Weight / power ratio: do the math before buying the next car

 

Have you ever heard of power weight? There is a simple account to do whose result will help you a lot when buying a car. To obtain the value of the Weight / Power ratio, simply consult the vehicle's technical sheet on automotive websites, car magazines and even more complete price tables such as that of Jornal do Carro (SP). View here for more info: average car weight

Take the weight of the vehicle in kilograms (Kg) and divide it by the horsepower of the engine in horsepower (cv). So, in the case of a Chevrolet Onix 1.0, you will have:

1011 Kg / 80 hp = 12.63  Kilo per hp

This means that each horsepower of the Onix in question will carry a little more than 12 kilos. In my view this result is important because it indicates that the car is economical, but it is not so fast and that due to the weight it should not come with many safety equipment and will have a popular car price.

However, I agree that at first glance, without comparison parameters it seems to be just a number. How do you know if a power to weight ratio of 12 is too little or too much? I'll clarify more. I will not make a racing list or a ranking of power-to-weight ratios of all the cars on the market here . I will comment on the results by category (popular, compact, medium sedans, small pickups, SUVs etc.) giving examples of some models , so that you have an idea of ​​how your car performs and the positive and negative highlights of the category, if any.

It is worth remembering that the maximum power is always obtained with Ethanol when the car is flex and that the weight is that of the version of that car that has that type of engine, 1.0 or 1.6, for example.

Best option - Renault Kwid

 

  

As the 1.0 cars have little power, the small differences between the models make a big difference in practical day-to-day use. Note that Fiat models, with a maximum power of 77 horsepower, have very poor power / weight ratios, with the exception of Mobi. Uno and Argo have the worst numbers, along with the Nissan Versa. The highlights are Renault Kwid, Volkswagen Gol and Volkswagen Up. The Kwid is ahead because it is much lighter than the others, and VW models stand out because they have 82 horses, more than almost all, second only to the Ford Ka , which did not win because it is very heavy.

Best option - Hyundai HB20 1.6 and Nissan March 1.6

Here things have improved a lot, we find weight / power ratios much more interesting. We have the exceptions, heavy and low power models, such as VW Fox 1.6, Peugeot 208 1.2 and Citroen C3 1.2, these last two models made to deliver economy and not power. At the other end, the Hyundai HB20 1.6 has an excellent power-to-weight ratio, which comes close to the values ​​of sports compacts, with a great 8.12 kilos per horse. The Nissan March is also great at that.

Best option - Hyundai HB20S 1.6

Here, all compact sedans with engines between 1.3 and 1.6 are very close together, with the exception of the Hyundai HB20S 1.6, which stands out positively. And the other highlight is negative, the Grand Siena 1.4 cannot reach its opponents and is well behind, with more than 12 kilos per horse.