I was not very enthused when Fiat asked me to test drive their new T-jet Linea saloon. The shapely earlier 1368 cc 86 Hp saloon had been no ball of fire. But I quickly changed my evaluation when I drove India’s first turbo charged petrol engine in this segment that has boosted the HP by 31 per cent to 113 Hp with a huge 80 per cent boost in torque to make a small engine amazingly drivable and fuel-efficient.
Global concerns with pollution and fuel efficiencies are resulting in a slew of brilliant new small engines that give amazing performance. I first witnessed it two years ago when I test drove the hefty 1576 kg Skoda Superb, powered by a puny 1798 cc petrol engine, into the mountains. The new engine however belted out a huge 160 HP that was very adequate to handle the mountains above Rishikesh. More recently Volvo has introduced a small D3 engine that is actually quite remarkable as it manages to belt out a huge 163 HP with 400 Nm of torque from a small 1984 cc diesel engine. So the buyer benefits from being able to get a prestigious and economical Volvo car at a very attractive price without having to compromise on performance. The new engine is also quite revolutionary as it has five cylinders instead of the more conventional four, six of V6 engines. It has enabled Volvo to drastically reduce the prices of their entry level S60 and S80 Saloons as well as the XC60 SUV that are now also very economic to run.
In a highly competitive market auto technologies have been changing very rapidly. Thirty years ago, the old 1,500 cc engine of an Ambassador used to deliver a sluggish 40 HP that was just a shade more than the 39 HP from a high revving 800 cc Maruti 800. Maruti then introduced a 12–valve engine and fuel injection in the same engine to efficiently burn more fuel and power shot up 21 per cent to an impressive 47 HP. This engine continues to power India’s largest selling car the Maruti Alto. My technical guru Tutu Dhawan tells me that Fuel Injection boosted power by about 10 to 15 per cent, then came multi valves that gave a five to eight per cent boost and now turbochargers can raise power by another 10 to 15 per cent plus many other improvements in metallurgy etc. Later this year Ford is planning to launch their EcoSport mini SUV. This is no lightweight but is powered by a puny thre-cylinder 1000 cc engine that whacks out a dazzling 118 HP with a huge 117 Nm of torque. When you compare this to the 1,600 cc engine of the Fiesta Classic that delivers 100 Hp and a torque of 148 Nm, you can clearly see how much technologies have advanced.
The writer is an automotive expert and the former editor of a national
magazine