What is slow?

[91cavgt]

So we've all read and seen reviews talking about this car or that car is incredibly slow, and some reviews even call certain cars dangerously slow. But what is slow?


Slow is all about perspective. A Chevy Corvette would be considered slow if compared to a Buggatti Vehyron. Likewise, a Mirage would be considered slow compared to a Corvette. But what is truly slow when it comes to over the road vehicles?


A lot of people put a Geo Metro/Suzuki Swift/Pontiac Firefly up on a pedestal when talking about the slowest modern vehicles. However, my 1996 Metro took 13.2 seconds to get to 60 mph (which happens to also be it's 1/8th mile time at a local drag strip). Yes, that is relatively slow compared to most vehicles, but there is a VERY common vehicle on the road that is much, MUCH slower than that.

A school bus. When fully loaded, a full size school bus can weigh as much as 30,000 pounds but yet they only have around 200 horsepower. Yeah, only 200 horsepower! That's equal to a vehicle that weighs 7500 pounds with a Geo Metro 1.0L 3 cylinder!! When it is fully loaded, the 0 to 60 mph time is approximately 2 minutes! A Geo Metro seems like a Corvette in comparison, and a Mitsubishi Mirage seems like a Buggatti Veyhron!


So the next time someone makes a comment about how slow a Mitsubishi Mirage is, look at things from the perspective of a fully loaded school bus!

[laceygirl]

Due to my state having higher than average speed limits, 80 kilometres an hour on everyday roads, I have to really work my Mirage to get out of the way of the larger, Auto's like SUV's, Commodores and Fords, so yes I would call it slow off the mark, BUT for what I use it for, it suits me down to the ground....

[Bernadine]

I don't think it's slow. People just like to drive fast, so in comparison to them, it is "slow". If manufacturers weren't trying to compete for the most horsepower and were trying to make strictly fuel efficient vehicles, I think most cars would be on par with the Mirage in terms of speed.

[Cobrajet]

A new Prius C and a new Mirage both have around the same 0-60 time...about 11 seconds. They also both get really good mpg, which is what they are designed for.

Yet it's only the Mirage that is called "dangerously slow".

I think some people see 74 horsepower and just ASSUME it's dangerous, even though it is only propelling a 1900-ish pound car.

As one auto writer pointed out, it's the same 0-60 time as an '80s BMW 318i. I don't remember the words "dangerous" or "slow" being used to describe the Bimmer!

[cyclopathic]

I think original Mustag had 0 to 60 10.6 sec, about as much as MT Mirage. Last Spitfire sold in US had 15.2 as I recall.

To me 0-60 isn't good presentation of real life. 0-40 (acceleration from dead stop), 20-50 (merge) and 40-70 (pass) are better indicators.

Btw there plenty of cars and trucks on the road now which would take sweet time to get up to speed. Sometimes because of load, but mostly due to operators. I just spent almost 2min last night sitting behind the lady on stop sign. Apparently those all merge opportunities were not good enough for her 7.5 sec Altima.

IMHO slower subcompacts are fine but they and bad drivers = bad combo.

[cyclopathic]

A new Prius C and a new Mirage both have around the same 0-60 time...about 11 seconds. They also both get really good mpg, which is what they are designed for.

Yet it's only the Mirage that is called "dangerously slow".

I think some people see 74 horsepower and just ASSUME it's dangerous, even though it is only propelling a 1900-ish pound car.

As one auto writer pointed out, it's the same 0-60 time as an '80s BMW 318i. I don't remember the words "dangerous" or "slow" being used to describe the Bimmer!

Actually C is slightly slower than 5MT Mirage, and I think most of cars in this category Spark, Versa, etc have similar times. It is certainly on par with majority of econoboxes sold in 90s and better than many sold in 80s

[live4redline]

I agree with all of that and with a story ill add that slower doesn't always mean its going to be slower.

I recently for fun competed in a traditional USA AutoX which is a time trial style race with a laid out course on pavement or asphalt. For kicks I brought a run of the mill stock 4 cylinder automatic 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS. The car is a great deal slower then my Evo 9 that i normally bring out and literally classed in one of the lowest class's for the event. The car was a great deal slower then the competition and yet some how I was able to finish 32 of 84, finishing a head of several Evolution's, Corvettes, Porches, Mustangs, and many of your other dominant sports cars. Now unfortunately I was a little rusty as I've been out due to illness for nearly two years and could have probably placed a little higher when in my prime, but needless to say... slow doesn't always mean slow in the hands of the correct driver.

Another reason why I look forward to owning a newer Mirage... cause nothing is more enjoyable then the look on someones face when they find out there sports car is getting beat by an Eco-Box.

[91cavgt]

Due to my state having higher than average speed limits, 80 kilometres an hour on everyday roads, I have to really work my Mirage to get out of the way of the larger, Auto's like SUV's, Commodores and Fords, so yes I would call it slow off the mark, BUT for what I use it for, it suits me down to the ground....

The speed limit on the interstate right next to where I work is 120 kph (75 mph). So, when I leave work, if I need to get on the interstate then I have to floor the gas pedal in order to get up to speed on the on ramp. I have no other choice, so I rarely take the interstate.

[91cavgt]

I agree with all of that and with a story ill add that slower doesn't always mean its going to be slower.

I recently for fun competed in a traditional USA AutoX which is a time trial style race with a laid out course on pavement or asphalt. For kicks I brought a run of the mill stock 4 cylinder automatic 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS. The car is a great deal slower then my Evo 9 that i normally bring out and literally classed in one of the lowest class's for the event. The car was a great deal slower then the competition and yet some how I was able to finish 32 of 84, finishing a head of several Evolution's, Corvettes, Porches, Mustangs, and many of your other dominant sports cars. Now unfortunately I was a little rusty as I've been out due to illness for nearly two years and could have probably placed a little higher when in my prime, but needless to say... slow doesn't always mean slow in the hands of the correct driver.

Another reason why I look forward to owning a newer Mirage... cause nothing is more enjoyable then the look on someones face when they find out there sports car is getting beat by an Eco-Box.

I used to do the same thing, but on a road course with my old 2002 Hyundai Accent. But on a road course, what was really funny is after I passed someone, seeing them try to catch up to me and pass me. I had a BMW Z4 try to take an off camber turn that was at the top of a hill and right before a braking zone at the same speed that I could. Needless to say, he ended up spinning out and was questioning why a cheap econo box car could take a corner faster than his beloved BMW.

[Cobrajet]

Most people who insist that their car be able to go 0-60 in seven seconds so as not to be 'dangerous' take about 15 seconds or more to get to 60 anyway!

Nothing like trying merge into 70 mph freeway traffic behind a woman in a new M3 who, for some reason, wants to merge at 42 mph. This drives me crazy!