G60
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The G60 was a supercharged straight-4 petrol engine manufactured by Volkswagen in the early 1990s. The engine displaced 1.8 L (1781 cc), had 8 valves (two per cylinder) and produced 160 PS (118 kW/158 hp). Although it was based on an existing engine, it is usually regarded as a separate powerplant from others VW produced. It was named for the intricate "G-Lader" supercharger that it was mated to, hence the "G60" moniker.
The engine debuted in 1989 in the VW Golf Mk.II, and was capable of propelling the car to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 7.8 seconds, with a maximum speed of 216 km/h (134 mph). The G60 was also available in an all-wheel drive Syncro version. In the same year, the engine was introduced in the Passat and the Corrado, which took 8.9 seconds to reach 100 km/h, but had a higher maximum speed, 228 km/h (142 mph). In the United States the engine was used only in the Corrado, and was dropped in 1993 in favor of the newer, more powerful VR6.
A low-production, all-wheel drive variant of the Golf G60 called the Rallye Golf was also powered by the 8-valve G60, but the engine was reduced to 1763 cc for sports homologation purposes. Power remained 160 PS. A 16-valve G60 engine was used in the ultra-rare Golf Limited, of which only 71 were produced, all with four wheel drive. Power was raised to 210 PS (154 kW/207 hp), and the car could now reach 100 km/h in 6,4 seconds, with a maximum speed of 247 km/h (153 mph).
The G60 engines were known for being sensitive to excessive air temperature. The compressor has to be serviced every 80,000 km with an expensive service repair. In conditions of about 22ºC or more, the engine lost about 20 PS in peak efficiency, unless the intercooler was functioning properly, so performance very dependent on weather. Some models like the Corrado or even some variants of the Golf-Golf Rallye fitted a better placed intercooler which usually developed better performance than the standard intercooler location.
A smaller version of the G60, called G40, was used in the Polo Coupé supermini. The nervous little machine had a maximum power of 113 PS (83 kW/111 hp) and could propel the car to 196 km/h (122 mph).
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