There Are More Turbocharged Engines On The Road Now Than Ever

After six years of increases, more than 25 percent of new vehicles in the U.S. got turbos in the 2017 model year. Actually, according to MotorTrend, 27.6 percent of new cars and light trucks left the factory with turbocharged engine, which is a decent jump from the turbocharger’s 24 percent share in 2016. Back in 2011 that figure was only 10.7 percent, and before then, turbos carried between 4.5 percent and 6.6 percent of the market.

Supercharged engines, however, have remained relatively niche, never getting more than a 0.5 percent share of the U.S. market. And surprisingly, despite the ongoing diesel scandal that took many U.S.-market turbodiesels out of the equation, the turbocharger has continued to grow in popularity. The growth of turbochargers has mostly been the result of engine downsizing and automakers’ attempts to improve fuel economy across the board. Some reports say the age of engine downsizing has come to an end but for now, it looks like turbochargers are here to stay.

This week on PowerNation RockAuto.com co-founder Tom Taylor is back to talk about this year’s epic Xtreme Off Road adventure: Bourbon & Boulders. Tom and a group of aftermarket company enthusiasts will once again mount up and follow Ian this time through Kentucky as they hit some cool trails and check out a few Bluegrass State distilleries. This time Ian is taking a 1968 Jeepster Commando and transforming it into a vintage every day rock crawler that you’ll see in upcoming Xtreme episodes. And then the big payoff happens in November. And when it’s all said and done you can enter for chance to win the Jeepster by signing up starting August 23rd