Why are all new cars so slow?

[Deandbn]

I was looking at the new 2021 Opel Corsa, and it looks really nice. But its so slow. All the new cars seem to be between 49-59kw even if they 1.4l Polo Vivo is 55kw. Why so slow? It's like you have to spend double the price to get something 'fast'. If I look at older cars from 2010-2016 they seem to be faster. So what if you like this Opel Corsa 2021 but you had an older Corsa that had 85kw... you get a slower car? It's only really the figo that seems to have some power.

Also regarding the Hyundai Grand i10.

Why does the dash look like that? I know these are well liked cars so there must be a reason? It looks super big for no clear reason.
Why is there so much empty space between the screen and the gauges.

Why not try the Mazda 2 with 82kw and all the bells and whistles for a very good price including 6 speed auto.. They're really good cars.. Try one they're awesome.

 

[Rickster]

74KW from a 1.0 Fiesta, not a slouch at all.

 

[Mike Hoxbig]

Generally, they sell well here, that's why manufacturers are not bothered.

To be fair, they buy them because that's what they can afford, such is the stupidity of car prices these days.

The 86 that I bought for R320k in 2013 now goes for R700k. Exact same car, no fundamental changes. I can afford still afford it, but not as easily as back then, and there's no way I'm paying that kind of money for that kind of car.

This speaks to a more fundamental problem of salaries not keeping up with cost of living increase...

 

[TheChamp]

To be fair, they buy them because that's what they can afford, such is the stupidity of car prices these days.

The 86 that I bought for R320k in 2013 now goes for R700k. Exact same car, no fundamental changes. I can afford still afford it, but not as easily as back then, and there's no way I'm paying that kind of money for that kind of car.

This speaks to a more fundamental problem of salaries not keeping up with cost of living increase...

That would be a reasonable explanation if they were cheap, I don't hold it against anyone who can only afford a Datsun Go buying one, but at the R300 000 mark surely people should be demanding a little bit more?

Take the Hyundai i20, the entry level 1.2l with 61kW, 115Nm, only 2 airbags, no VSC, no brake assist and pretty much nothing else making the car interesting in any way, how do people feel it's okay to pay close to R300 000 for this?

To me it feels like South African consumers don't really care and manufacturers have realised this, I just feel like if we had a little self respect manufacturers would not be taking us so much for granted.

 

[AdrianH]

I have a Vauxhall (Opel) Grandland X. It's a 1.2 litre 3-cylinder turbo charged petrol pushing 130bhp (97KW). Also 8 speed auto gearbox, it's quite nippy but it's not a entry level car.

 

[Mike Hoxbig]

That would be a reasonable explanation if they were cheap, I don't hold it against anyone who can only afford a Datsun Go buying one, but at the R300 000 mark surely people should be demanding a little bit more?

Take the Hyundai i20, the entry level 1.2l with 61kW, 115Nm, only 2 airbags, no VSC, no brake assist and pretty much nothing else making the car interesting in any way, how do people feel it's okay to pay close to R300 000 for this?

To me it feels like South African consumers don't really care and manufacturers have realised this, I just feel like if we had a little self respect manufacturers would not be taking us so much for granted.

Well that's the kind of car you get for 300k these days. Pretty much anything in the entry level Polo segment. Anything less and you're looking at sacrificing refinement, safety or a number of other things. Even a Kwid is pushing 200k.

People buying in this price range are probably already downgrading because they can't afford the replacement model of the car they already have.

Which speaks to the problem I mentioned - 300k now doesn't get you the same amount of car as it did even 5 years ago, while personal circumstances have only marginally improved...

 

[Geoff.D]

For point 1) you're comparing (almost) entry level "poverty" spec cars. Widen your scope & compare vs years gone by. Then come post back. You will see cars on the whole have actually got faster! Across various segments.

For point 2) 3rd world countries getting shafted. The Euroland models have a pretty nice wider infotainment screen. We're get ours from India & that generally means knocked down a bit on standard kit/spec & a decent amount on safety forgone.

You would not believe that if you look at driver behaviour in "new cars".

 

[Speedster]

I was looking at the new 2021 Opel Corsa, and it looks really nice. But its so slow. All the new cars seem to be between 49-59kw even if they 1.4l Polo Vivo is 55kw. Why so slow? It's like you have to spend double the price to get something 'fast'. If I look at older cars from 2010-2016 they seem to be faster. So what if you like this Opel Corsa 2021 but you had an older Corsa that had 85kw... you get a slower car? It's only really the figo that seems to have some power.

Also regarding the Hyundai Grand i10.

Why does the dash look like that? I know these are well liked cars so there must be a reason? It looks super big for no clear reason.
Why is there so much empty space between the screen and the gauges.

New Corsa top speed is 174kph, 1.4l Polo is 171kph. How fast do you want to go?

 

[Sensorei]

Inflation. In 2015 you could get a new Polo Vivo for just over R140,000. Now a Polo Vivo starts at almost R220,000. You get way less car for your money now...

 

[TStringList]

I have the previous gen corsa (85kw) and while the new one looks better, I cannot wrap my head around the lower spec engine. It would be a significant downgrade to "upgrade" to the new model. Such strange times. I would like an auto though. The mazda 2, while I'm sure a great car, seems a bit too feminine for my liking.

 

[rietrot]

Just dont buy a new car and you won't have this problem. Go for a 10 year old car you'll save R100k at least and get something better(not even comparable, just plain better). There has been now real tech improvements in the last 10 years (unless you're buying a tesla) the only real difference is probably more fance LED lights, it's completely stupid to pay R100k or more, extra for fancy new lights and a ugly dash.

 

[rietrot]

New Corsa top speed is 174kph, 1.4l Polo is 171kph. How fast do you want to go?

That's in the red on a downhill with a strong wind from the back. Which mean going 120-140, the refs would already be slightly high. 3000-4000.

 

[Hamster]

/snip

If you look at the first 10 posts you'll see how quickly South Africans get pissy/angry with each other. We don't want those aggressive mommy issues on our roads, but since it cannot be stopped we give them low powered cars.

You know, something the average troglodyte can handle.

You're just getting caught in the cross fire.

 

[supersunbird]

Just dont buy a new car and you won't have this problem. Go for a 10 year old car you'll save R100k at least and get something better(not even comparable, just plain better). There has been now real tech improvements in the last 10 years (unless you're buying a tesla) the only real difference is probably more fance LED lights, it's completely stupid to pay R100k or more, extra for fancy new lights and a ugly dash.

I don't know about a 10 year old car (most will have 200 000+km), why not a 5 year old car rather?

 

[Nemus]

For point 1) you're comparing (almost) entry level "poverty" spec cars. Widen your scope & compare vs years gone by. Then come post back. You will see cars on the whole have actually got faster! Across various segments.

Perhaps the OP falls in the same category as a friend of mine who recently said something very similar.. what i eventually deduced was that he meant cars are "slow" (low powered) for their price..
Current "poverty" spec costs you around R200k, and for that you get 50-60kw..
5 or so years ago, R200k would've gotten you around the 66-72kw range, and above 80kw around 10 years ago.

But, if you dont insist on going new, R200k for around a 5year old car will easily get you 140kw + and if you are brave enough for a 10yo+ car, you can go well over 250kw.

 

[rietrot]

I don't know about a 10 year old car (most will have 200 000+km), why not a 5 year old car rather?

That's also fine. Depending on the car and how much money you wish to spend. You should consider depreciation curve. There a initial big drop, another big drop at the end of moter plan/wuarantee another big drop when it becomes to old to finance/high km.

You should even compare what 5 year old car you could get with what 10 year old car.

The 10 year old car would be way better, top of the range for its time, but then you have older car issues. So there's a bit of a tradeoff.

 

[Agent_Smith]

Cars are slower these days due to regulations that specify more safety features as standard that by consequence, increase the weight. Take the original Golf GTI. 77kw but went like stink because it wasn't weighed down with regulations governing safety like modern cars are. You really feel this in your smaller hatchbacks and compacts. I drove a BMW 340i the other day and while it is a big saloon in comparison it has the grunt under the bonnet to compensate.

 

[gelid]

Because V12 naturally aspirated is supposedly bad for the environment.

Somehow it would make my environment better

 

[InternetSwag]

Thanks guys I appreciate the responses.

 

[ubercal]

Perhaps the OP falls in the same category as a friend of mine who recently said something very similar.. what i eventually deduced was that he meant cars are "slow" (low powered) for their price..
Current "poverty" spec costs you around R200k, and for that you get 50-60kw..
5 or so years ago, R200k would've gotten you around the 66-72kw range, and above 80kw around 10 years ago.

But, if you dont insist on going new, R200k for around a 5year old car will easily get you 140kw + and if you are brave enough for a 10yo+ car, you can go well over 250kw.

i have 2 cars older then 10 years and both pushing over 200kw.Both cars cost me under 200k each.Why get a new 60kw shitbox for R250 000 when you can get a "proper" older car with much more power and cheaper ?