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> This is an area that has been slow to change over the years, due to the small amount of turbocharged vehicles available new. Most turbos are used in heavy mac
by cjrp 13y ago
> This is an area that has been slow to change over the years, due to the small amount of turbocharged vehicles available new. Most turbos are used in heavy machinery (garbage trucks, big rigs, etc.), a slowly changing industry.
I'm not sure this is true in England - most diesel cars on the road have a turbocharger.
- codfrantic 13y agoMost of europe, especially VAG[π] cars are turbocharged, either TDI for basically all Diesels and more and more (T)FSI gasoline powered cars. Also look at the Audi R10 TDI [φ] [π] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Group http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Group [φ]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi_R10_TDI http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi_R10_TDI
- arethuza 13y agoVAG have a rather nice twin-charged 1.4L engine - with a supercharger and a turbocharger - the former being used at low revs and the latter at high revs: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Volkswagen_Group_petrol_engines#1.4_R4_16v_TSI.2FTFSI_90-133kW http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Volkswagen_Group_petrol...
- codfrantic 13y agoIndeed, updated my comment to be more accurate :)
- tankenmate 13y agoIndeed, although almost unheard of in the US, these twincharged engines have been available over the years in the Japan and Europe. The "special" edition cars haven't sold in large numbers but were readily available at the time of release from dealerships. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twincharger http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twincharger http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4AGE#4A-GZE http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4AGE#4A-GZE http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_MA_MA09ERT http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_MA_MA09ERT
- JanezStupar 13y agoNice but AFAIK unreliable.
- arethuza 13y agoWell, we're on our second Golf that has a 1.4TSI and I'd happily buy another one! [My downsizing of car sizes has seen me go from a 4.4 V8 BMW to a 2.5 V6 Turbo diesel VW to a 1.4TSI VW - perfectly happy with the latter now!]
- bliti 13y agoNot due to the twin charging, but due to it being a VAG auto.
- codfrantic 13y agoDo VW and Audi cars have the name of being unreliable in the US? Can't imagine that really..
- JanezStupar 13y agoShow me a reliable twin charging design. I dare you. I double dare you.
- bliti 13y agoI used to be a mechanic. So, show me a reliable VAG auto. Experience taught me to avoid them like the plague.
- JanezStupar 13y agoAround here they are deemed as reliable as the sunset. This leads to comical situations where 10-15 year old VAG autos are sometimes priced almost the same as 5-10 year old autos from other brands. AFAIK only real sour lemon were the 1.4 petrol engines and those dual charged engines from the mid 00's. But around here everybody knows that only true VAG engine is a diesel. That is the folk lore around here not my own opinion. I myself drive a Peugeot as for my tastes price/performance of VAG is not as good. Personally I would steer away from Renault (had several, only "good" car was R4 :)), and basically any American brand. I think that in the value department Asian brands are giving European and US brands quite a run for ther money. Too bad they do not make a Berlingo/Caddy/Kangoo class of a car. Even if VAG is total shit, dual charged engines are not something you would want in your vehicle. I think hybrids are a much better and simpler option.
- bliti 13y agoYou are right. My point was that there not many petrol or gasoline powered turbocharged autos. Diesels powered autos are commonly turbocharged. In the USA, diesel autos are not common. Thus, turbos are mostly seen in high-performance vehicles (like the 911, WRX, etc.).
- cjrp 13y agoInteresting. Is it hard to find gas stations which sell diesel over there as a result?
- maxerickson 13y agoMaybe a little harder. But we do a lot of shipping by truck, so there is diesel pretty much everywhere, just not at every station.
- bliti 13y agoYes, there are less gas stations that sell Diesel. Most are located around common routes used by the shipping industry. Also, the requirements for Diesel fuel in the USA is different than in Europe. Plus the price of diesel is actually higher than gasoline. There is another phenomena around diesels in the USA. Which is the perception of the general population towards them. People often think of them as noisy, smelly, and unreliable autos. This due to the awful diesel engines produced by American auto manufacturers during the 70's and 80's. General Motors is the one to blame for the awful engineering and cost-cutting practices that led the public to see diesels as a non-option.
- cjrp 13y agoAh, I see. I believe there was a time here (England) when diesel was cheaper than petrol, but it's now a few pence/litre more. Presumably that's made up for with improved efficiency though. Funny how the perception of a technology can be tainted by poor implementation. I'm not sure how European diesels were in the past, but as long as I've bothered to pay attention (~10 years), diesel has been more popular here since fuel is so darn expensive. Will be interesting to see if the gain in popularity of Euro/Asian cars over there will have any effect on the number of diesels on the road.