The needle in the rev counter literally flies to the redline, sweeping across the rev-counter in barely a few seconds. In fact, the Civic will still be revving at 5k RPM when the Octavia would have bounced off the limiter in 2nd gear and is completing its 3rd ratio.

Oh, and you should hear the 1.8 TSI at around 4-5k RPM, I.e. when it is on song! No Honda other than perhaps the S2000 or the '90s Civics / Integras can match that engine note!

As far as refinement is concerned, the 1.8 TSI's power delivery is as creamy as it gets. I agree, it may sound a bit gruff at idle (the 1.2 TSI does), but it's supremely refined once the engine is sufficiently warmed up.

Isn't 1.8 TSI turbocharged? Well, I never mentioned about the power on tap or which one is faster, but that VTEC growl is something which I'm addicted to. And I believe a turbocharged 1.8L VTEC will be proper comparison for 1.8L TSI.

Driven 1.8L TSi and yeah, it is refined but not silky smooth like VTEC. It's a bit rough even at idle or on the move compared to VTEC. This is just my opinion!

[jpcoolguy]

Size of the car too matters ! In the omnipresent 1.2 L NA Petrol engines category, for example, the same 1.2 L Kappa which is good in Grand i10/Xcent is underpowered in i20/Active, which I found out when driven a friend's petrol i20. While the Xcent, which is my current drive, has manageable low end torque, the i20 felt dead below 1500 rpm and I managed to stall the car more than once when moving from standstill.

The K12 series from Suzuki however shines in this department where the engine feels lively in both Swift as well as Baleno. However, the 1.2 Kappa from Hyundai feels more refined than the 1.2 K12M from Suzuki and one can easily mistake that the car (with 1.2 Kappa) is OFF during idling.

[xcentrk]

Originally Posted by jpcoolguy

Size of the car too matters ! In the omnipresent 1.2 L NA Petrol engines category, for example, the same 1.2 L Kappa which is good in Grand i10/Xcent is underpowered in i20/Active, which I found out when driven a friend's petrol i20. While the Xcent, which is my current drive, has manageable low end torque, the i20 felt dead below 1500 rpm and I managed to stall the car more than once when moving from standstill.

The K12 series from Suzuki however shines in this department where the engine feels lively in both Swift as well as Baleno. However, the 1.2 Kappa from Hyundai feels more refined than the 1.2 K12M from Suzuki and one can easily mistake that the car (with 1.2 Kappa) is OFF during idling.

Agreed. 1.2L in i20 is not at all suitable for i20. But the same in my Xcent is great!! Only bad thing with 1.2L Kappa is that the bottom end need to be improved for improved drive-ability inside city.