I can't tell if you proved my point or not. You aren't suggesting Kia is opting for the "freakin expensive" option; are you?

 

They sort of are. Isn't that why they (as well as some other manufacturers) charge a premium for the turbo motor? Because of the additional design/manufacturing expense.

 

I did put a "?" after "reliability" in my first response. My assumption was made off of the fact that the two companies who have the best track record of reliable engines, Honda and Toyota, rarely if ever use forced induction. I would be willing to bet that none of the gasoline Benzes with the medallions on their grill use forced induction. Just observations on my end. I am open to any proof that forced induction gasoline engines can be relied upon past 200k miles.

 

After owning my Turbo 2.0L 4-cyl for about 5 months now, I just thought I'd give my feedback. I absolutely love my car overall and don't regret the choice.

However with that said, I'd definitely take a V6 over a Turbo4 any day. I see very little MPG advantage. In my TL with a 3.2L V6, I was regularly seeing about 29mpg on my longer road trips. On these same trips in my Kia with the 2.0L Turbo4, I'm seeing about 31mpg on those same trips. (I regularly travel to the same few cities that are 2-4 hours drive for work.) And my gas mileage around town with the Kia is pretty much the same as the TL or maybe even slightly worse. Both are in the low 20s around town. (I'm going by what I calculate based on fill ups and miles travelled, not by the MID/carputer.)

On the performance side, the 3.2L V6 and the 2.0T are pretty comparable. My Kia does feel quicker and it really moves when the turbo kicks in, but there's a lack of low-end torque and even though the turbo-lag is small, there is some lag and the V6 just felt better.

The one big positive to the Turbo-4 is that the Kia feels very balanced, handles really well and does not feel nose-heavy at all.

Just relaying some of my thoughts on the engines after ownership of both.

 

So... you should have bought 3.0L I6 Turbo. Best of both world!

 

I'm lost. The bigger V6s get more power and better fuel economy. They are not NOTICEABLY heavier. What's the problem?

 

The problem is that many car manufacturers are dropping the V6 option so you don't always get the option. For example Kia Optima, Ford Fusion and Mazda 6. The Optima and the 6 both used to have V6 options. The Fusion used to have 2 different V6 options. Now none of them are offered with a V6.

As for the noticeably heavier. I test drove V6-TSX and Kia Optima back to back on multiple occasions and the TSX felt much more nose-heavy. The Optima handled better and felt a lot more balanced. I wouldn't call it a deal breaker, but the weight upfront was noticeable. Maybe the problem is more so that the TSX was designed for a 4-cyl and isn't balanced for the heavy V6. ???

 

China is the worlds biggest auto market now... they tax heavily on engines over 1.5 liters... so small turbos it is now.