Is 0-60 speed the main indicator of how sluggish a car is?

OP

Original post by t-swiper

I would suggest you look at the torque, which is what is used to measure how fast a car picks up speed. Personally I think a car with about 120 is fine. I would recommend you get the 1.4

Posted from TSR Mobile

I can only get this because of insurance really in fact my family have already ordered it for themselves and said that i could have it off them if I pay them monthly. Ive set my mind of having it but just looked and its torque is 80 , is this really slow or does it depend on other factors? I thought all modern cars were fast enough off the mark to keep up with traffic but I dont know...

Reply 4

officelinebacker

Original post by Daniel_R

No it doesn't, bhp is what you use. Torque is a measurement of cars pulling power

Sent from my GT-I9300

But a car with higher torque will tend to pull better at lower revs, and so would make it slightly quicker off the line than a car with the same power but lower torque.

Reply 5

Daniel_R

Original post by officelinebacker

But a car with higher torque will tend to pull better at lower revs, and so would make it slightly quicker off the line than a car with the same power but lower torque.

Higher torque usually means more bhp though unless were talking about diesels

Sent from my GT-I9300

Reply 6

The 0-60 time can be misleading, but in this case, taking 17 seconds to get a 60 is a sign of a car that is desperately underpowered for anything beyond city driving. Outside of town you'll be ragging it to get anywhere and using a lot of fuel in the process - motorways won't be fun at all.

Reply 7

OP

Original post by FXX

The 0-60 time can be misleading, but in this case, taking 17 seconds to get a 60 is a sign of a car that is desperately underpowered for anything beyond city driving. Outside of town you'll be ragging it to get anywhere and using a lot of fuel in the process - motorways won't be fun at all.

Im using a 10 year old Nissan micra which takes ages and has 16.9 0-60 as its spec so does this mean a brand new car is a similar speed to this?

My family have already got annoyed at me for criticising its front grill plate thing I dont know what they'l say when i change my mind now because its too slow.

Reply 8

Original post by civilstudent

Im using a 10 year old Nissan micra which takes ages and has 16.9 0-60 as its spec so does this mean a brand new car is a similar speed to this?

My family have already got annoyed at me for criticising its front grill plate thing I dont know what they'l say when i change my mind now because its too slow.

Two identical acceleration times means they have identical acceleration :wink:

Don't be blinded by the idea of owning a brand new car. Yes it will be more comfortable than your current car and possibly have some more toys (though with that power I imagine it's a poverty spec motor so may not) but you will be paying a lot of money every month and tied into paying for the duration of ownership. If you stick with what you have for now, then when you've saved a bit of money and built up some no claims, you'll be able to get a decent car with a safe amount of poke and nice toys to play with.

Reply 9

OP

Original post by FXX

Two identical acceleration times means they have identical acceleration :wink:

Don't be blinded by the idea of owning a brand new car. Yes it will be more comfortable than your current car and possibly have some more toys (though with that power I imagine it's a poverty spec motor so may not) but you will be paying a lot of money every month and tied into paying for the duration of ownership. If you stick with what you have for now, then when you've saved a bit of money and built up some no claims, you'll be able to get a decent car with a safe amount of poke and nice toys to play with.

Not if the torque, bhp and other factors also come into its performace :wink:

Anyway It would cost me a lot more if I decide on another car because my family are willing to help me out with monthly payments and insurance with this one but if I decide not to have it im on my own. So theres these factors I have to think of too. Then again if I get my job ive applied for they probably wont help me and they said if I earn over 20 grand a year they are kicking me out, dunno what to do. I cant decide I guess until I know where I stand with jobs guess its probably best telling them Im not having it. They have arranged to sell my current car to my aunt!
:frown:

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 10

SillyEddy

18

Original post by civilstudent

Not if the torque, bhp and other factors also come into its performace :wink:

Anyway It would cost me a lot more if I decide on another car because my family are willing to help me out with monthly payments and insurance with this one but if I decide not to have it im on my own. So theres these factors I have to think of too. Then again if I get my job ive applied for they probably wont help me and they said if I earn over 20 grand a year they are kicking me out, dunno what to do.
:frown:

The 0-60 time is the result of the torque and bhp! That's the numbers put into action. A car with a slightly higher power might not be faster if it's heavier, so the 0-60 rating is actually putting the specs into action.

The torque and other factors probably won't come into play and the 0-60 time is probably the best way of judging sluggishness or performance at a glance. In many car tests they'll be absolutely ragging the engine to get from 0-60 for the best looking specs when selling the vehicle. The other stuff won't matter hugely unless you're looking to haul something or show off to your friends.

Reply 11

Original post by civilstudent

Not if the torque, bhp and other factors also come into its performace :wink:

Not really. If the maximum Ford can get out of it is 17 seconds, it's going to be slow and unwilling to pull in any gear. It's only when you get to sub 10 seconds that the 0-60 times can be misleading (e.g. gearing to 60 in second gear to avoid the second gear change, and not compensating for the torque a diesel can offer at low engine speed).

Reply 12

OP

Original post by FXX

Not really. If the maximum Ford can get out of it is 17 seconds, it's going to be slow and unwilling to pull in any gear. It's only when you get to sub 10 seconds that the 0-60 times can be misleading (e.g. gearing to 60 in second gear to avoid the second gear change, and not compensating for the torque a diesel can offer at low engine speed).

Dont forget age of the car will probably come into it too.

Only thing I can do is not knock it until I try it, see for myself then decide whether to have it or not. Il be astonished if its as slow as my ten year old banger but we will see, will be interesting :smile:

Reply 13

Original post by civilstudent

Dont forget age of the car will probably come into it too.

Only thing I can do is not knock it until I try it, see for myself then decide whether to have it or not. Il be astonished if its as slow as my ten year old banger but we will see, will be interesting :smile:

Why have you asked a question and then tried to argue the responses? :confused:

Yes, if you're being picky, a car will lose power over time - but when you're talking 60hp, a few horses here or there won't make a difference, and I'd take the power hit over the depreciation.

You seem to have already decided what you want though. Just seems mad that you're willing to pay extra for not a lot more metal.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 14

OP

Original post by FXX

Why have you asked a question and then tried to argue the responses? :confused:

Yes, if you're being picky, a car will lose power over time - but when you're talking 60hp, a few horses here or there won't make a difference.

You seem to have already decided what you want though. Just seems mad that you're willing to pay extra for not a lot more metal.

Don't mean to argue just trying to weigh it all up Im taking into account what people are saying.

The thing is my family have offered to help me with this, they bought the car (without telling me) and then said I could have it if I wanted and they would help pay towards the costs. So I got excited at the thought of a brand new car since I have an underpowered 10 year old micra. After reading about it I thought fair enough I'l go for it. They had ordered a blue one and i convinced them to change it to a white one. Ive been reading more into it though and ive never really understood performance on cars so am just beginning to find out. My old car is a 1 litre and this new one is a 1.2 so I thought that this would be an improvement.

So if I tell them I dont want it now they will not only be annoyed because I got them to change it to a white one (which is a colour they are not keen on) but I also wont get any help with the costs :tongue:

So this is my weird predicament, I should be grateful that they will help pay towards this! But then I dont want an underpowered car! Hm

Reply 15

Anthony.BF

12

16.9 seconds to 60MPH is shocking. Like FXX said, anything other than city driving it will be very sluggish, and even dangerously slow in regards to overtaking!

Reply 16

Solid.Snake

12

Just an indicator of the car's acceleration really.
A car can have very poor acceleration but a huge top speed. Although in everyday life on the public roads acceleration is far more crucial than top speed as long as the car can do at least 80mph at the top end, which nearly all cars can do these days.

So yeah a car's 0-60mph figure is a good indicator of performance but it's not the only indicator...

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 17

OP

Original post by Anthony.BF

16.9 seconds to 60MPH is shocking. Like FXX said, anything other than city driving it will be very sluggish, and even dangerously slow in regards to overtaking!

What would you do in my situation then? Im not sure what to do, its review sounds reasonable obviously as long as you are not looking for a fast car.

http://www.carbuyer.co.uk/reviews/ford/fiesta/studio

Might keep it for a few years to get my insurance down (thats if it doesnt crash from trying to overtake lol) and then go for a better model.

Reply 18

Anthony.BF

12

Original post by civilstudent

What would you do in my situation then? Im not sure what to do, its review sounds reasonable obviously as long as you are not looking for a fast car.

http://www.carbuyer.co.uk/reviews/ford/fiesta/studio

Might keep it for a few years to get my insurance down (thats if it doesnt crash from trying to overtake lol) and then go for a better model.

What would I do? Not waste the best part of £10,000 on what I'd consider a rubbish car. It's very large and heavy, coupled with it's under-powered engine it just means the performance isn't where it should be. I'm not a fan of the appearance either, it looks too bulky and futuristic for a cheap car.

Why have the burden of all these monthly payments? If you HAVE the money and it's not a problem then go ahead. Why not just stick out your current car for a while, spend £4000-5000 on a nice used car, and save the rest. Those fiestas will depreciate quite quick too.

Up to you though :smile:

Reply 19

OP