Top 10 least powerful cars on sale in the U.S.

My favorite line from the article...

"You know you’re in low-powered company when the all-electric Nissan Leaf is the most powerful car on your list."

 

My take: I am used to "power". I have always had fast cars, got one in the garage now. I was worried that I could not deal with this car due to lack of power. I was completely surprised when I took my test drive. I shoved it down, with salesman in passenger seat, and really was "happy". The thing will get up and go to about 30 mph. That was my concern. I owned two Datsun pickups that would not get out of their own way. This car is not like that. I am an old hotrodder that is very happy with this car and its performance.
We were doing 67 mph. Came up on a Chevy Impala doing about 63 mph. I laughed as we passed him. Told my wife, "look at the ScanGauge. Our instant mpg is 50. He is trying to get 30" .
Oh yes, life is good and I don't care what they say, this is just the car we were looking for.
Dan

 

What does it say about me when all the cars that were on my shopping/wish (electric cost too much ) list be for buying the C except for the Fait 500.

 

The Fiat 500 and Mazda2 are both great fun to drive. If anything, this list points out how you don't need "horsepower wars" level power to put a grin on your mug.

 

One thing to notice, those cars with an electric motor will have lots more torque than the purely gas engine cars, so their low speed 'quickness' may surprise you. Horsepower is more about top speed, torque is more about 0 to whatever.

 

It's all perspective. The list really should be titled, "10 most efficient cars", in which case my iMiev comes out on top.

My other car, the Prius, is a gas guzzler. LOL

Owning both, I can attest to the fact that an electric motor having high torque gives the iMiev a lot of get up and go for a car that is only given credit for 66 HP.

 

Wish I stayed in school so I could have a job that pays enough to have it both ways lol . . . its not funny

 

I've also had fast cars, and to be honest they are fun, but they are trouble. People always want to race, the cops watch you, and it's just hard to drive a fast car slow. I guess I'm to the point now where I don't want to rush to work and then home. I want to chill and take my time, that being said the C is more than capable.

 

^Yessss. My previous car wasn't even one you would call fast ('01 Ford Focus), but I am definitely a much calmer driver with this car. Looking back, I can only say, "What was I thinking? Why was I in a rush all the time? Why did it matter so much to me to go 40 instead of 35?" All I did was add stress to my commute for no reason. Now I actually enjoy driving a lot more.

 

I have a skewed perspective as I grew up driving cars with under 70 HP, so most of that list looks powerful to me.

The Mazda GLC had 59 HP, perhaps 67 Ft-Lbs of torque. 0-60 in 14 seconds.

 

Even the V8 family cars of the late 1950s through 1970s were dogs by modern standards. Not talking about drag strip prepared cars here.

This is fairly typical V8 sedan performance of the era Road test Chevrolet 1957
Acceleration is about Prius level with about 3 to 4 times the fuel consumption on the highway. Top speed wasn't any higher either, except by the typical wildly optimistic speedometers of the era.

 

Even from the perspective of the 88 HP car I drove from '84 to '97, that list still looks quite powerful.

The Prius is significantly heavier. Yet well loaded last week, it had no trouble climbing an extended 7% grade at 65 mph with less than 70 HP average on the ScanGauge. (Due to my unsteady foot, it peaked a little higher at 75 HP.)

 

See member title.


Acceleration-wise, the C is on par with my '91 Civic hatch that made somthing like 75hp, but weighed a hell of a lot less.

 

Yawn
No wonder I don't have a C&D subscription

 

Not to defend C&D, but this 'journalism' is by Motor Trend.

 

Sharp eye you got there Jimbo
Alas, I don't have a MT subscription either.

 

I like Dennis Simanaitis, so I read Road & Track

How Tires are Made - Anatomy of a Tire – Tire Components – RoadandTrack.com
Capacitors vs Flywheels – TMG vs Audi in Best Racing Technology – RoadandTrack.com
etc.

 

You can look at this list as a benchmark for lightweight transportation that still exceeds NHTSA's very aggressive 2011+ crash standards.

 

That is an interesting perspective, but IIRC cars only have to crash into walls or cars of the same class. In that sense bigger, heavier cars do not have an advantage or disadvantage in the testing.