Why are all new cars so slow?

[dualmeister]

You not allowed to drive faster that 120 kph in SA so there is that.

 

[TheChamp]

You not allowed to drive faster that 120 kph in SA so there is that.

I think most people are not concerned with that, just getting a move on is hard on these cars, Opel has now gone a step further and is fitting the same engine in a much bigger and heavier Crossland, all at premium prices.

 

[Drifter]

You not allowed to drive faster that 120 kph in SA so there is that.

Oh, ok.

 

[TheChamp]

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.

A couple of years ago Opel had decent 1.4 NA engines and turbo engines with prices very reasonable, Renault had their turbo 0.9l and the 1.2 also at very reasonable prices, South African were not interested in them looking at the sales figures, on top of that the cars were miles ahead in spec compared to similarly priced Hyundai, Kia, Volkswagen or Toyota.

The fact that manufacturers are brave enough to bring in a new car with less feature than the previous model, less power at a much higher price and consumers still buy it in volumes says a lot about car buyers in South Africa.

 

[Lupus]

A couple of years ago Opel had decent 1.4 NA engines and turbo engines with prices very reasonable, Renault had their turbo 0.9l and the 1.2 also at very reasonable prices, South African were not interested in them looking at the sales figures, on top of that the cars were miles ahead in spec compared to similarly priced Hyundai, Kia, Volkswagen or Toyota.

The fact that manufacturers are brave enough to bring in a new car with less feature than the previous model, less power at a much higher price and consumers still buy in in volumes says a lot about car buyers in South Africa.

Those little 900c turbos actually move, one had one almost 3 years now. Strangely enough the same engine in the Sandero doesn't feel the same. Almost but not quite, the biggest issue is South Africans are afraid of French cars.
GM also had some great cars in the country that just didn't sell, often the Spark was overlooked even though for its price it was a decent little car. People opted for the Vivo with less features instead and the ones at the Sparks top end price range were sparse.

 

[TheChamp]

Those little 900c turbos actually move, one had one almost 3 years now. Strangely enough the same engine in the Sandero doesn't feel the same. Almost but not quite, the biggest issue is South Africans are afraid of French cars.
GM also had some great cars in the country that just didn't sell, often the Spark was overlooked even though for its price it was a decent little car. People opted for the Vivo with less features instead and the ones at the Sparks top end price range were sparse.

I think the Sandero's shared NP200 underpinnings and the overall design could be a factor. The design is old and it's slightly heavier than the Clio, the engine has also slightly detuned for the Sandero with slightly less torque than the Clio.

The Clio was a properly designed car with attention to detail while the Sandero is just a car.

 

[WaxLyrical]

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.

First time I hear this complaint.

Why is your dash so big?

 

[FiestaST]

The issue here is your use of ''all". Clearly that is pie in the sky thinking.

 

[Craig_]

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.

Not only that, the new entry level polo and corse both go for just under R300k, and you don't even get all round electric windows. That's just rediculous. At the current rate I'm driving my car for at least the next 10+ years and it's already a 7 yo car. I've now decided to service it every 10k km instead of every 15k km to ensure it will last me that long. At least in my mind. Can't afford these fancy underpowered and under specced new cars.

 

[Craig_]

Those little 900c turbos actually move, one had one almost 3 years now. Strangely enough the same engine in the Sandero doesn't feel the same. Almost but not quite, the biggest issue is South Africans are afraid of French cars.
GM also had some great cars in the country that just didn't sell, often the Spark was overlooked even though for its price it was a decent little car. People opted for the Vivo with less features instead and the ones at the Sparks top end price range were sparse.

The spark was really small. Same with the Up, it is just too small for most people. The up didn't sell as well as the vivo even though it was specced much better. The up even had better safety features than the vivo at the time we bought it, vivo still outsold it.

 

[TStringList]

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 ?

Interested to know what cars these are and are they auto or emanuelle?

 

[ubercal]

Interested to know what cars these are and are they auto or emanuelle?

manual wrx and sti .Comming on nearly 20 years old

 

[TheChamp]

We don't have enough small, regular hatchbacks in the country, odd considering that the best selling cars are hatchbacks. Looking at the recent success of Suzuki I think Mahindra, GWM and Honda can do well to bring in their own cars to get a slice of the pie.

 

[Bruceg]

My little 1.0 litre pushes out 85kw and is anything but slow, speeding tickets prove it

 

[Foxhound5366]

My little 1.0 litre pushes out 85kw and is anything but slow, speeding tickets prove it

Polo Highline? I know, right? It's a little pocket rocket. Still wish I had the Polo GTI though lol.

 

[Lupus]

The spark was really small. Same with the Up, it is just too small for most people. The up didn't sell as well as the vivo even though it was specced much better. The up even had better safety features than the vivo at the time we bought it, vivo still outsold it.

The second gen Spark wasn't that small, could fit adults in quite okay, yeah the boot was small

 

[MK_Ultra]

I bought a 2015 Ford Focus ST 3 for R250k, with 46k kms on the clock. Its possible to find deals. Its just a waiting game if you have the time.

 

[6spdmanual]

Just get a Golf VI GTI. Best all rounder for “new” car money in my books.

 

[ubercal]

Just get a Golf VI GTI. Best all rounder for “new” car money in my books.

true it does everything "just fine".Decent speed , decent interior etc but its certainly not gonna blow you away in any way.Just a very good value for money "A to B" car.

 

[6spdmanual]

true it does everything "just fine".Decent speed , decent interior etc but its certainly not gonna blow you away in any way.Just a very good value for money "A to B" car.

For about ~R220K you can get one with a sunroof, leather seats, heated front seats, xenon headlights, dual climate zone, Bluetooth connectivity. Not to mention 155kW and a 0-100 of 6.9. No new car for R220K does that. Also, strong resale value. It’s not uncommon to see a Golf V GTI from 2006 selling for about R150K.