TSI ALL THE WAY The heart of VW’s performance
We take a look at Volkswagen India’s unsung hero: the petrol TSI engine
THE STORY FOR THE TSI IN INDIA ACTUALLY begins with the Volkswagen Passat. VW took a topdown approach in our country, by introducing their bigger sedan in our market and then brought in smaller cars to reach a broader audience. It was a 1.8-litre four-cylinder unit that combined turbocharging and direct injection, where the TSI badge stands for “turbocharged stratified injection”. Following this, Volkswagen introduced the smaller TSI engines that would fit in its more affordable offerings like the Polo and Vento.
Looking back
As Volkswagen completes 10 years in India, let’s take a look back at this gem of an engine and what it means for the brand. Volkswagen has to be credited with downsizing its engines to smaller capacity units way before it became trendy. The goal from VW was to offer customers compact engines with great fuel efficiency, while matching performance of larger capacity engines, and that is exactly what the TSI engine did.
After setting the tone with the Passat, Volkswagen introduced a smaller 1.2-litre TSI engine in the Polo GT TSI, a car that has been a crowd favourite for more than seven years now and was one of the first hatchbacks to be fitted with a seven-speed DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox), or a twin-clutch gearbox. The main selling point for the Polo GT was the TSI engine that offered good fuel efficiency and, at the same time, kept its customers happy with its power.
Another TSI highlight was the Polo GTI that was launched with a limited run of just 200 units in India. The GTI featured the 1.8 TSI with 189bhp and weighing in at just 1272kg, it could achieve a sportscar-shaming top speed of 236kmph. The GTI proved its might in enthusiast circles and remains the king of the hot hatches in India.
Volkswagen has won numerous awards for the 1.4-litre TSI engine, including the “engine of the year award” that it won eight consecutive times in the 1.0 to 1.4-litre engine class. This makes the VW TSI engine one of the most successful engines in the 15 years since this international award category was instated. Along with that, it has also been bestowed the honour of the best green engine as well, in 2009.
THE TSI ENGINE IS WHAT DELIVERED VOLKSWAGEN ITS SUCCESS STORY IN INDIA
TSI technology
The small size of these TSI engines has allowed Volkswagen to use them on a number of cars on their MQB platform. Back in 2005, Volkswagen engineers were given a brief to build smaller engines that didn’t compromise on performance and remained economical. The most effective means for reducing fuel consumption is downsizing, which is exactly what the engineers did. The 1.2-litre was drastically downsized to a lower displacement, lowering frictional losses, and allowing for a lower specific fuel consumption, thus increasing efficiency. The 1.2-litre TSI engine featured a new aluminium diecast alloy that resulted in weight reduction. Another of Volkswagen’s aims was to reduce CO2 emissions, and this was possible with turbocharging along with direct injection, keeping turbo lag to a minimum. This combination allowed the engineers to build an engine that didn’t compromise on performance, while providing good efficiency and cleaner emissions.
Motorsport Glory
The TSI engines in India have had a strong connection with motorsports with multiple generations of the TSI engines having seen action on the track. Volkswagen has been actively involved in the racing scene in India with its very own Volkswagen One-Make Series. For the past nine years, the TSI engines have been used. Race-prepped versions of the Polo TSI and Vento TSI used the 1.2-litre TSI from the Polo GT TSI, while the Ameo Cup car uses the 1.8-litre TSI from the Polo GTI. The Ameo Cup car is a real piece of engineering, with the bigger 1.8 TSI engine being squeezed into the Ameo’s small engine bay, coupled to a sequential gearbox and managed by a Motec ECU. It puts out over 200bhp. The TSI has also added some other feathers to its cap in the national championships, with the Vento ITC car featuring the 1.8 TSI engine winning the championship in its debut season. Both these race cars were completely developed in India, by Indian engineers, at Volkswagen’s Chakan facility.
evo Connections
At evo India, we are all about The Thrill of Driving, and the TSI engines have always resonated with us. They are great in isolation, but when plonked in Volkswagen’s sorted chassis, they shine. We have covered the evolution of the TSI throughout its entire production cycle, right from the launch of the Polo GT TSI to driving the TSI-engined race cars. More recently we got the entire lineup of motorsport-prepped cars from Volkswagen, and it was a revelation as to how integral the TSI engine is to that lineup. The TSI engine stands for many things: performance, efficiency, and cleaner emissions, but what we love the most about them is the fact that they always manage to put a smile on our faces.
The future for the TSI engine line-up is in the 1-litre engine that has had a great global debut. This engine is a technological marvel and despite being a small 1-litre motor, is able to produce 94bhp and 113bhp depending on the Volkswagen car it is in. The Volswagen stable will continue to feature a TSI engine unit in the near future, with these efficient petrol engines proving to be immensely capable. Volkswagen India is all set to bring in their new products featuring the TSI engine including the SUV based on the new MQB-A0-IN platform that will be showcased at the upcoming Auto Expo in February 2020. ⌧
TSI ENGINES HAVE A STRONG MOTORSPORT CONNECTION WITH GREAT STAND OUT PERFORMANCE ON THE RACE TRACKS