Opinions on Tiny Turbo Charged Engines?

[Rand]

I’m comfortable with turbocharged small displacement engine reliability however the gas mileage ratings aren’t realistic. The 1.5T in my current Fusion averages in the high 20’s while the 2.5 NA in my previous averaged in the low 30’s. So in an effort to save fuel we’re actually using more.

Losing MPG in a newer car... thats nothing new. I
remember an oldsmobile 88 with the 3.8 pulled a small boat good(torque) great trip car loaded down with 5 people and all the luggage pulling the fishing boat tarped loaded to the gills.. .. and still good mpg.
changed to a 3.0 vulcan taurus.. which never pulled a trailer. lost 5mpg traveling empty over the olds fully loaded.

 

[MCompact]

I ran my Mazdaspeed 3 to 158k miles and, while it needed a few repairs under warranty the powertrain was dead nuts reliable after the warranty expired.

 

[meep]

The meaty low end torque available with small turbos sold me. I get to have a smaller, more efficient engine, and don’t have to deal with peaky behavior? I bought the ecoboost f150 because of turbo Volvo experience. My sons 1.5t civic with the 6 spd manual is the same way, very driveable.

im not familiar with the vehicle the OP is questioning - but it’s a fiat-ysler product? IMO there are so many design teams influencing those products, history for each model may be the best predictor. i look back at the FWD ”cherokee.” As a CUV, it was solid and nicely appointed. Probably the best driving one in its class. It took years to get the transmission to be less than a mess. we test drove a few and they should have been ashamed for releasing that thing…. And then to add embarrassment, they didn’t seem to care to address it - owners were stuck with repeat failures. THAT worries me. Turbos do not.

 

[gregk24]

No worries if designed AND maintained properly. You can't skip maintenance on a modern turbo vehicle and expect the same outcome as if you skip maintenance on a 1999 Toyota Camry.

Earlier than recommended oil changes with proper spec oil / filters and allowing the engine to warm up properly before romping on the throttle should allow a reasonable service life on a modern small turbocharge engine IF DESIGNED WELL. I can't say I personally would be hopping in line for a compact / sub compact Jeep product, especially one that is turbocharged as this has not been mainstream for them. Some manufacturers have been producing small turbo engines for decades now, VW comes to mind of course. I'd be more trusting of them, and others than Jeep at this point.

 

[gregk24]

I’m comfortable with turbocharged small displacement engine reliability however the gas mileage ratings aren’t realistic. The 1.5T in my current Fusion averages in the high 20’s while the 2.5 NA in my previous averaged in the low 30’s. So in an effort to save fuel we’re actually using more.

That is not all manufactures. VW's 1.5 (and older 1.4) design EASILY achieves 30+ MPG city, and stupid high MPG on the highway. It appears Ford just didn't do a good job designing the 1.5, 1.6 and even 2.0 engines. Reliability and MPG are poor.

 

[joekingcorvette]

I had an 80 Pontiac Trans Am Indy 500 pace car. It had a 4.9 Turbo charged motor. I was not impressed at all. I know the newer cars are improved but I like the bigger cubic inch non-turbos better. I would buy a reliable mass produced brand that has a good track record. Otherwise hard pass.

 

[doitmyself]

Thanks everyone. I'm not necessarily looking at buying a Renegade, but was using it as an example.

 

[MotorFan]

No worries if designed AND maintained properly. You can't skip maintenance on a modern turbo vehicle and expect the same outcome as if you skip maintenance on a 1999 Toyota Camry.

Earlier than recommended oil changes with proper spec oil / filters and allowing the engine to warm up properly before romping on the throttle should allow a reasonable service life on a modern small turbocharge engine IF DESIGNED WELL. I can't say I personally would be hopping in line for a compact / sub compact Jeep product, especially one that is turbocharged as this has not been mainstream for them. Some manufacturers have been producing small turbo engines for decades now, VW comes to mind of course. I'd be more trusting of them, and others than Jeep at this point.

The folks who are so financially challenged that they are buying low end vehicles with these micro-mini motors are exactly the same folks who can't afford regular maintenance.

 

[Andrew1972]

My only long experience with a turbo engine albeit 2.5 flat four was our 2005 Legacy wagon did 14yrs/240k miles and then wife tired of all the oil leaks coming out of Turbo oil lines in last year(smoked). We attempted a few times to
fox and spent $600 in labor but no dice.

It became an ice racing car.

 

[Spyderman24_7]

Have had a Nismo Juke (Nissan) since new going on 9 yrs soon and it's been fantastic. Tiny 1.6L, but gives out 200 Yapanee horsapowa and is an enjoyable ride. Never have experienced any turbo lag like I used to with a few cars back in the day and the turbo is water/oil cooled as well as being surrounded by some sort of insulative cover. I always let the engine/CVT warm up a few minutes on cold start regardless of ambient temp and before shutting down I let the engine idle a few mins. Of course some will think it's not necessary with modern setups, oils , etc., but the car still functions like day 1 so why not? I have the oil/filter changed (synthetic) around the 4-4500K mark every time just to keep things on track. Average MPG is upper 20s and I'm fine with that as I'll take more horsapowa over total efficiency any day. Combine that with a nice AWD system/suspension in a car that barely weighs 3,000 lbs and it's always a fun drive.

 

[PontiacHO]

If it’s new technology for Jeep then there may need to be a wait and see approach. Who would have thought a 2.7 V6 would be used in a full size crew cab pickup? Ford did their homework first before releasing the Ecoboost.

 

[skyactiv]

I had an 80 Pontiac Trans Am Indy 500 pace car. It had a 4.9 Turbo charged motor. I was not impressed at all. I know the newer cars are improved but I like the bigger cubic inch non-turbos better. I would buy a reliable mass produced brand that has a good track record. Otherwise hard pass.

Stupid, worthless attempt even in 1980 for a turbo vehicle. That thing is like a model T compared to todays turbo power plants. Blowing boost through a carb = facepalm.

 

[Zee09]

I had an 80 Pontiac Trans Am Indy 500 pace car. It had a 4.9 Turbo charged motor. I was not impressed at all. I know the newer cars are improved but I like the bigger cubic inch non-turbos better. I would buy a reliable mass produced brand that has a good track record. Otherwise hard pass.

I had the same exact car..
The 301 was well @skyactiv. Summed it up.lol

 

[Zee09]

We need to bring back the Olds Jetfire from 62 with rocket fuel...

 

[Astro14]

I’ve owned seven turbo cars.

With reasonable care, including proper oil changed at proper intervals, the engines and turbos last a long time.

My wife’s current Volvo XC has well over 280,000 miles on the original engine, turbo, and transmission.

If properly designed, a small displacement turbo is a good, long lasting, engine.

 

[Pablo]

I think there are many positives about the Honda 1.5L T.

The power to scoot a fully loaded not tiny AT SUV/car is quite impressive and still get 35Mpg. Reliability a bit of a early guess, but decent so far. Some applications maybe there is a mention of head gasket issues (unknown). Stick with 92octane+, 0W-30 and fuel dilution suddenly is not a factor.

 

[zzyzzx]

I ran my Mazdaspeed 3 to 158k miles and, while it needed a few repairs under warranty the powertrain was dead nuts reliable after the warranty expired.

158K miles isn't an accomplishment.

 

[KCJeep]

I was always intrigued by VWs 1.4 but now that I own I'll admit I've become a fan boy. Peppy to drive if you want it to be and just stupid mpg, I get around 41 overall and just logged 45 on a trip.

It's been around quite a while and has a good track record, I'd be cautious of anything new tiny turbos can be done well or very poorly.

 

[Popsy]

So yes, reliable small turbo engines have been around for a long time in Europe.

+1, my Colt Ralliart (4G15T aka 1,5L + turbo in a low tune 150hp variant) has been trouble free since new, now approaching 200000Km.
As for fuel economy it's giving around 32 mpg average, which isn't great for such a small car, but not terrible either considering the "venerable" engine and how it's driven.

 

[Gimpy1]

My Kia 2.0T gets 33 mpg on the hwy cruising at 75 to 80 with the a/c on. Just do regular maintenence. I cannot understand why this forum is living in 1950 thinking turbos will fail at 30K mile. Yea in the 80's they were failure prone but that was 40 years ago. Some of you guys really need to stop living in the past.