The tightening of emission norms has in-a-way forced automakers to shy away from larger naturally-aspirated engines. About a decade ago, low-displacement turbocharged engines were frowned upon by many purists in India, but as it stands today, they are the future of internal combustion engines (ICE) on mass-market offerings. The best part, the new-age turbo petrol cars aren’t that expensive either as smaller turbos and mass production make them more viable. These are engines are equally efficient too, which makes them quite practical. So, for the enthusiast with a budget of Rs. 10 lakh, here are all the options you should consider if you are planning to bring home a turbocharged petrol car.
Tata Nexon 1.2 Revotron
Starting with the crowd favourite, the Tata Nexon is a well-packaged subcompact SUV and making it a fun drive is the 1.2-litre three-cylinder Revotron turbocharged petrol engine that develops a generous 120PS and 170Nm of peak torque. The Nexon’s engine received a power bump of 10PS with the BS6 version, making it one of the most powerful offerings in its class. It also helps that the facelift arrived with the engine that brings a sharper styling and connected car tech. The engine is offered with the 6-speed manual and AMT gearbox options while returning a fuel-efficiency figure of 17.4 kpl on the MT and 16 kpl on the AMT. The Nexon 1.2 Revotron is priced from Rs. 6.95 lakh (ex-showroom) onwards.
Skoda Rapid 1.0 TSI
The Skoda Rapid is one of the most fun sedans on sale in India, and the upgrade to BS6 emission norms saw the 1.6-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine being swapped for the new 1.0-litre three-cylinder TSI turbocharged petrol motor. Based on the PQ25 platform, the Rapid has always been an engaging car to drive and the new turbo engine does take that performance quotient a notch higher. The engine produces 110PS and 175Nm of peak torque, and is paired with a 6-speed gearbox. It’s also incredible value-for-money in terms of the power-to-price quotient with the Rider variant starting at Rs. 7.49 lakh (ex-showroom). If the Skoda isn’t to your liking, you get the same set-up along with the option of a 6-speed torque converter on the Volkswagen Vento.
Volkswagen Polo and Vento TSI
The German cousin of the Rapid, the Volkswagen Polo continues to set the benchmark for the affordable performance hatchbacks and the BS6 avatar has seen the GT TSI receive some major changes. Now, for a 10-year-old car, the Polo is surprisingly fresh and a lot to do with that, is of course, the engine. The Polo GT TSI now uses the 1.0-litre TSI motor shared with the Rapid and the replaces the lovely 1.2-litre GT TSI under the hood. The new engine is more powerful though with 110PS and 175Nm on offer, while the GT TSI badging is specific to the automatic that now comes with a 6-speed torque converter. It may not stack up in terms of equipment levels compared to the rivals but the Polo GT TSI continues to be built for the enthusiast driver and is now more value friendly with a priced tag of Rs. 9.60 lakh. The best part though is the availability of the same engine with the 6-speed manual with the same specs, and further drops the price to Rs. 8.02 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom).
Hyundai Grand i10 Nios 1.0 T-GDi
The Hyundai Getz was India’s first premium hatchback and was quite the performance offering as well with over 100PS under its belt. The new Hyundai Grand i10 Nios can be seen as a spiritual successor to the same and packs a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged motor that belts out 100PS and 172Nm of peak torque. The motor is paired with a 5-speed gearbox and the car is quite the package with a tonne of features, fresh styling and an ARAI certified fuel-efficiency of 20.3 kpl. It’s also well priced at Rs. 7.70 lakh (ex-showroom).
Hyundai Aura 1.0 T-GDi
If hatchbacks are too small for your liking, there’s also the Hyundai Aura subcompact sedan offered with the same 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine on offer. Packing in the same engine specifications, the sedan is the only turbo offering in the segment and the extra boot makes it a practical buy for the family. Priced at Rs. 8.55 lakh (ex-showroom) for the range-topping trim, it is a value-quotient with all the bells and whistles.
Hyundai Venue 1.0 T-GDi
Another Hyundai stablemate, the Venue has turned out to be the new hot favourite in the subcompact SUV segment and it is the 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged variant that has seen over 75 percent of the total demand for the petrol version. The Hyundai Venue recently crossed the one lakh sales mark and the company says that 44 per cent of the sales were for the turbo version. The 1.0-litre T-GDi motor is the same as the Grand i10 Nios turbo but has been tuned for 120PS and 172Nm. It is paired with the 6-speed manual and DCT automatic options. The Venue is feature-packed and is India’s first connected SUV, which makes it a stellar package with prices starting at Rs. 8.46 lakh (ex-showroom).
Mahindra XUV300 1.2 T-GDI
The Mahindra XUV300 shares its underpinnings with the SsangYong Tivoli but it is the 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that gives it a new element. The subcompact SUV is a sure-footed model when it comes to handling and the turbo engine does complement it well with 110PS and 200Nm of peak torque on offer. The torque figure is the highest in the segment. The engine is also paired with a 6-speed manual and returns an impressive 17 kpl. Prices for the XUV300 turbo petrol start at Rs. 8.30 lakh (ex-showroom). While those figures are surely impressive, we must tell you that the XUV300 is also coming with a new 1.2-litre turbo petrol engine from the newly-developed mStallion series that will boast of 13PS and 230Nm of peak torque. To be badged as the new Sportz edition, those will be segment-leading figures when the model arrives later this year. The Mahindra XUV300 Sportz was slated to arrive in April after being showcased at the 2020 Auto Expo, but has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
