Cheap city cars that you wish came with bigger engines?

[Voicy]

My "little" town car was a corsa 1.8 GSi. I gave it to my boet when I moved here, but I loved that little thing. Oddly enough it felt slow and sluggish compared to my first car, the 2 door 1.6 GSi, now THAT was a pocket rocket!

 

[rorz0r]

Pretty much i20 1.4T, i30 2.0T, veloster 2.0T+, Optima 2.5T+, Evoque/disco sport 3.0T, 3/A4 V8s, Ranger with some power and maybe petrol (3.2tdci only 147kw and slow as ****) so maybe 4l v8 turbo, focus 2.5 T5 . Pretty much any decent looking car I can't buy at the moment because SLOW.

 

[Lupus]

The Chev Spark with a 1.4 Turbo would be serious fun to drive...maybe a little scary.

Think it would actually be pretty cool, the little 1.2 isn't that bad in it. Found it to have more power and fuel efficiency then the 1.4 2012 Figo had.

 

[SauRoNZA]

Capacity means nothing.

Power/Torque figures are all we should care about.

 

[Splinter]

Capacity means nothing.

Power/Torque figures are all we should care about.

Well, until recently, the old adage, "no replacement for displacement" did hold true. And there is only so much one can do with a small capacity engine without major technical wizardry. So saying "capacity means nothing" is a bit silly without caveats.

 

[SauRoNZA]

Well, until recently, the old adage, "no replacement for displacement" did hold true. And there is only so much one can do with a small capacity engine without major technical wizardry. So saying "capacity means nothing" is a bit silly without caveats.

What I mean is you can't even compare similar capacity cars on their capacity any more.

A 1.4 is not a 1.4 is not a 1.4 especially when a 1.0 with a turbo outputs more than 1.4 NA.

You need to look at the figures and the underlying technologies.

Even the big capacity cars have the same thing going on now where capacity means nothing.

My entire statement is to point out that "no replacement for displacement" simply isn't true any more with moderns cars and engines.

 

[Splinter]

What I mean is you can't even compare similar capacity cars on their capacity any more.

A 1.4 is not a 1.4 is not a 1.4 especially when a 1.0 with a turbo outputs more than 1.4 NA.

You need to look at the figures and the underlying technologies.

Even the big capacity cars have the same thing going on now where capacity means nothing.

My entire statement is to point out that "no replacement for displacement" simply isn't true any more with moderns cars and engines.

No, what you mean is that small displacement engines, with the latest technology, and turbo's and superchargers bolted on, are very much the equal of slightly larger engines in the 1.6 to 1.8 liter capacity these days.

Slap that same technology onto a larger capacity engine and you will get the resultant gains as well.

 

[genetic]

Imagine a Figo with a 2L turbo in it

It would be like a turbo Uno... fast but terrible in every other way. :erm:

 

[Fulcrum29]

Capacity means nothing.

Power/Torque figures are all we should care about.

Power, weight and weight distribution. Then there are numerous other mechanisms at play, not to mention the tires.

 

[genetic]

After driving the Hyundai Accent as a rental in Durban, I'm glad it didn't go any faster. At 100km/h on the highway it's skittish as hell. Any bigger would have just been worse.

Small cars aren't designed for big engines. It's as simple as that.

 

[adinfinitum]

After driving the Hyundai Accent as a rental in Durban, I'm glad it didn't go any faster. At 100km/h on the highway it's skittish as hell. Any bigger would have just been worse.

Small cars aren't designed for big engines. It's as simple as that.

I didn't like the roadholding of the i10 either. I got the i20 instead which I would consider a mid-sized car. I could only afford the 1.2l version and expected to be driving like an old tannie. Well was I pleasantly surprised. No it is not a little jet. Yes I struggle a bit on inclines. But I still pull away faster than most people and I still overtake others on inclines. Why? Because people do not know how to drive. Big engine don't mean squat if you don't know how to use it. I think there's some sexual innuendo hiding in there but I digress.

Bonus is I used to use about 8.6l per 100kms of fuel on my previous car which was a 1.6 performance engine. With this car I'm down to 6.5l. Nice.

 

[FiestaST]

Datsun Go! With a torquey 2L turbo! Now that car would really Go!

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Datsun Go! With a torquey 2L turbo! Now that car would really Go!

Thats like commiting Suicide with a steering wheel,

 

[PsYTraNc3]

Is the diesel really that bad? I have a 1.4 petrol at the moment, was considering finding a decently priced CRDI. What's your fuel consumption like?

Nah it's not bad at all.
0-100 is nothing to write home about but it performs well on the long road.
The 220nm of torque comes in handy then

My nephew has the 1.4 and last time we went on a road trip, he was really struggling to keep up.
Especially uphill.

Fuel consumption is brilliant. (If you drive it like a 1.4)
I average 5.4 when driving normally. 5.1 when constantly watching the real time fuel consumption gauge.
800-900km off +-47l of diesel.

 

[tuneme]

We wont see a big motor in a small car ever again.. Weird to think that Alfa-romeo and Renault both made crazy hatch backs nearly 13 years ago..

 

[FiestaST]

We wont see a big motor in a small car ever again.. Weird to think that Alfa-romeo and Renault both made crazy hatch backs nearly 13 years ago..

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