When it comes to modern KIA and Hyundai engines, a lot of them come marked as GDI. Although currently, the company is working with new Smartstream engines, the GDI family is still pretty popular. But what GDI actually means and does it mean that these engines have a turbocharger?
In short, GDI means Gasoline Direct Injection and GDI engines don’t have a turbocharger. But there is a series of engines called T-GDI where T stands for Turbo. The engines from both these families are pretty good in terms of performance and fuel consumption but they clearly have several important problems to consider.
GDI non-turbo engines – are they good?
Although GDI engines don’t have a turbocharger, they allow you to use all the benefits of the direct injection system. Direct injection means that the injectors atomize fuel not in the intake manifold but directly in the combustion chamber.
This allows KIA cars with GDI engines to enjoy several important benefits:
- the fuel consumption drops as you get the most out of the injected fuel with no losses;
- the power of these engines goes up in comparison with port-injection engines with the same displacement;
- you get pretty good torque that’s available at low RPM.
You may wonder why on Earth other car manufacturers still use those old port-injection engines. They may all use direct injection and make car owners happy! But things are not that easy.
Here are some of the common flaws of the GDI engines:
- direct injection engines in KIA require regular valve cleaning because of bad carbon buildup;
- intake valves are contaminated because fuel doesn’t come through them and doesn’t clean them;
- also, the injectors are attacked by heat and don’t live as long as port injectors;
- the overall maintenance cost of a direct injection engine is much higher than with the port injection powerplant.
Does it still feel like a good idea to buy a car with a direct injection engine (GDI)? Well, I should tell you that the new GDI engine is a great purchase that will save you a lot of money.
Usually, KIA GDI engines start malfunctioning at about 50,000 miles and they need expensive valve cleaning approximately at this mileage. But if you invest in them and provide these engines with proper TLC, they will live long and save you money, anyway.
To wrap up
In my opinion, GDI engines in KIA cars are quite good. Although they are not turbocharged, they are pretty powerful, reliable, and good to drive. Yes, they still require quite a lot of attention from you in terms of maintenance and repair.
If you want a turbocharged version of the GDI engine, you should look for T-GDI.