When you drive one of our TSI cars you don't have to choose between performance and economy. TSI engines offer an enjoyable and involving drive, while cutting fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. So they have a smaller impact on the environment, are kinder to your pocket - and, best of all, they're great fun to drive.
What is TSI?
TSI is our pioneering technology for petrol engines. TSI engines are compact, high-powered and use less fuel. TSI technology blends the best of our TDI diesel and FSI (Direct Injection) engines.
How do you benefit?
You enjoy excellent driveability and outstanding fuel economy. Acceleration is instant, whichever gear you're in. So overtaking is safer and you can power smoothly up hills with no delay. TSI technology is available on all of our models, from Fabia to Superb.
The TSI story
As responsible car makers we wanted to make our petrol engines even cleaner and more efficient, while still being fun to drive. Our aim was to create engines that used less fuel and produced lower CO2 emissions without sacrificing power.
The solution our engineers came up with was both elegant and ingenious: an engine that combines petrol direct injection with twincharging – a turbocharger and a supercharger working together. The TSI engine was born.
The Volkswagen Group was the first car manufacturer in the world to offer an engine with this feature. The effect is to combine the benefits of both petrol and diesel power units: smooth and quiet on the road, TSI delivers high torque - pulling power - throughout the acceleration range with no turbo lag.
The successful TSI formula combines a number of different elements:
Smaller engines. At the heart of TSI is a smaller engine. It's more efficient, as there is less power loss resulting from friction. It's also lighter, so the engine has less weight to shift in the car.
Direct petrol injection with charging. Direct petrol injection is combined with a turbocharger or with a turbocharger and a supercharger working in tandem. This enhances the engine's combustion efficiency so the TSI engine power output is much higher than that of conventional, naturally aspirated engines.
Torque when you want it. On the TSI 1.4 132 kW the engine-driven supercharger operates at lower revs, with the turbocharger - powered by the exhaust gases - joining in as engine speed rises. The supercharger is powered via a belt drive directly from the crankshaft. This provides maximum pulling power on demand, even at very low engine speeds. TSI engines are designed to deliver maximum torque from engine speeds as low as 1500 or 1750 rpm. And that has the twin benefit of not only increasing your driving pleasure but also cutting fuel consumption.
Awards for TSI
"Driving fun and fuel efficiency can be unified in one package”
Our pioneering technology has impressed motoring experts from across the world. Our 1.4-litre TSI Twincharger engine has won the 1-litre to 1.4-litre category of the prestigious International Engine of the Year Awards for 5 years running and was voted the International Engine of the Year and Best Green Engine in 2009.
The jury for this award is made up of 65 motoring journalists from 32 countries. At the 2009 Awards, the jury said: "The Volkswagen Group not only attained an overall victory, but also won the 'Best Green Engine' award. This shows that driving fun and fuel efficiency can certainly be unified in one package.”
Dr Rüdiger Szengel, Head of Volkswagen Petrol Engine Development, commented on TSI: "Their combination of reduced displacement, direct injection and intelligent engine boosting enables top dynamic performance while keeping emissions and fuel consumption low. Winning awards in three key categories is really a compliment to our development team. TSI engines are genuine trendsetters.”
