FAT cars - why ?!
Discussion
Cars are getting seriously fatter !
I test drove a newish car last week and its weight turns out to be over 2 tons, yet its nothing out the ordinary. It certainly felt a tad lardy, and the longer term marginal cost of ownership is going to be higher than ever (bigger fatter tyres, more fuel, bigger engine therefore more road tax etc).
You'd think with the technical evolution as happens in all other industries, that cars would become lighter yet stronger and safer needing less engine power/size, and overall be better for it and good for the environment etc etc. Hardly a day goes by without a new car being announced with a apparently lightweight 200kg shell made of aluminium etc.
Yet average cars have nearly doubled in weight 20 yrs.
… is it fashionable peer pressure to be seen in the biggest car with the plushest electric seats, 27 airbags and aircon ? … is it because of design requirements catering for a burger munching population ? … is it to carry the bigger egos ? !
Surely it cant just be down to the mass of safety requirements, even though we're generally being fined off the roads unless we drive slower and safer ...
Evidence shown below with pics purloined from the waste lands of PH threads :-
Cock Womble said:
Thirty three months and you haven't learned which forum to post car stuff in?
Where should it go ? Theres hundred of car forums on PH, and this is a general point ! Put it in general gassing and it will drop off the radar in seconds due to everything else being chucked in there.
Happy to have it moved but dont think I can do this without a mod doing it
Edited by Stealth-wagon on Sunday 28th March 14:51
Stealth-wagon said:
Cock Womble said:
Thirty three months and you haven't learned which forum to post car stuff in?
Where should it go ? Theres hundred of car forums on PH, and this is a general point ! Put it in general gassing and it will drop off the radar in seconds due to everything else being chucked in there.
Happy to have it moved but dont think I can do this with a mod doing it
Edited by Stealth-wagon on Sunday 28th March 14:45
The Lounge is for general non car chat
Shock-horror, people like to peacock with bigger and shinier cars that as a result weigh more.
As a small comparison I was relieve of my trusty Saxo steed some months back, by temporary acquisition of a new shaped Civic. The Civic was a lot fancier and had the sorts of gadgets that my humble Saxo could only dream of; of course it weighed a lot more because of this. I enjoyed driving the Civic a lot more for 90% of the time, the 10% coming from a single spirited drive when I found it did under steer quite a lot when pushed and it did have more body roll than the Saxo. The Civic was slower in many ways than the Saxo but it had comfortable seats, felt more relaxing and there was just a sense that it wasn't held together with PVA and tissue paper which made it more enjoyable to drive. I got better fuel mileage out of the Civic despite the extra weight and using the air con all the time.
For a track car, or for the odd spirited drive I agree, light weight and simplicity cannot be beaten but for every day driving when you'd rather just get there feeling happy and refreshed, I'm almost sorry to say I'd prefer a fatter more comfortable car,
As a small comparison I was relieve of my trusty Saxo steed some months back, by temporary acquisition of a new shaped Civic. The Civic was a lot fancier and had the sorts of gadgets that my humble Saxo could only dream of; of course it weighed a lot more because of this. I enjoyed driving the Civic a lot more for 90% of the time, the 10% coming from a single spirited drive when I found it did under steer quite a lot when pushed and it did have more body roll than the Saxo. The Civic was slower in many ways than the Saxo but it had comfortable seats, felt more relaxing and there was just a sense that it wasn't held together with PVA and tissue paper which made it more enjoyable to drive. I got better fuel mileage out of the Civic despite the extra weight and using the air con all the time.
For a track car, or for the odd spirited drive I agree, light weight and simplicity cannot be beaten but for every day driving when you'd rather just get there feeling happy and refreshed, I'm almost sorry to say I'd prefer a fatter more comfortable car,
Ferg said:
Hey that's OK, old age comes to all of us.
If I want to 'get there feeling happy and refreshed' I step into 750ks of car.
I should add in fairness that I do ride a 600cc bike which serves the purpose of making me feel happy and refreshed in it's own way - I just found the comfort of the Civic so refreshing, even if it wasn't as good to drive in some ways. For every day driving I'd much prefer the Civic just for the relief from the back ache that the Saxo gives me.If I want to 'get there feeling happy and refreshed' I step into 750ks of car.
Maybe I'm just getting old prematurely?
Yes it's madness in some ways, not least the waste in fuel of hauling around all that weight.
My main gribe is that roads in the UK tend to be narrow, cramped, busy. You don't notice this though unless you have lived overseas like in the US or Australia though where roads tend to be wide and straight, hence the popularity of big V8 barges in those countries. Massive SUV's are just idiocy in the UK though. You can't get two BMW X6's side by side on some roads round my area.
My main gribe is that roads in the UK tend to be narrow, cramped, busy. You don't notice this though unless you have lived overseas like in the US or Australia though where roads tend to be wide and straight, hence the popularity of big V8 barges in those countries. Massive SUV's are just idiocy in the UK though. You can't get two BMW X6's side by side on some roads round my area.
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