“Few pretenders look like challenging the Volkswagen
TSI Twincharger for its world-best ranking”
Brian Cowan, international freelance journalist
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Image:- Dr. Hermann Middendorf, Head of Gas Engine Development, Engine Family EA111, Volkswagen
“Downsizing at its best.” That’s the
way Gary Tsang, a leading freelancer
in China, describes Volkswagen’s
1.4-litre TSI Twincharger, this year’s
winning powertrain in the 1-litre to
1.4-litre class.
And what an engine it is! Not only
has TSI Twincharger taken top spot in
this category for five years in a row,
beating off some serious competition
from Fiat, Honda and indeed its
smaller 1.2-litre TSI stablemate, it has
also won the overall International
Engine of the Year for the last two
years. As a measure of its relentless
success, TSI Twincharger secured
first place in this category by 53
points last year; for 2011, it rolled
home some 117 points ahead of
second place, the MultiAir turbo unit
from Fiat. It would seem that some
thing’s just get better with age.
A frugal 1.4-litre offering, TSI
Twincharger can deliver up to 185bhp
in certain applications due to the
combination of petrol direct injection,
a turbocharger and a supercharger.
Low-end torque is ensured at low
speeds by the mechanically driven
supercharger. The turbo takes over at
higher speeds once the intake air is
pressurised, filling the ‘hole’ in the
torque at low revs, and blessing the
diminutive engine with the sort of
power usually associated with a
2-litre naturally-aspirated unit.
Such ambitious power-output
targets could not be achieved with
a single-stage supercharged or
turbocharged 1,400cc engine alone.
With this combination, the upstream
compressor increases the boost
pressure of the exhaust turbocharger
to impressive levels. The turbo and
the supercharger have a pressure
rating of 1.53 bar, and the maximum
system boost pressure is set at 2.5
bar at 1,500rpm.
But power is only half the story
here, as the TSI Twincharger offers
fuel economy benefits over its larger,
similarly powered rivals, returning
very impressive figures across the
range. In the Volkswagen Golf, for
example, TSI Twincharger realizes
6.2 litres/100km (45.5mpg].
