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Tell me about small turbo engines...
Hi, I'm in the market for a new family saloon. I am very confused with the market. I always bought a car based on engine size, but now the dealers are telling me the engines are so refined that it is the bhp that is important. If this is true, does that mean the Octavia 1 litre at 115 bhp is a better engine than the Corolla 1.33 at 98 bhp. I'm only interested in a petrol/ unleaded engine.
Our answer:
Hi Feargal,
It is true to say that, these days, the capacity of an engine is more or less irrelevant. It’s common now to find 1.4 and 1.2-litre engines with the sort of power output that you’d have needed a 2.0-litre engine of old to produce. A modern, turbocharged 1.0 (such as that Skoda engine) has the power and performance of an old 1.6 or even 1.8 engine. But, thankfully, with much, much better fuel economy. The best way to know how a modern engine performs? Read the reviews, rather than the displacement figure...
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