Utah Car Cents: Got Turbo? Best Turbo Cars for the Money 2014

Best Turbocharged Cars for The Money

Car companies are pushing harder than ever to satisfy customers with performance options and fuel efficiency. As a solution, more and more automotive manufacturers are migrating to turbochargers. Turbos are a great way to get more horsepower out of smaller engines and keep high mpg standards.

How do Turbochargers Work?

Think of a motor or an engine as a giant air pump, the faster the air goes in and the faster the air goes out, the faster and more efficient the motor can run. Turbochargers work by recycling air from the vehicles exhaust system and redirecting it back into the motor via the intake, putting the air in faster than the engine traditionally sucks it in. This is called forced induction, and as a result more horsepower and torque is gained without adding extra cylinders, which saves gas.

Who’s Hopping on the Bandwagon?

Over 14 automobile manufacturers have turbocharged vehicles in their 2014-15 line up. Some of them are known for their turbocharged sports sedans & coupes, such as Subaru, Mitsubishi and Volkswagen, Buick and Kia. Automobile manufacturers are beginning to perfect the efficiency of turbos and we, the consumers are beginning to benefit. However, don’t walk away with the wrong message, we never said turbos were better and more fuel efficient than hybrids, were just saying it’s nice to be able to step on the gas pedal and feel performance without worrying about the gas gauge dropping to empty. Below is a table of our favorite new turbo models, we have averaged them out and chosen the best turbo for the money.

Model	Horsepower	Torque	MPG	MSRP	Disp.
Hyundai Veloster R-Spec	201	195	24/28	21,300	1.6
Nissan Juke SV	188	177	25/31	20,990	1.6
Kia Optima SX Turbo	274	269	31/20	27,500	2.0
Subaru WRX	268	258	21/28	28,495	2.0
Ford Focus ST	252	270	23/32	26,125	2.0
Volkswagen GTI D.E.	200	207	21/31	29,695	2.0
Buick Verano	250	260	21/32	29,240	2.0
Chevy Sonic RS	138	148	27/34	21,350	1.4
Dodge Dart	160	184	28/41	19,995	1.4
Ford Fusion	240	270	22/33	30,600	2.0
Chevy Cruze	138	148	26/38	23,805	1.4
Hyundai Genesis	274	275	19/22	29,350	2.0
Hyundai Sonata	274	269	21/32	24,300	2.0
Mazda Speed 3	263	280	18/25	24,995	2.3
Average	222.9	229.3	23.7/30.9	25552.9	1.8

* Blue highlights represent best pick closest/best pick to averages

To pick just one car would be impossible. Each sedan and hatch has its ups and downs; the Subaru WRX is AWD with sport tuned suspension. The Hyundai Genesis has a Brembo package and the Ford Focus ST comes with Recaro seats. Each model offers different packages and tunes for different customers. If we absolutely had to choose the best turbo for the money, it would be the Hyundai Sonata. The Sonata comes with the best horsepower, torque and gas mileage for the best price.

WOOOOOSH!