Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
My '84 Cutlass would probably struggle to make 60 in much under 12.5 seconds, but merging onto a busy expressway was never a problem. My current vehicle, only 166 horsepower moving 3500 pounds, never leaves me wanting for more power. I've never had issues with "power", and most of the vehicles I've owned haven't been fast vehicles. Slowest was probably that Cutlass or my '95 Nissan pickup. Four cylinders, four wheel drive, 5 forward speeds. It wasn't quick, but it got the job done.
And I've never been rearended. Take that as you will.
A 12.5s 0-60 isn't dangerous to drive with, that's probably what my Tracker's is, then add the trailer! I towed a u-haul through Detriot, Chicago, Minneapolis twice on a round trip to Winnipeg and back with no "scary" moments merging by getting on the gas early and hard.
That said, I don't quite understand why ford would choose the 3 cyl for the Focus or even why GM chose a 1.4L for the Cruze? Why not make it a 1.6L turbo with a bit more zip? With the new mid-size cars having 70's muscle car performance, I don't like the fact that many of the new smaller cars have less than 90's econobox performance and are slower than my Neon...
Well It will have 125HP, which is only 18 less than my cruze does, which is extremely impressive considering it's 1 cylinder and .4L smaller.