Car of the Day

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The 1.8t

July 15th, 2008 · 1 Comment

The VW/Audi 1.8t engine is one of the great economical powerplants currently in action right now.   It is simply a small turbo-charged 4 cylinder engine that produces decent power while delivering decent fuel economy at the same time. 

The 1.8t is probably most famous for its application in the VW GTI, but numerous cars have benefited from the 1.8t engine.  These cars include the VW Golf, Jetta, Passat, GLI, Beetle, and the Audi TT and A4.  Depending on which car and what year the vehicle was the engine output varied, 180hp is where the 1.8t topped out the in the GTI. 

The thing that makes the 1.8t so popular today is its tunability.  With a simple chip or tune you can add 35hp and 70lb-ft of torque to the engine for $500.  That is a significant percentage of hp gain for the dollar. There are plenty other engine upgrade options for the 1.8t that can realistically end up with a 300hp engine. It is a well built engine that is well suited to supporting the extra power.

The VW GTI and its relatives can be picked up on the used car market for a nice price.  You can get a 2005 GTI with 25k-45k miles for around $14,000.  It is a fun car stock with a lot of potential.

 So if you find yourself hankering for power and nervous about the prospect of $5.00 a gallon gasoline you don’t have to give up power and fun.  A little 1.8t powered car may be just the ticket.

Tags: Cars

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