TSI Engine

Anyone have any information if VW plans on waking up and bringing this engine to the states?

Thanks,

Conrad

just what are we missing out on?

My opinion is that this is a "beat the taxman" engine for countries in Europe that have heavy taxes based on engine displacement. You can do just as well on a COST basis with a larger displacement but normally-aspirated gasoline engine if it's tuned right. (Yes, the TSI concept can be a few percent more efficient, but it's offset by the need to run premium fuel, so the cost to run is more or less a wash and the cost to buy (and probably cost to maintain) is more.)

Our family has had a few turbo gas VW's, and none have been particularly economical. Fundamentally, this is not different.

Here's the article on it.

I think it sounds great.

http://www.worldcarfans.com/news.cfm/newsID/2060706.006/country/gcf/volkswagen/tsi-added-to-vw's-engine-technologies

It's rated at just a hair less frugal that the 2.0 PD in the 2004-2005 Passat, that is 5.9 vs 5.7 L/100 km on the highway, which isn't bad at all for a gasser, especially when you look at the 170 hp and similar torque figures. Performance-wise it's roughly the equivalent of the old 1.8T but more frugal. I say we need more, not fewer, engines like this. It would be a better base engine, IMHO, than the 2.0T in our Passat wagon, which is a great engine, but at best appears to be about 33 mpg highway...time will tell as the weather has truly sucked for trying to judge a car's efficiency.

VW are pushing the Golf GT TSI here in New Zealand. Amusing ad is here.

Representin'Polska! said:

Anyone have any information if VW plans on waking up and bringing this engine to the states?

Thanks,

Conrad

Click to expand...

Last I heard it isn't going to happen. The TSI required fuel with an octane higher than the common 91/93 available in the US. IIRC the TSI requires 95 octane fuel. If is does come, it will have to be detuned.

Scott_DeWitt said:

Last I heard it isn't going to happen. The TSI required fuel with an octane higher than the common 91/93 available in the US. IIRC the TSI requires 95 octane fuel. If is does come, it will have to be detuned.

Click to expand...

Sounds like a perfect candidate for a dedicated E85 engine! 105 rated octane at the pump, ought to turn the trick nicely.

Be careful with octane ratings. N. America and the EU do not use the same ratings. N. America uses the (R+M)/2 method (average of Research Octane rating and Motor Octane rating) and the EU uses the RON (Research Octane number). Fuel with an EU rating of 95 RON octane is equivalent to 91 (R+M)/2 octane over here.

Our top spec gasoline is 95 to EU standards and the TSI is available here. We don't have any vehicle taxes related to displacement so I don't know what their motive is in bringing it here other than to make money! The Golf GT TSI is US$34k, while the Golf GTI is US$36.6k - both DSG. Cars are not cheap here. A Polo 1.4 TDI manual is US$19.2k - a relative bargain.

I'm guessing the issue in N. America is emissions, specifically, NOx. In order to get outstanding numbers, it has to be a lean-burn engine. No doubt when that is tuned down for NOx, the economy advantage is lost and does not justify the added cost and complexity of a double-blown engine (turbo and supercharger). It's probably cheaper to produce the 2.0T FSI engine, and get 200 hp, and 30 mpg than do the TSI for just a couple of MPG more, if at all, with a loss of 30 hp. We still like our ooomph in N. America. In any case it seems VW is investing in TDI as the fuel consumption king in their lineup, so you have the 2.0T for power, the TDI for fuel economy, and the 2.5 for low purchase cost.

I'm sure it has nothing to do with octane. Our 91 octane, as I pointed out, is the same as EU 95 octane, it's the measurement method that is different.