Torque is not a car word to begin with. It is a general term in mechanics for anything that twists, and Georgia State University's HyperPhysics reference defines it as "an influence which tends to change the rotational motion of an object", worked out as the force applied multiplied by the lever arm it acts through. An engine is simply a machine built to produce a lot of it at a spinning shaft.
Because it is force rather than a rate, torque maps closely onto what a driver actually feels. It is the shove in the seat when the throttle opens, and an engine that makes its peak torque low in the rev range feels strong without needing to be revved hard. That is a different sensation from a car that only comes alive near the top, which is a difference in where the torque sits rather than how much of it there is.
The figure is quoted alongside horsepower and the two are constantly confused, so the comparison has a page of its own. How much torque an engine can make in the first place has a lot to do with how much air it can get in, which is where turbocharging comes in.
Written by Craig Fearn, Petrol & Ink. Last updated .