Turbochargers! If you are from the '80s and did the whole disco scene, then chances are your vacuum cleaner had TURBO written on it. Whether the commercial designers knew then, or they were merely following fashion, turbochargers are most talked about new feature on all cars now. And that is not a good thing.
Whether it is an entry level hatchback from Volkswagen, or a Million Dollar Hypercar from McLaren, turbocharging is the keyword. Getting unbelievable amounts of power from engines the size of an A4 sheet of paper must sound very impressive, but truth be told, it doesn't even make me take notice any more. When the Mitsubishi announced the Lancer Evolution VIII MR FQ-400 in 2005, they set records in specific power outputs. But try accelerating an Evo from 50 to 60 mph in top gear! A Fiesta diesel is quicker. There is so much lag that, unless the engine is hovering around the redline, the actual power output is closer to 180hp. And that isn't exactly impressive. Or quick. And if you are near the redline, you will get 8mpg. So you're either out of money doing 155mph everywhere, or being overtaken by enthusiastic trucks.
Ofcourse, as with everything else, turbos have come a long way from the Evo VIII. Twin Turbocharging, Variable Geometry Turbochargers, and a plethora of other new solutions have taken care of lag and throttle response. BMW's new 4.4l V8 Twin-Turbo in the M5 is so responsive, that you could almost believe it was naturally aspirated. Except you won't.
Because if you shift to top gear on the brilliant automatic transmission, and settle down to a relaxing cruise at 45mph and then you decide you want to ride the torque and go for a overtake, you will realize that the engine sounds rather fruity, and you can utilize the enormous torque curve to fly past the car in front. The engine sound is a fake, "engineered" sound, played at you through the speakers. And so is the torque curve.
In contrast if you drive the previous generation M5, the E60, you'll initially be met with a sluggish bottom end, a diesel like clatter, an extremely aggressive power delivery at the mid-range, and an incredible, spine-tingling sound track. And that is exactly what the engine is like. It feels unrestricted, pure, original. And that's because it is.
And that exactly is the problem of a turbocharged car. There are two types of excitement you can get out of driving a car. One is the sense of speed, and the thrill that comes with it. The acceleration, the Torque, the shove in the back and kick in the head. Cars like the Lancers, the STis, and to some extent the older Audis, and Volkswagens and Mercedes cars cater to that. They have immense torque from their turbocharged engines, and quick shifting automatics to put that power down. Even the Veyron falls largely into that category.
The other is the simple pleasure of driving a well tuned, balanced car at normal speeds on a normal road. Toyota launched a new sports car after almost a decade. They could have gone mad with forced induction, and gotten over 300hp from the same engine without many changes. Infact the same basic block does duty in 360hp Imprezzas. Instead, they made it naturally aspirated, and gave it less than 200hp. And it was the undoubted driver's car of the year. The same year that saw cars like the McLaren MP4-12C, the new Audi RS6, the new Volkswagen Golf GTi. And all those cars have more power.
The same goes with the Mazda MX-5, or Miata if you live State-side. It is small, it is underpowered, it is under-tyred, it is light and it is incredibly fun to drive. Power does not equate excitement. Power does not even equate speed in today's over-burdened, safety-obsessed, family friendly sports cars. Its why Caterham still makes the Seven. Its a design that's almost half a century old, and it is still quicker in any environment than the million dollar, turbocharged, multi-cylindered behemoths. And its powered by a 4-cylinder Ford engine.
So why the mass switch to forced induction? Weirdly, the blame lies on the naturally aspirated engines themselves. Because turbochargers can practically double the specific output of an engine, a small, clean Ice-cap-freezing, Polar-bear-pleasing 4 cylinder engine can provide the power and torque of a thumping big V8. While consuming half the fuel, and emitting half the emissions. And with a bit of electronic magic, you can even make it sound like one. The new Renault Clio is the newest member of the fake engine noise club. RenaultSport engineers were big fans of a small honest naturally aspirated engine, and they made it well. But with the newest Clio, not only is the NA engine replaced with a Turbo, they have done away with the manual gearbox and the crackling sound track as well. So now you get an onboard computer that lets you choose which car's soundtrack you want to mimic, and a sequential paddle-operated gearbox. I'd rather take the bus, thanks.
And because Nissan and Renault are in a partnership, you can even make a small light hatchback sound like a Nissan GTR. A car that is in itself guilty of being an emotionless turbocharged electronic machine. Therein lies the entire problem with forced induction.
Sure turbos can make a car mind-bogglingly quick, and provide unmatched acceleration while being kind to Greenpeace supporters. But on the whole, I'd take my '69 Charger with a HEMI V8, and my E60 M5 with its sinfully exciting V10. And though some of the turbocharged cars are incredible pieces of engineering (the Veyron, the MP4-12C, the BMWs, the VAG group cars, the new AMG V8), there isn't an actual replacement for displacement. And the solution does not lie in more power.
Colin Chapman provided the answers for a car that was cleaner, quicker and better handling at the same time. Add lightness, and simplify. Its not that hard, is it?
Whether it is an entry level hatchback from Volkswagen, or a Million Dollar Hypercar from McLaren, turbocharging is the keyword. Getting unbelievable amounts of power from engines the size of an A4 sheet of paper must sound very impressive, but truth be told, it doesn't even make me take notice any more. When the Mitsubishi announced the Lancer Evolution VIII MR FQ-400 in 2005, they set records in specific power outputs. But try accelerating an Evo from 50 to 60 mph in top gear! A Fiesta diesel is quicker. There is so much lag that, unless the engine is hovering around the redline, the actual power output is closer to 180hp. And that isn't exactly impressive. Or quick. And if you are near the redline, you will get 8mpg. So you're either out of money doing 155mph everywhere, or being overtaken by enthusiastic trucks.
Ofcourse, as with everything else, turbos have come a long way from the Evo VIII. Twin Turbocharging, Variable Geometry Turbochargers, and a plethora of other new solutions have taken care of lag and throttle response. BMW's new 4.4l V8 Twin-Turbo in the M5 is so responsive, that you could almost believe it was naturally aspirated. Except you won't.
Because if you shift to top gear on the brilliant automatic transmission, and settle down to a relaxing cruise at 45mph and then you decide you want to ride the torque and go for a overtake, you will realize that the engine sounds rather fruity, and you can utilize the enormous torque curve to fly past the car in front. The engine sound is a fake, "engineered" sound, played at you through the speakers. And so is the torque curve.
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| A Garrett Turbocharger. Picture courtesy www.aligatorperformance.com |
In contrast if you drive the previous generation M5, the E60, you'll initially be met with a sluggish bottom end, a diesel like clatter, an extremely aggressive power delivery at the mid-range, and an incredible, spine-tingling sound track. And that is exactly what the engine is like. It feels unrestricted, pure, original. And that's because it is.
And that exactly is the problem of a turbocharged car. There are two types of excitement you can get out of driving a car. One is the sense of speed, and the thrill that comes with it. The acceleration, the Torque, the shove in the back and kick in the head. Cars like the Lancers, the STis, and to some extent the older Audis, and Volkswagens and Mercedes cars cater to that. They have immense torque from their turbocharged engines, and quick shifting automatics to put that power down. Even the Veyron falls largely into that category.
The other is the simple pleasure of driving a well tuned, balanced car at normal speeds on a normal road. Toyota launched a new sports car after almost a decade. They could have gone mad with forced induction, and gotten over 300hp from the same engine without many changes. Infact the same basic block does duty in 360hp Imprezzas. Instead, they made it naturally aspirated, and gave it less than 200hp. And it was the undoubted driver's car of the year. The same year that saw cars like the McLaren MP4-12C, the new Audi RS6, the new Volkswagen Golf GTi. And all those cars have more power.
The same goes with the Mazda MX-5, or Miata if you live State-side. It is small, it is underpowered, it is under-tyred, it is light and it is incredibly fun to drive. Power does not equate excitement. Power does not even equate speed in today's over-burdened, safety-obsessed, family friendly sports cars. Its why Caterham still makes the Seven. Its a design that's almost half a century old, and it is still quicker in any environment than the million dollar, turbocharged, multi-cylindered behemoths. And its powered by a 4-cylinder Ford engine.
So why the mass switch to forced induction? Weirdly, the blame lies on the naturally aspirated engines themselves. Because turbochargers can practically double the specific output of an engine, a small, clean Ice-cap-freezing, Polar-bear-pleasing 4 cylinder engine can provide the power and torque of a thumping big V8. While consuming half the fuel, and emitting half the emissions. And with a bit of electronic magic, you can even make it sound like one. The new Renault Clio is the newest member of the fake engine noise club. RenaultSport engineers were big fans of a small honest naturally aspirated engine, and they made it well. But with the newest Clio, not only is the NA engine replaced with a Turbo, they have done away with the manual gearbox and the crackling sound track as well. So now you get an onboard computer that lets you choose which car's soundtrack you want to mimic, and a sequential paddle-operated gearbox. I'd rather take the bus, thanks.
And because Nissan and Renault are in a partnership, you can even make a small light hatchback sound like a Nissan GTR. A car that is in itself guilty of being an emotionless turbocharged electronic machine. Therein lies the entire problem with forced induction.
The 440 HEMI in the 1969 Dodge Charger
Photo courtesy Alex Fearn, Flikr
Sure turbos can make a car mind-bogglingly quick, and provide unmatched acceleration while being kind to Greenpeace supporters. But on the whole, I'd take my '69 Charger with a HEMI V8, and my E60 M5 with its sinfully exciting V10. And though some of the turbocharged cars are incredible pieces of engineering (the Veyron, the MP4-12C, the BMWs, the VAG group cars, the new AMG V8), there isn't an actual replacement for displacement. And the solution does not lie in more power.
Colin Chapman provided the answers for a car that was cleaner, quicker and better handling at the same time. Add lightness, and simplify. Its not that hard, is it?
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