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Future Tech

Volkswagen’s new 1.5-litre petrol is very clever

VW announces ‘TSI Evo’, complete with a variable geometry turbo

Published: 29 Apr 2016

Variable geometry turbochargers are awfully clever bits of kit. Basically, the tech means the aspect of the turbine’s blades is continuously altered to suit the engine’s load, thus delivering a broader toque curve and hence better response.

VW says its new 1.5-litre TSI Evo marks the first time a VGT has been fitted to a mass-market petrol-powered engine (Porsche uses them a fair bit, though), and that compared to the old 1.4, peak torque arrives 35 per cent faster at 1,300rpm. This is good news.

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Overall efficiency is up by something like 10 per cent too (although VW hasn’t released any official figures), thanks in part to the VTG, the high 12.5:1 compression ratio and active cylinder deactivation, which shuts down a couple of cylinders when the engine isn’t under too much stress.

To start with, the Miller cycle motor will be available in 129bhp and 148bhp configurations. We’ll see it in cars for the first time later this year. Want a VW? What with all the stigma surrounding diesels at the moment, this might be the way to go…

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