I owned this car since Day 1. The engine has been quite rough since Day 1. Now it is 6-year-old and the engine is even rougher and it seems I can’t get enough horsepower from it. Is this typical of all Lianas? Should I put a turbo-charger?
Small 4-cylinder engines–especially those in inexpensive cars–tend to run roughly, and this one is definitely small, as well as lacking in power. Truthfully, I would be surprised if this car’s engine did run smoothly or if it did have lots of power. It is what it is, namely a small economy car, made to sell at a low price.
As to adding a turbo-charger, I would not recommend it. Engines that come equipped from the factory with a turbo-charger are also equipped with heavier-duty connecting rods, crankshaft, main bearings, etc. Also, you would likely need a different cylinder head in order to reduce the compression ratio. Adding a turbo to an engine with the original compression ratio is a sure formula for disaster. I believe that adding a turbo-charger to this engine will lead to an early demise for it.
If you want a car with a goodly amount of power, I would suggest buying a new car that has a better power-to-weight ratio than this one. The Suzuki Liana (known in the US as the Aerio) is considered to be an economy car, not a performance car.
Edited to add:
Is the car up to date with its maintenance?
To a certain extent, you can improve the power output and the rough idle simply by making sure that the engine is not overdue for spark plugs and air filter. For that matter, make sure that the car is not overdue for fuel filter replacement also.
Remember that car maintenance schedules have an elapsed time factor, as well as an odometer mileage factor, so even if the car has low mileage on the odometer, it may be due or overdue for maintenance.
Of vital importance is the timing belt (called the “cam belt” in some other countries)–if the engine has one. On the basis of elapsed time, you will be coming up for this maintenance procedure fairly soon.
Check your maintenance schedule for all of the items that I mentioned.
Absolutely. Turbo up, baby!!!
Changing the spark plugs, wires, and various filters will be several quid cheaper than just adding a turbo to it.
And to add to what VDC said about the engine parts, you’ll likely have to worry about the transmission as well. Depending on the boost and whatnot, you may need a beefier transmission to handle the extra power
Thanks for the great tips on maintenance which was done regularly at the main distributor’s service center! Also on the advice against turbo-ing.
Cheers from Singapore!