Quote:
Originally Posted by Omatako
Yep, I agree on both counts. I was never putting forward a proposal that we should all go out and supercharge our Yanmars. 
The truth is that most (non-American  , sorry ) motor manufacturers are including in their range, much smaller charge-air engines (both turbo- and supercharged). One thing is for sure, they're not doing this to increase fuel consumption. These engines are super-efficient. We have a VW Golf 1.5 litre turbo diesel in the family. it returns fuel consumption of under 5 litres/100km regular as clockwork. I think that's nearly 63 miles/gallon. |
Those diesel VW's are pretty nice. First time I drove one I didn't realize it was a diesel, and I fix cars for a living.
It's true that they are very efficient, and get great mileage. The reason is not that the turbo is making it vastly more efficient. The reason is that it's a very small engine to start with, and has the advantage of electronics to help efficiency. The turbo was added to give it enough power so that someone would actually buy it. A non turbo version of that engine would still be very efficient, but wouldn't get out of it's own way. During a highway cruise the turbo isn't doing much for you, and it gets great mileage. When you mash the gas the turbo comes alive and the mileage goes to hell. Watch your boost gauge, you'll see what I mean.