Petrol car with torquey engine

Having always had diesel cars I worry about losing performance by way of reduced torque with an equivalent sized petrol engine. I have a BMW 420d xDrive. I want a petrol engined car that has good performance and is less than £110 per year to tax, it needs plenty of low down grunt. I'm I asking too much or shall I stick with diesels bearing in mind the car will do around 11,000 miles per year.

Asked on 24 July 2015 by Vm

Answered by Honest John
The only way to get diesel torque in a petrol engine is by turbocharging. Some work better than others. The 4.0 litre AMG GTS I was driving yesterday has 700Nm: 300Nm more than your BMW. So does the AMG C63 S. Near diesel economy from a petrol engine is more difficult to achieve. Some of the new 1.2 and 1.4 petrol turbos offer 230-240Nm torque and 50mpg.
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