Skip to content
Home arrow Motoring arrow Motoring arrow TSI gives GT power to Golf
TSI gives GT power to Golf E-mail
Written by Administrator   
Wednesday, 15 August 2007
Article Index
TSI gives GT power to Golf
Page 2
Page 1 of 2
Volkswagen has brought its engine skills to a new level with the introduction of TSI technology to give massive engine power to what traditionally would be considered a small engine. The result has been good enough to give the latest Golf a GT badge. Michael Moroney reports from his test drive of the new Golf GT

Volkswagen has had notable success with the TDI diesel and FSI petrol engines. Now the German carmaker has gone even further in terms of power and efficiency with the launch of the TSI engine option. This is a radical change for petrol engines.

Volkswagen has taken the FSI engine system further with the new TSI technology. The FSI engine, which already uses direct injection of the petrol, is now fitted with two types of engine charging system. These consist of an engine-driven supercharger and an exhaust-driven turbocharger. The end result is massive power from a 1,390cc engine!

The TSI engine in the model that I had on test delivered an impressive 170bhp at a fairly high engine revs of 6,000 rpm. The standard 1.4-litre petrol powered Volkswagen Golf produces less than half that power level at 5,000 rpm. That fact alone gives you an indication of the power capacity associated with the engine improvements.

You can notice that the driving characteristics of the new TSI engine in the Golf GT are improved even over those of the current FSI unit. The belt-driven supercharger operates at lower engine speeds, with the turbocharger coming in as the engine speed increases. The result of this is impressive performance throughout the range with no turbo lag and high maximum torque at a modest enough level of engine revs.

The turbocharger is chain cam driven. The unit is water cooled, as against air cooling, so that there is no need to run the car at idle speed before shutting the engine down as the cooling continues.

The 170bhp GT Golf can achieve a 0 to 100km/hr rating of 7.9 seconds. There are few enough 2.0-litre cars to match that, not to mind a 1.4-litre model. The six-speed gearbox is a good compliment to the engine, which is smooth in operation. There is no noticeable turbo lag as the supercharger is working all of the time, giving smooth acceleration.


Prev - Next >>
 
User Rating: / 1
PoorBest 
< Prev   Next >
[ Back ]


Custom Search
Visit our Games and puzzles section
Will you shop locally this Christmas?