Top 10 Turbocharged Cars that Weren’t Very Powerful

With the progress of turbocharging technology, we’re now treated to very powerful cars and trucks, but that are still fuel efficient. In other words, thanks to the miracle of turbocharging, automakers can downsize their engines and still offer the best of both worlds.

However, turbocharging isn’t new. In the good old days, manufacturers would add a turbo in order to increase output first and foremost, but in many cases, the gain in horsepower wasn’t all that great. At least, compared to today’s modern powertrains. Here are some examples of turbocharged vehicles that weren’t all that powerful.

Dodge/Plymouth Colt GTS Turbo
In 1984, Chrysler introduced a sportier variant of its Colt city car, sold with either a Dodge or a Plymouth badge—although both were virtually identical cousins of the Mitsubishi Mirage. The Colt GTS Turbo received a turbocharged, 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine, good for a spectacular 102 horsepower, while the naturally aspirated version boasted 80 hp. A 27.5% power increase.

Hyundai Scoupe Turbo
Thanks to the magic of turbocharging, the Korean automaker managed to increase output of its 1.5-litre engine from 81 horsepower to… 115. A modest cavalry, but that nevertheless represented a 42% bump in power.

Subaru GL-10
The lineup of cars that Subaru introduced to our market in the early 80s, which included a little three-door hatchback, a sedan, a wagon and an oddball pickup called the Brat, was equipped with a 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine that developed about 73 horsepower. However, adding a turbocharger rose output to 95 hp, a 30% increase.

Chevrolet Sprint Turbo/Pontiac Firefly Turbo
General Motors’ city cars of the 80s, which were actually conceived by Suzuki, were equipped with a 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine that developed about 55 horsepower. However, we were treated to a turbocharged version of the same engine, which produced a hair-raising 70 hp. A 27% increase in output.

Ford Fairmont
At Ford, turbocharging was mostly noticed through the introduction of the Mustang SVO, a limited-edition car that wasn’t propelled by a good old V8, but a turbo 2.3-litre four-cylinder mill. Powerful in the Mustang, the first versions of that engine were rather wheezy. In the 1980 Ford Fairmont, the turbo engine option raised output from about 88 horsepower to 120. A 36% hike.

Nissan 200SX
The 200SX of the 80s was available with a turbocharged, 1.8-litre four that produced 135 horsepower. Compared to the naturally aspirated of the same engine, which developed 113 hp, we’re talking about an increase of 19%. The turbo mill of the 200SX was eventually replaced with Nissan’s 3.0-litre V6, much more powerful and refined, that also made its way into the Maxima and many other of the brand’s models.

Volvo 240
Introduced on our market in 1974, Volvo’s 200 series—known better as the 240—was eventually available with a 2.1-litre four-cylinder engine that produced about 98 horsepower, but a turbocharged version rose to ante to 127 hp. That’s a 30% increase. Soon thereafter, the Volvo 240 and 740 models benefitted from a displacement bump to 2.3 litres and higher outputs.

Dodge Caravan/Plymouth Voyager
In 1989, while Chrysler’s minivans were all the rage, the automaker introduced a turbocharged version of its 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine, which developed 150 horsepower. It was a substantial 50% increase over the naturally aspirated version, but since the latter only offered 100 hp, the turbo engine wasn’t a revelation. In addition, at the same time, the Dodge Caravan and its Plymouth Voyager cousin were also available with a 142-hp V6, which was much more refined.

Saab 900
This Swedish automaker was one of the first to sell cars with turbocharged engines. At the end of the 70s, the Saab 900 was available with a 1.85-litre four, producing 118 horsepower, while the 900 Turbo produced 145, a 23% increase. However, in subsequent years, Saab launched a new generation of engines for their vehicle lineup, which were much more powerful.

Audi 5000
The German brand offers stupendously powerful cars and SUVs today, but back in 1980, turbocharging didn’t quite translate into blistering performance. The Audi 5000 was equipped with a 2.1-litre five-cylinder engine developed 100 horsepower, while the 5000 Turbo couldn’t do better than 130 hp. Still, that’s a 30% increase.