Your favourite 1.0L 3-cylinder turbo-petrol engine in India

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Last year, we had voted for our favourite 1.5L diesel engines, a size which has become quite the trend among oil-burners. Now, let's turn our attention to the small capacity, yet powerful and fun-to-drive turbocharged petrol engines that have been seen in Indian cars. Downsizing & ever tightening emission norms will only see this breed grow. We wish Honda had brought in their 1.0L turbo-petrol in the City (they sell it in Thailand).

Hyundai Kappa 1.0 Turbo GDI

Hyundai jumped into the fray in '19 with this 998cc, 3-cylinder unit. Introduced in the Venue, it puts out 118 BHP @ 6,000 rpm and 172 Nm @ 1,500 - 4,000 rpm, and is coupled to a 6-speed MT or a dual-clutch AT. A less powerful version has been used to power the Aura & Grand i10 Nios. Hyundai's offering has the best refinement among the 1.0L turbo-petrols and it is quite an all-rounder. No wonder Hyundai is pushing it in all of its mass-market cars. Hyundai's Turbo GDI is not only practical, but it is also fun to drive!

Volkswagen / Skoda 1.0 TSI

The latest entrant into the club is Volkswagen's 999 cc, TSI engine that puts out 109 BHP @ 5,000 - 5,500 rpm and 175 Nm @ 1,750 - 4,000 rpm. This unit produces the most torque among all the contenders listed here and is mated to a 6-speed manual transmission (6-speed torque converter AT will be coming soon). It powers the Polo & Rapid today, and will be under the hood of a long list of VAG cars in the future. This engine is easily the most revv-happy & it does have a healthy top-end. Downside? The refinement levels at high rpm are poor. Knowing VW, we have our fingers crossed on its long-term reliability too.

Maruti-Suzuki 1.0 Boosterjet

This motor was used to power the Baleno RS. In typical Maruti style, they gave it a funeral before it had a fair chance to live (same fiasco with the S-Cross' lovely 1.6L diesel). The Boosterjet was based on the familiar K10 unit. With 101 BHP @ 5,500 rpm and 150 Nm @ 1,700 - 4,500 rpm on tap, it is the least powerful of the engines listed here and the only one to be mated to a 5-speed manual. However, it had minimal turbo lag and an enjoyable mid-range. Disadvantages = not much of a top end, limited max revs and the price (1.5 lakhs over the 1.2L n/a petrol).

Ford 1.0L EcoBoost

This engine was the torchbearer of small turbo-petrols & introduced us to this trend almost a decade ago! It was used by Ford to power the EcoSport and while it has been discontinued now, with 123 BHP on tap, it remains the most powerful 1.0L turbo-petrol to be sold in India. Ford itself made the EcoBoost irrelevant by introducing that awesome 1.5L naturally-aspirated Dragon engine in the EcoSport. The 1.0L EcoBoost was also laggy, unrefined and delivered sub-par fuel economy.

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