Where have all the Turbo RWD's gone?!

[Speed Badger]

The recent PH features on Japanese performance cars and particularly the ones on the RX-7 got me thinking. In the 80's & 90's we had all manner of affordable (or at least affordable now) RWD turbocharged cars from a variety of manufacturers, lots were Japanese of course but in general there were quite a few.

I was wondering, in the last 10 years, what reasonably-priced turbocharged RWD cars can you think of? Is the decline all down to cost? Can you foresee, say, Ford making a RWD Focus RS or a new Nissan Generic Coupe with the rear-drivey turbo fun?

[kambites]

Speed Badger said:

I was wondering, in the last 10 years, what reasonably-priced turbocharged RWD cars can you think of? Is the decline all down to cost? Can you foresee, say, Ford making a RWD Focus RS or a new Nissan Generic Coupe with the rear-drivey turbo fun?

I'd say there's more RWD turbos now than there has ever been, because almost everything is available with a turbo these days. I think the list of RWD cars available with a naturally aspirated engine might be shorter than the list available with a turbo?

[jamieduff1981]

kambites said:

Speed Badger said:

I was wondering, in the last 10 years, what reasonably-priced turbocharged RWD cars can you think of? Is the decline all down to cost? Can you foresee, say, Ford making a RWD Focus RS or a new Nissan Generic Coupe with the rear-drivey turbo fun?

I'd say there's more RWD turbos now than there has ever been, because almost everything is available with a turbo these days. I think the list of RWD cars available with a naturally aspirated engine might be shorter than the list available with a turbo?

Sadly this is true. I say sadly because I don't like turbocharged engines. It does nothing for me at all.

[Superhoop]

Aren't all BMW's RWD with a large percentage being turbo charged now??

[kambites]

Superhoop said:

Aren't all BMW's RWD with a large percentage being turbo charged now??

I suspect at least 3/4 of BMWs sold these days are turbocharged?

[anonymous-user]

Don't forget the BRZ/GT86. Oh, no, wait a minute, they forgot to turbo that one eh!

(even though they had the engine already done and waiting for it.......)

[kambites]

Is the GT86/BRZ the only mainstream UK market RWD car which isn't available with a turbo?

ETA: Of course there's no current turbocharged MX5, is there?

Edited by kambites on Friday 1st August 14:48

[StottyEvo]

kambites said:

Superhoop said:

Aren't all BMW's RWD with a large percentage being turbo charged now??

I suspect at least 3/4 of BMWs sold these days are turbocharged?

Indeed. I reckon the OP hasn't realised as they are all twin scroll and extremely smooth. In the old Jap turbo's it was impossible to ignore the huge surge

[TommoAE86]

Is it OP lamenting the loss of turbo lag with all these new [insert pub talk word here - i'm going with 'souless'] smooth engines? Or maybe it's just that alot of them had one massive turbo and that gave you night and day differences as you climbed the rev range?

I'm about to buy my first 80's/90's piece of Japanese origin turbo charged metal and am really really looking forward to the fun of driving it and actually feeling the turbo's kick in.

[james_gt3rs]

kambites said:

Is the GT86/BRZ the only mainstream UK market RWD car which isn't available with a turbo?

ETA: Of course there's no current turbocharged MX5, is there?

Edited by kambites on Friday 1st August 14:48

Nissan 370Z too.

[kambites]

james_gt3rs said:

Nissan 370Z too.

Is that still available? I thought it had been quietly dropped. You certainly don't see many around.

[s m]

TommoAE86]Is it OP lamenting the loss of turbo lag with all these new [insert pub talk word here - i'm going with 'souless' said:

smooth engines? Or maybe it's just that alot of them had one massive turbo and that gave you night and day differences as you climbed the rev range?

I'm about to buy my first 80's/90's piece of Japanese origin turbo charged metal and am really really looking forward to the fun of driving it and actually feeling the turbo's kick in.

Wotcher getting?

[Samjeev]

Don't forget the Vx220 available in NA and Turbo RWD goodness or the NA model can be supercharged with ease if that's your preference

[kambites]

Samjeev said:

Don't forget the Vx220 available in NA and Turbo RWD goodness or the NA model can be supercharged with ease if that's your preference

Not, however, still on sale.

[Samjeev]

kambites said:

Samjeev said:

Don't forget the Vx220 available in NA and Turbo RWD goodness or the NA model can be supercharged with ease if that's your preference

Not, however, still on sale.

True true but just another reason we don't have to go as far back as the 90's for boosty turbo laggy RWD fun

Lotus need to release a turbocharged exige/elise rather than another special edition elise model with 3.5 more BHP and with a limited run of 16.
Granted the superchargers in the exige will have more reliable power output but its simply not as fun a big single turbo

[Speed Badger]

So, despite my obvious foolishness thinking RWD turbo cars have declined, we've come up with a few BMW's and a VX220...

I was really thinking along the lines of the RX-7, 200sx, Skylines, Renault Alpine GTA, SAAB coupes, MR2 turbo. Inventive crazy stuff, usually in coupe form and (as one reply touched on) a nice shove in the back when turbo kickage happens rather than linear 'euro-power.' GT86 would have been a perfect example, but sadly, alas.

[Samjeev]

That's it off the top of my head until the new 4 cyl Turbocharged 2015 mustang comes out at least but still that's only one..

Turbo cars now are mostly euro and boring or FWD and.. boring (In my opinion - my daily is boring, Fwd, petrol and turbo :P )

[Superhoop]

Speed Badger said:

So, despite my obvious foolishness thinking RWD turbo cars have declined, we've come up with a few BMW's and a VX220...

I was really thinking along the lines of the RX-7, 200sx, Skylines, Renault Alpine GTA, SAAB coupes, MR2 turbo. Inventive crazy stuff, usually in coupe form and (as one reply touched on) a nice shove in the back when turbo kickage happens rather than linear 'euro-power.' GT86 would have been a perfect example, but sadly, alas.

We're they ever RWD?? The 99, 900 (all generations), 9000 etc were all FWD

[kambites]

What you're actually saying is that there few rwd cars though. More of them are turbocharged than ever.

[otolith]

Samjeev said:

True true but just another reason we don't have to go as far back as the 90's for boosty turbo laggy RWD fun

Lotus need to release a turbocharged exige/elise rather than another special edition elise model with 3.5 more BHP and with a limited run of 16.
Granted the superchargers in the exige will have more reliable power output but its simply not as fun a big single turbo

Sounds absolutely ghastly. The last thing the Elise needs is a turbocharged engine.