Ignoring the huge waves being created by electric mobility, the big focus in the global automotive landscape is on downsizing. Small-capacity engines slapped with turbos do the job of hauling and being conservative when it comes to consuming fuel. We have a collection of three cars here — all with 1L turbo petrol engines to see what’s the fuss around small turbo engines all about. Let’s get on with the drive and reflect on how things were, and how they’ve progressed.
Till about 15 years or so ago, 1.0L engines were considered to be strictly for small hatchbacks. It was a mentality issue or a Perception issue. A one-liter engine meant it produced meager amounts of power. If you had anything bigger than a Wagon R — a sedan or something else, the engine would have to be a 1.5L to make it seem right.
Sure, there was the odd example of the 1.3L original City and Esteem, but by large, it was the 1.5-litre that became the popular displacement benchmark. It was criminal to even think of SUVs with 1.0L engines. But that’s the beauty of technological progress. It happens very rapidly. And now, 1.0-Litre engines with small turbochargers screwed onto their exhaust manifolds are omnipresent!
You find them in everything — small hatchbacks, hatchbacks pretending to be SUVs, mid-sized city runabouts and crossovers — they are everywhere. So, we thought of bringing 3 different global 1.0L turbo engines — all petrol, mind you — in three different applications from the broad category of crossovers because that’s the most ferociously growing segment the world over.
There’s the sub-4-metre Magnite with its 1.0L HRA0 turbo engine. The Baleno-based Fronx also masquerades as an alternative crossover and gets Suzuki’s famed 1.0L Booster Jet.
And finally, the VW Taigun — a crossover or pretentious SUV in the mid-size segment that’s smaller than the rivals but that’s a topic of discussion for another day. It’s here because of its 1L TSI engine.
Exterior
Parking them in close proximity gives you a sense of how exploited the term SUV has become. Back in the day, the Tata Safari was an SUV. Or the Scorpio. Maruti had the all-wheel-drive Grand Vitara and Hyundai had its massive and massively obtuse-looking Terracan. And now, look at what we get. A brown hatchback that’s been blown air into, a reasonably good hatchback that’s been given platform shoes to wear, and a German with mistaken identity.
It’s not to focus on these cars and criticise them for the heck of it, this is the general trend across the segments and manufacturers, so it’s not that other brands are not doing the same. The memo went to everyone. Of these three, the Magnite is the most uninspiring design, in my view. Some bits look fine in isolation, but as an overall styling exercise, it’s nowhere near as sharp as its cousin — the Renault Kiger.
The Fronx is a bit of a peculiar thing. Its front is not entirely fitting for its overall stance. The Grand Vitara styling looks okay on the Grand Vitara, but in this application, it looks a bit out of place. However, the rear end is very attractive and the most pleasing angle of the car.
The Taigun is smart and non-offensive. There’s nothing wrong with it, looks-wise — well, maybe the chrome at the front could’ve been done away with, but that’s about it. And the back is, with the Taigun as with the Fronx, the more attractive end with the full-width light signature giving it the flair.
Interior
Inside, it’s much the same order. The Nissan is forgettable, to say the least. The design — well, there’s hardly any design to talk of. It’s just big slabs of grey with different textures, colours and surface finish. Looks very underwhelming and even the quality levels aren’t that great.
Given that this is among the cheapest crossovers in the country today, the compromises made to build and market it on budget are too many, especially when you consider that it can go on to almost INR 1 million depending on which city you’re in — which isn’t small money! You can get a Tata Altroz in the same bracket, and that’s a better car! Just, not a crossover.
And that is pretty much the same issue with the Fronx. It’s between INR 1.5 and 1.6 million for the 1.0L with automatic 6-speed transmission that we have. It’s silly where the prices have moved on to and the kind of cars that such monies get you. But at least the Fronx is a lot better inside.
The softness of the cabin experience, the general sense of quietness and the better engineering feel are very evident when you hop in from the Magnite into the Fronx. But the design of the cabin is very busy, and very fussy — too many things, too many colours and too many quality levels going on in here. I’m not a fan of it, but it’s not terribly bad on any scale.
The quality of the Taigun is not the same as VWs of the past and that’s true also for the Virtus. Not that they’re bad, just that they’re not in the same league of quality that VW has been famous for. But overall, the quality of the Taigun is okay, the design is very good, and everything is occupants-centric. It’s also reasonably practical and the seats are lovely and comfortable. The space is mediocre at best for what is a mid-size crossover, but it’s a fairly well-packaged product.
Features
On features, the Magnite is about okay. It’s got a very gimmicky graphic in the instrument pod, I’m not a fan of it. Beyond this, all the basic stuff is there — Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, voice recognition and it will even read out WhatsApp messages on the speakers! Safety is taken care of by dual airbags, ABS, EBD, anti-roll bar, Traction Control, hill start and more such stuff.
Very similar story in the Fronx — all the connected tech and playback support is there, wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charging, there’s a head-up display and a 360-degree camera as well. Safety is delivered through an electronic stability program and 6 airbags etc.
The screen integration is the best in the Taigun. Lots to be learned from VW here; and the feature list is similar to the other two: CarPlay and Android Auto are wireless, there’s the wireless charging tray as well, it’s got ventilated front seats, a cooled glove box etc. Electronic Stability Control, EBD, ABS, Brake Assist, Anti Slip regulation and whatnot.
Driving
The Magnite is a curious case of contradictions and complications. The 1.0L turbo engine is genuinely sprightly. Its 100 horsepower peaks out at 5,000rpm and the torque is rated at 160Nm for the manual and comes in from 2800-3600rpm. There’s an automatic version as well and in that the torque figure dips a bit to 152Nm but comes in a little earlier in the rev range too.
What’s impressive is that it uses cylinder coating technology from Nissan’s awesome flagship, the GT-R. It reduces resistance inside the engine, cuts down some weight and improves heat management and combustion. The power delivery is great but only when you’ve gone past 2200rpm.
Below that, it can be a struggle if you’re caught in a situation of doing quick overtakes. But once it picks up pace, it’s fairly good.
The steering makes this a strange experience. It’s weirdly heavy at low speeds and vaguely light at high speeds. The chassis feels like it can be fun, but the sum of parts doesn’t make the case for it.
Which is the opposite of the Fronx. It’s genuinely entertaining in a lot of ways despite some really irritating issues. And it is mostly down to that engine — it’s a perky little thing. The 6-speed auto is also okay. It’s a little slow to react, but learn to live around its response time, hold on to the gears through the paddles and you’ll have enough and more performance to unpack.
The steering lacks the sense of communication that you seek from it. It’s mostly non-linear and the bizarre and typical Maruti issue of stickiness remains. But it’s the chassis that shines and compliments that excited engine.
The composure around bends is good, the compliance of the suspension is commendable and the general mechanical grip levels are very good.
Below the boost, it’s not as irksome as the Magnite’s 1.0L. The build-up is fine, you can live with it and once it wakes up, it really starts moving! Its 100 horsepower comes in at 5,500rpm, so that’s really digging the right foot in. But the Fronx is light — it tips the kerb weight scale at 1,060kg for this automatic version which means it’s an almost 100 horse per tonne car.
It’s a fun thing, honestly! I’d have loved to have the manual, but sadly it wasn’t available. But I can imagine how good it’ll be with the manual if it’s sufficiently good with this automatic!
But the pleasure of a good manual gearbox with a frisky small turbo engine isn’t missed thanks to the Taigun. The shifts are good, the clutch feel is strong and the engine, with its 115-horsepower peaking at almost the limit of the engine speed, is a good companion for the most part.
As with any small capacity, small turbo engine, the initial progress isn’t mind-blowing, but the healthy 178Nm of pull is what makes the difference. You don’t feel the engine lagging as much as it is feeling a little droopy. Hit it with a dose of acceleration and it wakes right up.
It can be addictive and it’s hilarious sometimes. The dynamic balance is by far the best. The Fronx does feel energetic, but the Taigun feels energetic and composed at the same time.
The transitions are fluid, the controls feel perfectly judged. The suspension is a great in-between setup: it’s somewhere in the middle of damping greatness and compression control — so it gives you the progressive vertical oscillation to offer a good ride, and also controlled lean compression to exhibit a good dynamic ability. It’s a great thing to drive.
Conclusion
This experience of 3 different 1L turbo petrol engines in extremely different applications was to understand how far we’ve come in tech development. You’d think — how different would the same displacement engines be?
But that’s the beauty — the approach of all three manufacturers is very different. The way the engines transfer the power to the wheels is very different and that is what defines the ease of driving and outlines the pleasure of performance. The Magnite isn’t greatly refined and suffers quality issues. Its engine is temperamental but is good on outright performance once it crosses the boost threshold.
The Fronx is a mixed bag — the great, perky little engine is the highlight, and the chassis dances well. But the steering is odd. The Taigun is also compromised — the quality just isn’t what is expected of VW. But the chassis is solid, the steering is fluid and that gives the engine a great foundation to flourish and show off. Lovely, lovely thing!