An engine torque determination for a powertrain with torque converter

A system 10 and method for controlling a multiple cylinder internal combustion engine 14 include determining a driver-demanded torque, determining a first torque based on the driver-demanded torque and a torque converter model, and determining a second torque based on an engine speed error between a current and target engine speed multiplied by a calibratable gain factor based on the speed ratio of the torque converter. The engine 14 is then controlled to deliver the sum of the first and second engine torques to improve system response to part-throttle acceleration requests, particularly for vehicle launch and drive away.