Why do new cars struggle to keep up with uk motorway traffic?
nobody asked:
I have never driven a new car, only an old Rover 620i and a Ford XR3 and they never struggled to keep up with motorway traffic in SA and Japan, where people drive much faster (160 kph +). So why do they say in road tests that so many new 1.6 to 2.0 L cars struggle to keep up with motorway traffic, which is only 70mph?
This is in Top Gear magazines.
http://www.felinehealthguide.com/blog/
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I have never driven a new car, only an old Rover 620i and a Ford XR3 and they never struggled to keep up with motorway traffic in SA and Japan, where people drive much faster (160 kph +). So why do they say in road tests that so many new 1.6 to 2.0 L cars struggle to keep up with motorway traffic, which is only 70mph?
This is in Top Gear magazines.
http://www.felinehealthguide.com/blog/
September 2nd, 2009 at 2:12 am
a 1.6 or 2.0 litre car will not struggle at all to keep up on the motorway.
Sorry but your info is flawed.
September 3rd, 2009 at 10:18 am
Its not the car its the driver, Most new cars are capable or doing over 80 mph.Even small engines like 1000cc
September 5th, 2009 at 6:25 am
Most new cars are better than most old cars in every way, except maybe style. The performance derived from modern, small, 4 cylinder cars, exceeds some V8 performance from the ’40s, through at least the ’70s.
September 5th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
I’m guessing that the driver does not know how to use the gears properly.
Most modern petrol engined cars have 16 valve engines, which typically need revving more to get at the maximum torque, which is usually at about 4000 - 5000 rpm.
Another factor might be that many new cars are fairly heavy, because of extra safety and luxury equipment that is required these days.
September 7th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Which new cars in particular are you talking about? Even the weediest, most basic 1.0litre supermini can do over 90mph, and will have no bother maintaining 70mph on a motorway.
Much as I love Top Gear, I do sometimes think their road testers spend far much time in Zondas and AMG Mercs to be able to judge what a normal family saloon should feel like.
September 10th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Almost anything built in the last 40 years can cope with legal motorway speeds.
Journalists get spoiled by a diet of top of the range models and the occasional supercar.
So they tend to be patronising and slightly contemptuous when they are faced with the boring stuff real people drive - even though most 2 litre saloons are quite fast enough to get you a prison term!