Cliche.

This weekend is the Cincinnati Auto Expo, one of my favorite events at Cincinnati. A large amount of makes and models are now on display at the Cincinnati Convention Center for people to sit in and scrutinize. Yeah yeah, you don't get to drive them, but in Cincinnati it is one of the only opportunities people have to see so many different cars all at once. The first time I went was in 1998, when the biggest news in the automotive industry was the Volkswagen Beetle.

Today, that car is virtually unchanged. A couple new lights, engines, and other refinements, but still almost the same car.

However, that day I saw something much more exciting. The Ford GT90 concept car. A quad-turbo V-12 hypercar that was supposed to pay homage to the GT40. I still think it is one of the most interesting looking cars Ford ever put on display in Cincinnati. Four turbochargers however, sounds like a little much.

My problem is this:

Forced induction vs. naturally aspirated engines.

To demonstrate the magic of both, here are some Ferraris:

Turbo

Naturally aspirated

Of course, those being Ferraris, the sound they make is exquisite. Hard to choose right?

The first turbocharged car I had a ride in was a 1986 Merkur XR4ti with 188,000 miles and no muffler. It was massively exciting when the turbo started to whistle, especially with the lack of an exhaust system. The first turbo car I drove was a 1.8T Jetta with an automatic transmission, and even then once the turbo came into play it was an absolute hoot.

Both those cars had a bit of lag, which is one of the biggest problems with turbocharging. Therefore, you had to rev it to feel the real power. That meant if you were feeling the turbo, you were most likely speeding. Newer, more expensive cars have been able to fight lag with technologies like variable fin turbochargers, having a big and a small turbo, etc. However, those are on more expensive cars like BMWs and Porsches, so the common man looking for a cheap turbo car will probably still have lag to deal with.

Here is Jeremy Clarkson with a great illustration of lag

The biggest argument against turbocharging is the cliche:

"There is no replacement for displacement"

As shown here

True, you cannot ignore the boom of the American V-8, but you cannot replace all the fuel that burns up... all the time.

Its a tough one. It really is.

But the best replacement for both is an engine where you can... here comes the cliche... use all the power.

For example, the Honda Civic SI. I got to ride in two of these. They made me a believer in the often ridiculed VTEC system. At around 6,000 rpm, the engine goes from yelling to SCREAMING. It is hilarious. All of the sudden the car pulls even harder, all the way up to when the driver will inevitably hit the redline.

However, if you don't want a ticket, you can only do it in first gear.

And that, well, that kind of spoils it, even though there aren't any huge problems with the rest of the car. It's responsive, and handles well for a front wheel drive car. Still, you can't use the best part of it all the time.

However, if you get a v-8 with a manual gearbox you can use the power from the very bottom.

The fuel economy is still rubbish.

Regrettably, this leads me to a point I'm going to make way too many times.

You don't need all the power in the world to have fun. Take the Miata for example!

Mine specifically only has 125 horses. However, its lightweight, nimble, and makes the best of every last one.

That is why I wish Renault were here. The kings of the naturally-aspirated hot hatchback.

Power you can use, that is what wins. Lucky Europeans.