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At least for the last 15 years, less than 150 HP is considered pretty weak for a standard passenger car. I’m not sure what cars you are used to or comparing it to, but yes it is pretty powerless. Especially mated to an automatic transmission. Trust me on this, I owned a 140hp Mercury Cougar as a teenager and the car couldn't get out of it's own way.
It pretty much comes down to basic physics. As velocity increases, the force (hp) needed to move an object increases exponentially. That means accelerating from 60-70 in a short amount of time will much harder for the Hyundai than 30-40.
So you want to compare safety between the two cars? I frequently drive my 400hp Corvette in the rain; I don’t understand what the issue is. As long as you control the throttle and give it the respect it deserves, it won’t be any less safe than the Hyundai. With traction control, it’s advanced active handling system and better crash-worthiness it is easily the safer car.
I'm not saying the Hyundai is a bad car. It's a great appliance for trotting around town from point A to point B, very reliable, gets great fuel economy. However, that's about where it ends.
I hear yeah with traction control on it is pretty safe but take it off and common sense is key
My brother-in-law is captain of a huge container ship built by Hyundai. She is 1250 feet long (as long as the Empire State Building is high) and can carry 8,000 semi-trailer sized containers. Her tonnage is almost TWICE that of the Titanic (140,000 tons)!
He says she's an excellent ship...he has sent me home videos of her slamming through 50 foot waves in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
If Hyundai can build some of largest moving objects on earth....it seems like they could build a decent car. But I don't know...never owned one.
At least for the last 15 years, less than 150 HP is considered pretty weak for a standard passenger car. I’m not sure what cars you are used to or comparing it to, but yes it is pretty powerless. Especially mated to an automatic transmission. Trust me on this, I owned a 140hp Mercury Cougar as a teenager and the car couldn't get out of it's own way.
I'm not saying the Hyundai is a bad car. It's a great appliance for trotting around town from point A to point B, very reliable, gets great fuel economy. However, that's about where it ends.
This is of course an opinion and if you are basing car performance relative to an old Mercury cougar, that speaks for itself. In the same token, the second series Ford Taurus only had a 120 HP engine, but a ton of low end torque which is far more important. A fun car to drive even though it was an auto. The point is that personal acenedotes are nothing more than that, personal. They can't be disputed.
On calling the Hyundai a bad car, you said it was unsafe based in your notion that 138 HP wasn't sufficient. Yet you now admit that cars once universally had this size engine. If you now want to back down from that statement then so be it, the issue is settled.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NSX
.....It pretty much comes down to basic physics. As velocity increases, the force (hp) needed to move an object increases exponentially. That means accelerating from 60-70 in a short amount of time will much harder for the Hyundai than 30-40.
Basic Physics? This one makes me laugh. It's far more complicated and related to vehicle mass, mechanical and thermodynamic losses, air friction, rate of change, etc. because It's not based solely on horsepower as there are 150 hp motorcycles that can easily outrun a 400 hp automobile. A 400 hp semi isn't going anywhere in comparison. A 228 hp electric Tesla will blow the socks off almost any gas car with engines 2x the HP. The difference isn't in the HP produced, it's in the design. Am I saying a Hyundai is as fast as a Mustang, no, but it isn't unsafe because of it either.
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Finally I will agree that traction control makes a car safer on wet surfaces. Maybe you completely miss the fact that it does it's job by reducing the effective output at the wheels so you don't break said traction. i.e. You turned your vehicle into a Hyundai in terms of HP delivered to the pavement. This argument shoots everything you said about high HP = safe in the foot.
i think the newer designed 4 bangers have more guts then the older ones. seems like it. must be a reason. but the new ones seem to get more performance then i remember back in the day when they all felt weak(er). i certainly don't feel as if the small cars i have driven are unsafe for lack of power
he are a couple of vids of the Elantra getting out of its own way pretty quickly. first from 0-60 and then from a rolling start. both cars are equipped with manuals. not super speedy, but they get the job done when needed. even with the auto trans like i have
I have never owned a Hyundai. They were once just as bad as Detroit vehicles, but they have changed. When I bought my 2005 Corolla, I also looked at Honda Civics, Mazda 3s, and Hyundai Elantras. The Corolla won out, but I was VERY impressed with the Elantra, and it would have been my second choice. My daughter bought a used 2003 Elantra two years ago, and it has been a GREAT CAR!
I will compare at all the good car makes again the next time I go car shopping, and there's a good chance that I will finally have a Hyundai in my garage!
Basic Physics? This one makes me laugh. It's far more complicated and related to vehicle mass, mechanical and thermodynamic losses, air friction, rate of change, etc. because It's not based solely on horsepower as there are 150 hp motorcycles that can easily outrun a 400 hp automobile. A 400 hp semi isn't going anywhere in comparison. A 228 hp electric Tesla will blow the socks off almost any gas car with engines 2x the HP. The difference isn't in the HP produced, it's in the design. Am I saying a Hyundai is as fast as a Mustang, no, but it isn't unsafe because of it either.
I'm talking about high speed driving more than you're average daily commute. The faster that you're traveling, the less relevant torque and weight are, what is going to matter is aerodynamics (Cd), gearing, and most of all power. Can you guess which goes faster a 2007 Yamaha R1 with a power to weight ratio of 0.46 (170hp/370lbs) or a 1985 Ferrari Testarossa with a hp/lb of 0.10 (380hp/3800lb)? Top speed of the Ferrari is 185 and Yamaha is 174 mph
Driving at speeds of 70mph+ on a crowded highway when high speed passing and lane changes are needed, >150hp is pretty lousy. I think we can both agree on that. Actually, try it in a 400 hp car than go back to the Hyundai. That will answer your question.
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