Get Lit Up

The Tata Nexon is the latest affordable turbo petrol to hit the market. How does it fare against the old dogs?

- Aatish Mishra

THEY WERE THE STUFF OF petrolhead wet dreams, those turbo petrol engines. Stuffed in to hallowed cars like the Ferrari F40, the Jaguar XJ220, the Porsche 930 Turbo and 959, these engines were the bastion of high-performance, of corrupting power and unhinged delivery. We’ve all heard horror stories – of how docile they were with the tacho needle below 3000rpm, almost mundane, but all hell would break loose when the turbos lit up.

Tyres would be shredded, lap times would be decimated and unsuspecting drivers would find themselves heading nose-first for the hedges. Then there were the rally cars that sent shivers up our spines. Those pixilated videos of Audi Quattros parting the hordes of spectators with their wastegate whooshes, of Lancia Delta S4s and Peugeot 205s bellowing through narrow forest stages. The generations of Mitsubishi Evos and the Subaru Imprezas that followed kept reinforcing that one thing the turbo petrol engine stood for. Performance.

Hardcore, unfiltered performance. To hell with spine tingling exhaust notes at 9500rpm, or the linearity of power delivery. This was a pursuit of power and speed, regardless of the cost.

Eventually, downsizing of engines with stringent emission norms being introduced worldwide has forced turbos into the mainstream – turbo engines are more efficient after all. Nearly every new supercar packs a turbocharger, and performance is higher than ever. Years of research on the turbocharger as well as handy electronics mean that modern turbo petrols aren’t as untameable as their predecessors. The other side effect of making turbos the norm is them trickling down to more affordable cars. The cars in question are nowhere close to the hardcore supercars of yore, but their origins lie in those manic motors. Enthusiasts rejoice!

The Benchmark