I'm not concerned about getting cold air to the engine, since with the turbo the air will be heated anyway, but with air flow & filtration. On my Harley, just opening up the very restricted airbox & mufflers there was a significant increase in power. Once I went farther, (also increased it from 88CI to 95CI and more) with full true dual exhaust with low restriction mufflers, a complete new intake with a smooth bore and very little restriction from the air cleaner, cams, etc., the power increase was very noticeable. All the increases in engine volume, cams, etc. would have be pointless without a very low restricted intake and exhaust.
The CAI intake systems come equipped with a high-flow filter design of some kind. This alone can increase the power potential of your car’s engine quite a bit, sometimes up to 5 percent. The stock air filter is often one of the biggest obstructions of the intake path; it drastically limits airflow and reduces fresh air infiltration. Cold air and short ram intake designs replace the stock air filtration system with a high flow cone filter, which usually has an increased surface area over stock designs. Also, high flow filters generally use an oiled cotton or similar filter element to replace the stock design’s paper filter.
The way cold air and short ram intake systems function is by removing restriction from the intake path. The more air your car can draw in and mix with fuel, the more power it is able to make. This allows the engine to maintain a high-velocity and low-turbulence flow of air. I'm not looking for huge bump in power and won't be tearing into the engine, just want a less restricted air intake path.