Engines. Internal combustion engines. Fire-breathing machines that burn hydrocarbon-based fuels to produce an explosion of power. The power, that drives your car. You know, most Indians judge a car by it’s looks, features, value and other stuff, and I don’t blame them. But for me, the engine is the most important factor that decides whether I would want to buy a car or not. If the engine does not feel good, then no matter if it has the most features, it’s the cheapest to run, or has good handling, I will not buy it. It is an open secret, that if you ask car enthusiasts, “Why would you want a fire-breathing dinosaur car?”, they will tell you that because it’s fun. The engine, how it feels, how involving it is, how is the powerband, does it feel sprightly or dull, determines most of whether a car-guy would enjoy the car or not. And that, in carguy speak, is what makes car special. The engine! As the fire-breathing engine burns a quart of fuel, it causes an explosion, and as soon as you mash the throttle, the engine howls to it’s redline, leaving you a grin so wide, it might reach your ears. And the engines I am mentioning here are not just because they have a lot of character and potential, it is because they are also quite capable of doing what you want to do, and most of them give really good fuel economy. So for the non-carguy, you want an engine that lasts forever and gives good fuel-economy, can take a beating, and not ask for a big maintenance bill. Most of these engines, if not all, might fit your bill. It is sad, that as emission norms are becoming tighter, we are losing some real gems of engines, that are so capable, that they might make some modern engines cry in shame. Not only the engines in this list are practical, and reliable, but have their own amazing character, and a lot of potential for tuning. I mean, a lot. You can go completely wild with these engines, and they can take that abuse. So, without further ado, let us begin the list of few discontinued engines, that are sorely missed, that are so damn good, that even non car-guys want them back.
1. 1.3 Multijet-If there is a diesel engine that completely turned the Indian market upside down, was a consistent market leader, won the hearts of Indians, and deserved to be called the “National Diesel Engine of India”(not kidding, many people call it that, and it has earned that title), it is this cute little beast, the 1.3 Multijet from Fiat. Fiat, it turns out, was quite benevolent, and gifted us this engine. This engine has been used in so many cars, I will take a day to count how many cars still have this engine. Almost, if not every company negotiated with Fiat to get their hands on this engine. Be it General Motors, Tata, Maruti, everyone wanted in on the fun. When it came out, diesels were appreciated because diesel prices were much lower than petrol and there were no strict emission norms. That is what made people want it badly. This is the engine that made Maruti Suzuki’s profits in the diesel segment, and made Maruti Suzuki a leader almost, in diesels. What makes this engine special, you ask? It is a bloody all-rounder, and it’s versatility still baffles me. A humble, simple little engine can play so many roles. It is economical, so can give you 20+ km/l with ease, which attracted most Indians towards it. It was easy to work on, so even your backyard mechanic can wrench on it, and he probably has seen many, so he knows it like it’s in the back of his head. It was reliable and cheap to maintain. You can still see 1.3 Multijets with 1 lakh+ kms still running strong. It is a diesel, it has torque, so it can take loads with ease. It did not bog down on steep inclines, even when fully loaded with passengers and luggage. It has a lot of turbo lag, and a weird character, which makes it interesting and a bit exciting, dare I say, to drive. But, what if you are a performance freak? You will be surprised at how many people are ready to help you in tuning your tiny diesel engine to get more performance out of it. Even tuners know this engine now. Yes, it is quite capable that way. What? You want fuel-economy at high speeds from your tune? You can do that as well. Because of BS6 emission norms, this engine was phased out of every car. That is indeed a sad demise for a really good engine, that won the hearts of Indians and served them diligently for more than a decade, and continues to do so, with a smile.
2. 1.1-litre petrol from Santro-Man! If we are talking about underrated engines, we have to talk about the 1.1-litre that we used to get in the Santro. I am talking about the old Santro. This engine was peppy, charming, sounded good, and had it’s own character. And some people have modified it. However, in its time, it was also quite fuel-efficient. Don’t trust me? I have owned two of them.
3. 1.6-litre G16-The old Baleno and SX4 has this amazing petrol engine. This petrol engine is not only peppy and fun-to-drive in petrol guise, it can give really good economy with a CNG strapped to it, it has it’s own raw character which is addictive, and it sounds like heaven. It is very capable to modifications. You can even slap a turbo on it! You will not believe how many people have plonked this engine in Zens and Gypsys!
4. 1.6-litre engine from Fiat-This engine used to come in the Palio. This naturally aspirated engine has it’s own raw character, which truly separates it from the norm.
5. 1.6-litre Duratec from Ford-You used to get this in the Ikon, Fiesta, and Fusion. This engine also has raw character, and is very capable for modifications. People have slapped turbos on it.
6. 1.6-litre CRDi-You got this in the Hyundai Verna and Creta, but alas, because of emission norms against diesel engines, this engine was discontinued. This engine was a gem. Not only did it have class-leading performance, torque, and refinement, but also had good fuel economy. And this engine is very tunable. You can extract proper performance from it, if you go to the right tuner. This engine has oodles of torque and character, and was something truly special.
7. 1.4-litre CRDi-This is the smaller brother to the 1.6 CRDi, and every bit as capable. You got this in the older i20s and Cretas.
8. 1.5/1,6, 2.0 TDI and V6 TDI-These three engines were really charming. They had performance, reliability, and fuel economy. But the biggest highlight of it was performance. They had oodles of torque and were a lot of fun to drive. They had a lot of character and excitement, and revved out really well for a diesel. And, like every Volkswagen or Skoda or Audi, they have a lot of tuning potential. Unfortunately, due to dieselgate, Volkswagen doesn’t make the crazy diesel engines it used to make. The V6 in particular sounded really good with an exhaust.
9. 1.5 K9K-This 1.5 diesel engine from Renault was underrated. It is torquey, fuel-efficient, reliable, and has some tuning potential.
10.1.3 G13B-This amazing, peppy, rev-happy and characterful petrol engine was available in the Esteem and Swift. It was a dream to drive, reliable, fuel-efficient, and has a lot of tuning potential. It is still tuned to insane levels, and people more than often slap a turbo on it, or slam it in a Zen. It was replaced by the comparatively docile K12 because it did not meet emission norms.
11. 1.4 diesel from Toyota-I am talking about the one from the Toyota Corolla Altis. If you look at the spec sheet and compare this with the TDIs, you will be underwhelmed and judge it to be less powerful. But, in the Corolla, this engine came with a Variable Geometry Turbo. This means that turbo lag is quite reduced, and you get optimum performance even at low revs, almost at all times I mean. This engine is not only fuel-efficient and unbreakably reliable (because, Toyota, duh), it has really good punch and can really stretch it’s legs on the highway. The spec sheet lies, in this case, and might not justify how good it actually performs on the road. And obviously, you can always put a tune on it, if you want more.
12. Honda’s 2.4l inline-4 and V6-The Gen2 Accord in India got 2 really good engines. The 2.4l inline-4 engine, the K24, which is world-famous for being a capable engine both stock and for tuning it. It is reliable, has good performance, sounds good and decently economical. The V6 on the other hand might not be economical fuel-wise, but is a different experience altogether. It’s a shame that many people did not buy the V6. A must-have for people who want a luxurious experience.
13. Fiat 1.4 T-Jet-Fiat’s 1.4-litre turbo-petrol that you used to get in the 595, the Punto Abarth, and the Fiat Linea, was an absolute beast. But Fiat left, so we don’t have that anymore. This turbocharged petrol engine got really good performance stock, but it can be tuned to insane levels. You can get upwards of 250 horsepower from it if you want. This is an enthusiast’s dream. It was one of the first turbo-petrol engines to hit the Indian shores.
14. 1.8 TSI-The legendary, LEGENDARY, 1.8-litre turbocharged petrol engine that you used to get with the Skoda Octavia, was a gem that needed no introduction. It has so much tuning potential, that you will probably start beating supercars before reaching the limit of this engine. This engine is powerful stock, but you want to tune it. Because it is bulletproof reliable, and can take upwards of 500 bhp (or more). And that is not the only reason. There are a ton of aftermarket parts and tunes available specifically for this engine, not only in India, but also across the globe, because you used to get this same engine in the older versions of the legendary Volkswagen Golf and the Polo GTI. And from reputed companies, so that is reliable horsepower that you are getting.
15. 2.6 CRDe-This stonking oil-burning diesel-sipping torque-monster giant of an engine used to come with the very first Mahindra Scorpio. This had so much punch and so much character, and you can still feel the performance by today’s standards. This was indeed a charming, characterful and memorable engine.
16. 2.2 Varicor 400-This amazing engine was available in the venerable Safari Storme Varicor 400 and the Hexa. This was quite the character and was quite fun-to-drive. The turbo lag adds a lot of suspense.
17. 2.0 turbo-diesel-This was the one available in the Cruze. Peppy, torquey, mighty capable, can stretch its legs on the highway and be economical. What else do you want?
Okay. Here, goes! Do tell me if I have missed something out. Honorable mentions include the 1.5 i-DTEC and 1.6 DDis
