Turbo engines

[DanS]

I'm toying with the idea of buying a Hyundai Sonata 2011 (available January '10), which has a 2.4 liter direct injection engine (~ 200 hp) stock. Mid-year, Hyundai will be introducing a 2.4 liter turbo (~250 hp).

Thing is, I don't know anything about turbo and am unequipped to decide whether to wait for it. I've never driven one. What is turbo? How does it impact acceleration? Fuel economy? Maintenance? Anybody here have one?

[VetLegion]

I don't have a turbo, which makes me perfectly suited to have an opinion about
them

As they say: atmospheric is a turbo with a never ending lag. Go for it.

However, I see that Sonata is a front-engine, front-wheel drive layout.

If you want to maximize your driving pleasure, forget turbo and opt for
a car with a rear-wheel drive instead.

[Provost Harrison]

Hyandai Sonata? Wow, rock and roll

[Japher]

wok and woll!

[Dinner]

Personally I'd avoid Hyundai as they have extremely poor quality ratings and low resale values. BTW a turbo is just a forced air induction system for a car engine. It is powered by the car's exhaust and it is basically a compressor which forces more air-fuel mixture into the cylinders compared to a normally aspirated engine. The basic trade offs with a turbo is that it uses some what more fuel then an equally sized nonturbo engine but less then a larger normally aspirated engine which produces the same extra 50 horse power. There can also be turbo lag as the tubo runs off of exhaust gases so it can take a few seconds for the turbo fan to start spinning fast enough to build up pressure. Generally smaller turbos are used for low end power but are no good for the high end while large turbos are great for high end but (because they take much longer to start spinning) are no good for the low end thus many sports cars end up using two turbocharges (a large and a small one).