6 turbo petrol cars that you can buy for under 15 lakh rupees

Turbo petrol power is slowly albeit steadily making inroads into the Indian car market. Turbo petrol engines refers to those petrol engines that feature a turbo charger to boost performance as well as fuel efficiency. So, how does a turbo petrol engine do this?

The turbocharger consisting of a turbine, shoehorned onto a petrol engine, uses exhaust gases to spin up. The spinning/spooling of the turbines of a turbocharger due to exhaust gases introduces fresh charge to the engine, allowing it to combust fuel better. Better combustion means more power and torque lower down the rev range.

The ample amount of low end torque means that drivers of turbo petrol cars rarely stomp on their accelerator in city driving conditions. A light right foot naturally means lower fuel consumption.

From having just two turbopetrol cars (Fiat Linea T-Jet and Skoda Laura TSI) to sample in the sub-15 lakh rupees space in 2011, the Indian petrol car aficionado has no less than 6 turbo petrol cars to sample from, in the sub 15-lakh rupee segment.

Here’s a quick round up!

Fiat Linea T-Jet

The car which gave India its first turbo petrol experience for under 10 lakhs was the Linea T-Jet. Armed with a 1.4 liter turbo petrol engine good for 114 Bhp-207 Nm, the Linea T-Jet is a cracking package that comes with terrific ride and handling. Shifting duties are handled by a 5 speed manual gearbox. The car is priced at Rs. 7.69 lakhs and is a steal for that kind of money.

Volkswagen Polo GT TSI

The Polo petrol with the 1.2 liter MPI engine was and is a slouch. To make things more exciting, Volkswagen added a 1.6 liter MPI motor. Now, things have improved even more with the addition of the 1.2 liter TSI turbo petrol engine that outputs 105 PS-175 Nm. The engine gets a 7 speed DSG automatic gearbox that claims to shift gears more appropriately than even you. Price: Rs. 7.99 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi.

Ford EcoSport 1.0

The Ford EcoSport is a crossover, and the most unlikely of the vehicles to feature a turbo petrol engine, that too India’s smallest one at that. But Ford, betting big on their Ecoboost turbo petrol technology, took the plunge to launch the EcoSport with a 1 liter-3 cylinder turbo petrol engine which one the award for International Engine of the Year  2012. The small, yet powerful motor outputs 120 Bhp-170 Nm. The gearbox is a 5 speed manual unit. Price: Rs. 8.14 lakhs

Volkswagen Vento TSI

The latest entrant to the turbo petrol brigade is the Volkswagen Vento TSI sedan. Sharing its engine, transmission and platform with the Polo GT TSI, the Vento with the turbo petrol engine sits in the C segment sedan space, as an automatic car that is the fastest in its class. The Vento TSI’s power and torque outputs are similar to those of the Polo GT TSI. Pricing is decidedly premium, at Rs. 9.99 lakhs.

Volkswagen Jetta 1.4 TSI

The Jetta with the 1.4 liter TSI turbo petrol engine is an exercise at affordability and fuel efficiency rather than grin inducing performance. Volkswagen India added the 1.4 liter TSI motor to the Jetta so that the entry-price of this D segment sedan becomes more attractive. The motor outputs 120 Bhp-200 Nm and is paired to a 6 speed manual gearbox. At Rs. 13.60 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi, the Jetta makes quite a case for itself as an affordable turbo petrol D segmenter.

Skoda Octavia 1.4 TSI

The strategy that Volkswagen India implemented through the Jetta TSI has been carried over by Skoda with the Octavia 1.4 TSI. This car manages a higher output over the Jetta, with 140 Bhp-200 Nm. A 6 speed manual gearbox is a similarity. Compared with the Jetta, the much larger Octavia is priced only marginally higher at Rs. 13.95 lakh , ex-showroom Delhi. Therefore, the 2013 Octavia 1.4 TSI is definitely a better buy than the Jetta 1.4.