Volkswagen and some attempts to get rid of naturally-aspirated engines since 2003: why the Virtus is an example of turbocharging being far from one-size-fits-all?

The introduction of a facelift for the Volkswagen Virtus in Brazil for the 2023 model-year, along with the phaseout of the 1.6 MSI engine in a gasoline-powered trim for regional exports and flexfuel for the local Brazilian market, could fool some people to believe a turbocharged 1.0 or 1.4 TSI to be suitable for every customer. Odd enough, in India where the facelift was avant-premiered worldwide at the local introduction of the Virtus which was more recent compared to Brazil, the Virtus was always fitted with either the 1.0 or 1.5 TSI engines, yet the 1.6 MSI remains available as an export-only option. Countries such as Mexico, which switched from the Brazilian Virtus to its Indian counterpart, are more favorable to naturally-aspirated engines with a larger displacement, even though the turbocharger could be seen as a good addition because it may also provide some compensation to the effects of a quite extremely high altitude in Mexico City for instance. Other aspects which may be also worth to remind are the resort to port-injection in the naturally-aspirated 1.6 MSI engine, simpler than the direct injection fitted to TSI engines and easier to convert to some alternate fuels such as compressed natural gas (CNG) which is quite popular in Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil.

The presence of a turbocharger might not be a maintenance nightmare at all, yet it does have its fair share of complexity due to the high temperatures a turbocharger tends to operate and how it may require a stricter observance of the minimum specifications for motor oil. Sure using a lower-grade oil in a modern naturally-aspirated engine may not be a good recommendation at all, and neither adapting a carburettor instead of the electronic fuel injection like it often happens in Argentina as the do-it-yourself culture is still quite common there and inviting to some makeshift, even though it may lead to other electronic systems to fail considering the greater integration between the engine management system, some accessories, and safety devices such as ABS brakes and traction and stability controls. It's also worth to notice in some countries the Virtus was introduced only with manual transmission and the 1.6 MSI engine, such as South Africa where it's sourced from India and named Polo Sedan instead, and its powertrain contrasts with the all-turbo lineup and the availability of the DSG transmission for the South African Polo hatchback.