Sometimes people get lost in all of the new features and technology present in new cars that they can forget about the basics. For some, they never really understood the basics to begin with. Something we find that puzzles many car owners is horsepower. What is it? Does it even matter? What is good horsepower in a car? Read below for a crash course.
What is good horsepower in a car?
Horsepower literally began as a way to measure, as the name implies, the power of horses. It has stayed constant as a measurement of power ever since. There are many mathematical ways of describing what horsepower is but it basically boils down to how much power your car has.
The amount of power that your car needs (to move) will depend on how large it is and how much it weighs. The amount of horsepower needed can be very subjective because not only does it determine if your car will move but also how fast it can go, how much weight it can haul etc. When comparing horsepower in cars make sure you are comparing similar size and weight cars to get the most accurate comparison. A smaller horsepower can still be quite powerful if it is inside a compact car. Similarly, a decent horsepower in a pickup truck needing to haul large and heavy loads may not be enough. And then of course there are vehicles like the Alfa Romeo Stelvio that combine the two.
Read More: What’s the Difference Between a Manual and Automatic Transmission?
Horsepower Vs. Fuel Efficiency
Car companies have been using horsepower as a marketing tool to sell cars for awhile now. This has resulted in some car shoppers looking for large horsepower unnecessarily. In some cases, like we mentioned before, large horsepower is needed for a larger or heavier vehicle but sometimes good is good enough. If you don’t need all of that horsepower then be careful, because all of that power needs a lot of fuel. If fuel efficiency is a concern for you and you’re just doing basic driving then consider going with a lower horsepower vehicle.
If you have any more questions about horsepower feel free to comment below.