Car companies have to find ways to maximize profits and minimize sales prices of their new cars in order to please their shareholders, but oftentimes that comes at the expense of appealing to the minority group of driving enthusiasts. Despite the fact that we live in a time when the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder is basically the obligatory engine in many new cars, there are still plenty of cars that are saddled with naturally aspirated engines. Plus, there are plenty of older naturally aspirated cars that we now know can go from zero to hero with the simple addition of a cheeky turbocharger, so for today’s question we want you to tell us what car you think is just begging for a turbocharger.
Turbocharging a motor is a simple way to make more power without taking up a bunch more space or requiring as much additional expenditure as other power adding strategies, and it’s become a much more common tactic in recent years. Aftermarket turbo kits are readily available to average Joes, and prices continue to fall, but what car is just begging to have a big whistling snail bolted on?
The first-generation Honda Fit is begging for a turbo
I think the Honda Fit has been quietly begging for a turbocharger since the first generation Fit hit Honda dealerships in the United States back in 2007. The Fit is one of the best packaged cars ever made, offering a massively flexible interior, a fun and tossable chassis, reliability, and fuel efficiency all at an affordable price. The one thing that each of the Fit’s three generations lacked was power. I think adding a bit of boost to the darling little Fit would send its fun quotient through the roof.
The first-gen Fit had just over 100 horsepower and achieved the 0-to-60-mph sprint in the high 8-second range for the manual and the low 10-second range for automatic-equipped cars, neither of which is particularly slow for its subcompact class. But add a turbo to the mix and you’ve got a real ripper on your hands. I’m envisioning it as a Honda-made Ford Fiesta ST competitor, or Honda’s answer to the Mini Cooper S; still not necessarily a drag strip demon, but a bit more oomph to complement the playful demeanor that the Fit already has. Enough of my fantasies, what car do you feel is just begging for a turbocharger? Let us know in the comments.
